Not Feeling Well? Maybe Call Doctor HVAC Contractor
A few months ago, we shared a powerful story about how forward-thinking technology improves air quality in homes.
Recently, we sat down with HVAC contractor John Barron, owner of Barron Heating and Air in Bellingham, WA, and his comfort advisor Wes Diskin to discuss how they improve air quality in their customers’ homes. They shared many success stories.
One of those success stories made us (jokingly) consider adding “doctor” to their titles.
It all began with a typical call from a loyal customer who was concerned about her air conditioner. The summer heat was just kicking in and Mary noticed that when she turned on her home’s AC, the registers weren’t pumping out the cool air like they had in the past. A call to Barron led to a visit from Wes who did a complete inspection of her HVAC equipment and determined that she was due for a system replacement.
But it didn’t stop there.
During his conversation with Mary, Wes learned that she was suffering from chronic health issues. For several years now, she had been dealing with an extreme rash on her face, a problem that was not only uncomfortable, but made her so self conscience that she was reluctant to even leave her home. Her doctors were unable to determine the cause of the rash or to find a cure that would make it go away.
On a hunch, Wes suggested that Mary have a home and duct performance assessment completed on her house. He knew that 50% of all illnesses are caused by poor indoor air quality and that nearly two-thirds of IAQ problems involve the HVAC system. He thought there just might be a connection.
The inspection found that the crawlspace in Mary’s home was wet and moldy. It also revealed that leaks in the ductwork and the home’s envelope allowed contaminated air from the crawlspace and attic to spread to the bedroom, living room and kitchen. So, working with a subcontractor, Barron facilitated a number of repairs including sealing the attic floor, removing contaminated insulation and solving poor drainage issues.
To keep contaminated air from being blown throughout the house, Barron sealed the leaks in Mary’s ductwork using the award-winning, patented Aeroseal duct sealing technology. Unlike hand sealing methods (e.g. mastic, tape), Aeroseal works from inside the ducts to find and seal leaks. This inside/out approach allowed Barron to easily access the entire duct system without having to tear into walls or squeeze up into the tight attic space where the ductwork ran. In fact, it took Barron just a single afternoon to seal Mary’s entire duct system, eliminating 92% of the leakage.
As a result of aerosealing and other repairs, Wes and the team at Barron deemed their efforts a success. Three weeks after they finished their work, Mary called to let them know something amazing had happened – the rash on her face had all but completely disappeared.
“I know it sounds unbelievable, but it’s not, it actually happened,” said John Barron, owner of Barron Heating and Cooling. “We believe what was affecting her was a combination of insulation fibers and mold spores entering the home.”
“I know it sounds unbelievable, but it’s not, it actually happened.”
John Barron
Owner
Barron Heating and Cooling
By effectively eliminating leaks in the ductwork, Barron was able to keep outside contaminants from spreading throughout the home.
“This is only one of many times we have been able to change people’s lives through our home performance knowledge and the use of aeroseal,” said Diskin. “There cannot be air quality without control of the duct leakage, period. No other product has impacted our IAQ offering or created as much real improvement to a home as Aeroseal.”
“My house is now my fortress and my refuge,” said Mary. “Thanks to Barron for doing more than simply selling me a new HVAC system. They asked me the right questions and listened to my answers. They then took that information, did some educated research and ultimately found a solution to a problem that my doctors were unable to solve.”
Are you a homeowner with similar issues in your house? Find an Aeroseal dealer near you who is happy to help.
Are you a contractor who has customers with similar IAQ concerns? We’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below or contact the Aeroseal office: call 877-349-3828 or email info@aeroseal.com.