Stick on duct liner pins.

Eugene Silberstein 3

I have no problem recommending the use of pins and washers on the inside but, personally, I use both the pin/washer amd contact cement. Large quantities of air are moving through the duct system and my thinking is that it's better to be safe than sorry.

Who wants to deal with loose duct liner?

One question though. Why is it that your technician attempted to top off the refrigerant charge? It would definitely be in your best interest to have your technicians verify airflow through the evaporator and the condenser BEFORE running to the truck for the refrigerant tank. It will save you time and money in the long (and short) run.

Mike Reavis_2

Stick on type duct liner pins

I've never used them myself, and now I know why. Last week we had a call that my tech just couldn't figure out. System with clean filters was freezing up, and did not respond to being "topped-off". I arrived and found that there was no superheat, and the system was overcharged. I actually used my Fieldpiece, with the manometer head, and discovered where the lack of air flow was. The system is a 90% furnace in a finished attic space, with an "H" coil. (The furnace is actually not oversized) Well, it seems that the adhesive for the ductliner did not hold up well to life downstream of the furnace, and neither did the stick-on duct liner pins. I was lucky for once, in that the Pitsburgh seam on the transition between the furnace and the coil was facing me. I opened it up, and removed about 12 square feet of duct liner off the coil face. Now my tech can figure out how to get between the duct, and the roof beams to install the duct-wrap. Any other duct liner tales out there?

Mike

jeff_51

never used the stick on pins on the inside, but

I have used them on the outside and wrapped the outside with the board style duct insulator, always used the contact cement on inside duct linner

bigugh_4

That is service's hiccup!

45 years in the service field, taught me to never go to a job with a preconcivied idea as to what caused whatever is wrong, told to me by the boss or customer, those ideas will usually lead the tech into paths that just gum up the careful diagnosis of the actual problem. Oh there should be a method of checking out a system, but no prediagnosis, of a particuler system. The tech will find his way best left to his own thoughts. Its though enough to test, and diagnose the system without trying to make a preconcivied (by others) fit what is amiss. They are not there, the tech is. The best times I had was when I was given the address, and that the HVAC was what I would be dealing with, and that was it. IMHO

Mike Reavis_2

the pins were held on with an adhesive

let me clarify that. The pins I have used in the past were spot welded to the metal. I would never use pins with adhesive only.

And yes, the tech is just coming up, and hopefully will think twice before giving "knee-jerk" service.

Mike

Eugene Silberstein 3

My crystal ball...

My crystal ball told me that (he was new). Nip this problem in the bud and you (and he) wil be much happier in the future.

Keep up the good work.

clammy

hate duct liners

I see a awful amount of duct work being installed all of it lined and i don't like it ,when i talk to other business owners they say it doesn't make a difference wheateher it's lined or wrapped even though there using 1/2 liner about a .45 r value pretty funny they oversize ther units to over come the cooling lose through the ducts really funny .When really comfronted about it they say they do it because the installer don't like to wrap the ducts and it cuts down on the job time increases profit .I guess i'm old fashion i still wrap all my duct work and sometimes line the returns before the filter to lowere any noise issues but then again i usually do multi returns instead to 1 main return weather it's residental or commerical it cost more but you can achieve much better overall tempertures in either sitiution.As one of my former bosses who i learned alot from amd respected said you only use lined duct work on jobs where you don,t like the people other wise wrap it and you'll be ahead of the game .As things go i price jobs and can't compete with the duct liners and big time flex runners but the custemer ulitity bill and over all building tempertures would relex the difference in install methods .Sorry for the rant but i hate duct liner i believe it's for noise issues not for insulation. peace clammy

Mike Reavis_2

amen!

preach on brother.

Mike

bob_50

Not to mention

the health benifits. bob