Finding every draught point in a home is crucial. Draughts, also known as air leaks, can significantly impact the thermal energy efficiency of a building. Draughts can lead to increased energy consumption, resulting in higher utility bills and environmental impact. Floor Heating Vents are an excellent place to start!
Draughts can make a space uncomfortable, as they can cause cold airflow during winter and hot air infiltration during summer. By identifying and sealing every draught point, householders can ensure a more comfortable living or working environment and reduce their energy usage and costs. Addressing draughts helps contribute to a more sustainable future by minimizing our collective carbon footprint.
Draughts come in all sorts of shapes, sizes and locations. Just because a location is out of sight, does not mean it doesn’t matter! We know of one unexpectedly draughty location being the gaps around your floor heating vents.
CHECK YOUR FLOOR HEATING VENTS
In homes with ducted gas that comes out through the floor, you will find adaptor boots that connect the round ducting to the rectangular hole to the register. These boots are usually made of plastic and are not particularly straight. They are installed in an rectangular hole cut in the floorboards, which may not be perfectly done. In some boots, there are holes where the boot is pinned into the edge of the floorboards.
In this situation, there are three common issues.
1. Gaps
There may be gaps between the heating boot and the surrounding floor boards.
You need to inspect and fill any gaps you find. A product like Ultra Clear or even the Gap Fillers Kit can be helpful for this. If you find gaps in some registers, it is likely that the whole house will have the same issue.
2. Dangling Boots
The pins that secure the boot to the floor boards may come out, causing the boots to hang out and creating large gaps, or even have the ducting fall off the boot completely! In the trade, this is termed an “epic fail”.
In this case, you need to locate the ducting and reinstate it securely to the base of the heating boot.
3. Damaged Ducting
In the many years that ecoMaster conducted home assessments, we often found that the underfloor ducts carrying your very expensive heating from the central unit to your floor vents either had holes, splits or had become dislodged.
Check that all registers have heating coming out of them when the system is running. If there is none, there is a high likelihood of a blown duct under your floor. If that is the case, you are warming under your home rather than the inside of your home.
It is good to check that all your floor registers are secured to the ducting underneath your floorboards so you get the maximum heat possible from your unit.
Ideally, getting off gas heating in favor of more energy efficient options, such as reverse cycle air conditioning, could be a potential aim for your household. However, if you are using gas heating, it is good to maximize the benefit of your gas consumption.
People Also Ask:
⇒ Where can I learn more about this from an industry expert?
ecoMaster has been working in the energy efficiency / retrofit arena for over 20 years. During that time we learnt an enormous amount about diagnosing issues, distinctions on various products as well as developing the best installation practices. We have done the research, so you don’t have to! All that information has now been condensed into a series of ecoMasterClasses. Click here to gain access.
⇒ Can I use regular duct tape to seal floor ducting vents?
No, it is not recommended to use regular duct tape to seal floor ducting vents. Regular duct tape may not have the necessary durability and heat resistance for this purpose. It is better to use specialized HVAC foil tape or sealants specifically designed for ductwork or wire ties.
⇒ What is the weakest point with floor heating ducting?
Floor heating ducts can sometimes attract insects, rodents and small animals. The warmth from the ducts can attract these creatures looking for a cosy place to rest or hibernate. It is important to regularly clean and maintain floor heating ducts to prevent any unwelcome visitors! In one home we inspected, rats had chewed through the ducts and made their nests in the ducts. The only way to avoid the rats returning was to encase the ducts in a strong wire mesh tubing
What’s Next?
We hope this article has helped you learn how to identify if there are gaps in your floor heating vents and how to fix them. This in turn will help you on your energy and thermal efficiency retrofit journey to make your home more comfortable all year round, and reduce your costs and carbon emissions.
Next, explore the next biggest “hole” in your home – your exhaust fans, and how to deal with them.
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Knowing where to look for draughts
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