HVAC and Insulation From a Working Tech
Last fall, a homeowner named Greg called me out to look at his new 400-square-foot sunroom addition. He’d just paid a contractor $4,200 to extend his existing ductwork into it. The room was sweltering by noon and freezing by midnight. His central system was short-cycling, his energy bills had spiked $90 a month, and he … Read more
Last summer I walked into a client’s home in Phoenix and immediately noticed something wrong. The thermostat read 74°F. The AC had been running all morning. But the air felt thick, almost swampy — like a locker room, not a living room. The homeowner had been complaining for two years. Three different contractors told her … Read more
Every summer, I get the same call. A homeowner tells me one bedroom stays 10 degrees hotter than the rest of the house — no matter what they set the thermostat to. They’ve already changed their air filter. They’ve already called their HVAC company once. Sometimes twice. And they’re still sweating. If you’re searching for … Read more
Last fall, I climbed into a client’s attic in suburban Salt Lake City and found something I’ve seen dozens of times — beautiful, fluffy R-38 fiberglass batts covering every square inch of the attic floor. The homeowner was proud of it. He’d paid a contractor $1,800 to have it installed three years ago. His heating … Read more
If your furnace is firing up, running for a minute or two, then shutting off — only to start the whole cycle over again — you’re dealing with furnace short cycling. And in my 12 years as an HVAC technician, this is one of the most common complaints I hear from homeowners every single winter. … Read more
I’ve sealed hundreds of duct systems over the past twelve years. And the question I still get asked at least once a week is this: duct mastic vs tape — which is better? Most homeowners assume tape wins because it’s faster and cleaner. I get it. But that assumption costs people real money every year … Read more
Last February, I crawled into a client’s attic expecting a routine insulation inspection. What I found instead stopped me cold. Black mold — thick, fuzzy colonies of it — spreading across six feet of roof sheathing directly above the master bathroom. The culprit? A bathroom fan venting into the attic mold situation so common I’ve … Read more
Last winter, I walked into a home in northern Utah where the owner had just paid $380 a month in heating bills. The attic had insulation — I could see it. However, when I stuck a ruler into it, I measured R-19. In climate zone 6, the Department of Energy recommends R-49 to R-60. That … Read more
Last fall, a homeowner called me in a panic. She had just paid a contractor to insulate her attic with batt insulation — and her energy bills were somehow higher than before. When I pulled back the access hatch and climbed up, I saw the problem immediately. The batts were draped over joists, compressed around … Read more