Arkansas HVACR NewsMagazine May 2023

HVACR NewsMagazine May 2023

State National Chapter News

combination of these elements may be present. Permit the application of biocides in your ducts only if necessary to control mold growth and only after assuring yourself that the product will be applied strictly according to label directions. As a precaution, you and your pets should leave the premises during application. Do not permit the use of sealants except under unusual circumstances where other alternatives are not feasible. Make sure the service provider follows the National Air Duct Cleaning Association's (NADCA) standards and, if the ducts are constructed of flex duct, duct board, or lined with fiber glass, it follows the guidelines of the North American Insulation Manufacturers Association (NAIMA) Commit to a preventive maintenance program of yearly inspections of your heating and cooling system, regular filter changes, and steps to prevent moisture contamination. (Web link to this article at EPA is https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality iaq/should-you-have-air-ducts-your home-cleaned)

Duct Test Training Big Success in Spite Of It was a rough spring for duct testing. It was mandated and then not and then maybe sometime soon???? In spite of all that confusion and indecision, the Arkansas HVACR Association spent March & April preparing contractors to test when mandated and, in the meantime, test to demonstrate how homeowners could save big bucks by sealing their duct work. According to Greg Stockton, Today ’ s Building Science, it is not uncommon to find residential duct leaking as much as 50%+ on less than a 3 ton system. Greg partnered with Tom Hunt to conduct 16 training sessions in 14 regions of the state. Altogether the schedule included:

• 16 Classes • 14 Locations • 186 Students • 185 Certified Verifiers

When duct testing is again mandated, the Associatiion will plan additional classes. It is also planned to train local HVAC college program instructors to provide the same training and award the Association ’ s certification. This is a program of the Instructor ’ s Council which is part of the Association and has 12 of the State ’ s college instructors as members. The concept is to transfer continuing education to the colleges to provide local, affordable education for the HVACR industry in their service area.