I need help finding a contractor don't know what they are called

[jam022316]

Our living room and kitchen are freezing. The rest of the house stays at a good temperature. I'm assuming this is due to poor insulation and/or heat escaping through other means. Is there such a thing as a person who can come in with an infrared camera and tell you where you're losing heat or may need insulation?

For the life of me I find these types of services with Google but can't really land on what they are called or what this service would even be called. Is that an inspection? Sorry for the dumb question I'm just at a loss here.

Thanks in advance!

 

[LXCam]

Anyone that does home energy audits will do that. Check and see if any of your utility companies offer this service for free or have links to contractors that do.

 

[jam022316]

Anyone that does home energy audits will do that. Check and see if any of your utility companies offer this service for free or have links to contractors that do.

Ah that sounds familiar. I will check thanks!

 

[tatra]

What kind of heating system do you have ? Maybe the gang here can be of assistance . Amazing how many don’t know about balancing their forced air system for the season.

 

[LXCam]

This seems to be a decent summary list of who offers "what" services in your state. Look at places that specialize if weatherization (how ever that's spelled)

http://www.indianaenergy.org/energy-efficiency-programs.html

 

[texasprd]

Insulation contractor? That's what I'd look for in the Yellow Pages or online. Also, in San Antonio, there are numerous companies that do heating/AC and insulation - I think some of them offer the infrared inspection. I'm sure there are similar companies in your area if you live in a good-sized city - try searching for "infrared heat leakage inspection", "infrared air leakage inspection", "heating AND insulation" or similar terms for your area.

 

[evildky]

I'd think a good Insulation and weatherization contractor could help, I know a guy local to me that specializes in this.I see you are in IN, depending on where he might even be able to help you.
Here is his website, you can see the various certifications he has, perhaps searching for those will help.
http://www.buildingperformancegroup.com/about-us

 

[jam022316]

Thank you all. I have a gas furnace (central air). I live on a tri level so living room and kitchen are floor you walk into, small crawlspace under it, and then going downstairs is a finished basement on a slab. If you go up stairs there's the three bedrooms and bath. The upstairs, our bedroom we fry, my daughters rooms freeze pretty easily, and upstairs bathroom fries.

Kitchen/Living room is freezing all the time we have to use an electric fireplace down there.

Basement is not as bad as living room surprisingly but it's cold down there too.

 

[vavet]

If you have a smartphone, you can probably download an app that will turn your phone into an infrared camera. That'll give you some ideas before the contractor shows up.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Anyone that does home energy audits will do that. Check and see if any of your utility companies offer this service for free or have links to contractors that do.

The free ones are just a quick check, but they are usually preformed by a person who has the knowledge and equipment to do thorough job. Make sure they are certified. Depending on how in depth they get, a good home energy inspection can cost over $200. It will be worth it.

 

[LXCam]

Well assuming your duct work is sized correctly it sounds like you just need to get the system balanced. Here's what I would do in your shoes. If you can get the audit done for free, do it and confirm if you need additional sealing/insulation, bla,bla,bla. If you're good on that end contact a test and balance company and have them dial you in. Be advised though this can get expensive if you need things like balancing dampers and what nots. But the only way you're going to get what you want is do complete your due diligence....obviously

Good luck

Also I agree with the Wiz, you get what you pay for so if you can get a reputable company to do this for a couple hundred, spend the money it'll be worth every dime.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Thank you all. I have a gas furnace (central air). I live on a tri level so living room and kitchen are floor you walk into, small crawlspace under it, and then going downstairs is a finished basement on a slab. If you go up stairs there's the three bedrooms and bath. The upstairs, our bedroom we fry, my daughters rooms freeze pretty easily, and upstairs bathroom fries.

Kitchen/Living room is freezing all the time we have to use an electric fireplace down there.

Basement is not as bad as living room surprisingly but it's cold down there too.

Almost identical setup. Only about 2-4 degrees difference from the lower level family room to the upstairs bedrooms. Worse in summer.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

Well assuming your duct work is sized correctly it sounds like you just need to get the system balanced. Here's what I would do in your shoes. If you can get the audit done for free, do it and confirm if you need additional sealing/insulation, bla,bla,bla. If you're good on that end contact a test and balance company and have them dial you in. Be advised though this can get expensive if you need things like balancing dampers and what nots. But the only way you're going to get what you want is do complete your due diligence....obviously

Good luck

Also I agree with the Wiz, you get what you pay for so if you can get a reputable company to do this for a couple hundred, spend the money it'll be worth every dime.

I second getting the system air balanced.

Tommy

 

[jam022316]

Well assuming your duct work is sized correctly it sounds like you just need to get the system balanced. Here's what I would do in your shoes. If you can get the audit done for free, do it and confirm if you need additional sealing/insulation, bla,bla,bla. If you're good on that end contact a test and balance company and have them dial you in. Be advised though this can get expensive if you need things like balancing dampers and what nots. But the only way you're going to get what you want is do complete your due diligence....obviously

Good luck

Also I agree with the Wiz, you get what you pay for so if you can get a reputable company to do this for a couple hundred, spend the money it'll be worth every dime.

Hmm never heard of a balance company I'll have to check that out.

Almost identical setup. Only about 2-4 degrees difference from the lower level family room to the upstairs bedrooms. Worse in summer.

Did you do one of the balance companies or just a home energy audit?

