I have run a construction company for 29 years and designed and built green rated energy star rated and award winning homes. But when I helped deign and make decision for a client who wanted and LEED platinum certified home and found out that the international certification board considers important for indoor air quality. It blew my mind. I always had concerns but now I knew for sure what was wrong with conventional building practices in America. Fact. Hospitals and medical facilities are required to use metal ductwork with external wrapped insulation. This eliminates contamination into our air. 99% of residential houses have fiberglass insulation with external aluminum foil. This typical ductboard has a joint every 4 feet and is also very prone to crushing and even animals can get into it very easily. It cuts with a steak knife. After I found out the LEED homes give points for using metal I changed my entire home over to mini split ac units. I saved 30 percent on my electric bills but I also eliminated the need for ductwork all together. I have seen houses that I have remodeled with so much ductwork issues that you can see it in the air. Like a lot of it in the air. And I even had one client with an oxygen tank and copd from her house she had built custom in 1971 and lived in for 40 plus years. I found the problem. A piece of internal fiberglass insulation in a metal duct had come loose and was hanging in the 90 degree corner of the main trunk line where 5 tons of filters and conditioned air was pushing thru a turbulent corner to supply that good clean air to the entire house but now with a fresh batch of fiberglass fibers.

I work work and install fiberglass insulation all the time and it’s irritating and I have to use soap and water and green scratchy pad to exfoliate my skin vigorously to get it out of my skin. But when you breathe air everyday all day long for decades that has fiberglass in it. Well I let you decide but my family and every client I’ve built any kind of ductwork for the last 17 years has been able to rest easy knowing they got some actually healthy air to breathe.

I got lots to say about the ductless systems. But at least replace your ductwork and definitely do not have it cleaned with anything that slaps the inside of the ductwork as this causes the skin on the fiberglass to open up exposing even more fibers to the air passing by.

Wall hinges mini splits is what I’ve done know for many years and it’s simple easy to replace inexpensive and best of all no ductwork. Ever.