 

[barks]

"Balance company " is a H(eating)V(entilating)A(ir)C(onditioning) contractor.

 

[jam022316]

"Balance company " is a H(eating)V(entilating)A(ir)C(onditioning) contractor.

Oh duh! wned: I should have known that. Thanks lol. That kinda ticks me off now because my furnace is only three years old is that not something they do when they come in and replace a furnace?

 

[BillK]

Jam,
We also have a split level and it is pretty hard to get the temps even on all three levels and ours is actually insulated pretty good. One thing you can do is shut off all of the registers upstairs. Heat rises so it will always be warmest upstairs. During the summer we do the opposite and close off everything downstairs.

Ideally there would be a separate HVAC system for each level but that is rarely done.

 

[lakelandcat]

Invest in a inferred therm. Check around your doors, windows, outlets and switches. if you have a leak it will show up. If all is good check your register and check the temp of the heated air compared to one of the comfortable rooms, you may have a leak in your duct work that could be fixed with some foil tape. If there is a leak around your doors check the seals and threshold. Coming from your outlets and switches they make a insulation insert to stop air leaks. If you have a fireplace your not using check to make sure your flu is closed. Inferred thermometers run anywhere from $20+ and are good for all kinds of applications.

 

[CraigStu]

Jam,
We also have a split level and it is pretty hard to get the temps even on all three levels and ours is actually insulated pretty good. One thing you can do is shut off all of the registers upstairs. Heat rises so it will always be warmest upstairs. During the summer we do the opposite and close off everything downstairs.

Ideally there would be a separate HVAC system for each level but that is rarely done.

This what we do too. It has taken a couple of years but I now have a setting for summer and winter. look at your ducts as they leave the central unit. First be sure that the duct feeding the living/kitchen area is still completely connected. Are there any dampers in them? Although mine are in a rectangle duct the external handle looks like this.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Master-...gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CITlgKyFsNgCFaO9swodp-4M5w
I do the major adjusting here. One duct feeds each floor. I then do minor adjusting at the outlets into each room. I was quite surprised how far I had to close the damper in one duct. It's about a 12 x 15 inch flap and it gets closed so there is only a one inch gap on each side.

 

[isb cornbinder]

Here is a thought. My wife had the Man in the Shiny Black Van vacuum out heating ducts and five inch pipes after our Bernese Mountain Dog died. His vacuum took what he called, "A whole dog" out of the system.
HVAC was the first trade I went to school for. I have to agree with the person who mentioned, "system balance". Too many persons do not understand how it works and then start adjusting only to make the system fail.
The furnace fan is not a positive displacement pump. The fan cannot cope with overcoming restrictions by building pressure.

 

[polizei1]

Check this out, it's a series of five videos. Matt Moreman is a member here.

 

[johnnyradiant]

The 'cold air' returns on a system are vital as well for a balanced function. A cool basement without a return can be vastly improved with a return(s) installed in the basement. Not too mention basements frequently blow in the heat from the ceiling, which is no help at all especially if you can't pull the cool air off of the floor. It doesn't help when the occupants come along and 'improve' things by blocking off a return or two.

With a new system 3 years old I'd be inclined to want to make sure all ducts are hooked up correctly and adequate returns are accounted for, and then get things balanced out to blow more hot air where ya needs it, or less where ya don't (depending on 1/2 full or 1/2 empty view point).

 

[Scott H in Wheaton]

What city are you in?
I'm in Indianapolis and I have a FLIR camera.
I do complimentary in-home inspections and estimates for a big box store.
I could see you if you are between Indy, Logansport, and Lafayette

 

[jam022316]

Thank you all. I somehow unsubscribed so I wasn’t seeing the replies. I’m in Greenwood Indiana. I definitely need to have someone at least look at the ductwork. I found out our seals on our sliding glass doors were shot and I think that’s the culprit for at least some of the cold in the living room. Gonna fix that then move on from there.

 

[Blue XJ]

The free ones are just a quick check, but they are usually preformed by a person who has the knowledge and equipment to do thorough job. Make sure they are certified. Depending on how in depth they get, a good home energy inspection can cost over $200. It will be worth it.

If your going to spend that much on an inspection, you may as well buy your own FLIR One and do it yourself. Plus this way, you'll have the thermal camera and can use it again in the future, or take your time going room by room and check the before/after results.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071NZRJD6/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Also, for balancing them, I picked up an anemometer that measures CFM. I measured the flow in every room with all the ducts wide open, then used these numbers and the size of the room to balance them all. It was time consuming, but I like to do stuff myself and keep my money in my pocket for jobs I can do myself, and pay the guys for the stuff that can't or don't want to do.

 

[toolmiser]

Maybe your energy provider, they sometimes have "audits" available, to help find energy loss, and programs to help fix them.

 

[DGersic]

Oh duh! wned: I should have known that. Thanks lol. That kinda ticks me off now because my furnace is only three years old is that not something they do when they come in and replace a furnace?

Probably not, no. They probably should, but it takes time. It’s not especially hard, just time consuming. You can do it yourself.




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[GaryM909]

My son bought a new 2 story house the first week of Dec. The ensuite bathroom on the second level is cold. Someone from the builder checked out the house today with a thermal camera and told my son some of the insulation in the attic had blown over to the other side of the attic. They are going up there tomorrow and redoing the insulation. I think they are going to put batts in.