Your HVAC system is in the flow if:
- It is correctly sized to provide correct air flow, and meet room-by-room calculated heating and cooling loads.
- It is installed so the static air pressure drop across the handler is within manufacturer and design specifications to have the capacity to meet the calculated loads.
- It has sealed supply ductwork that will provide correct air flow.
- It is installed with a return system sized to provide correct return air flow.
- It has sealed return ductwork that will provide adequate air flow to the fan, and avoid air entering the HVAC system from polluted zones (e.g., fumes from autos and stored chemicals, and attic particulates).
- It has balanced air flows between supply and return systems to maintain neutral pressure in the home.
- It minimizes duct air temperature gain or loss between the air handler and room registers, and between return registers and the air handler.
- It is correctly charged with refrigerant.
- It has proper burner operation and draft.
Air Tech of Katy’s design and installation standards:
- Determine room-by-room loads and air-flows using ACCA Manual J calculation procedures (or substantially equivalent).
- Layout duct system on the floor plan, accounting for the direction of joists, roof hips, fire walls, and other potential obstructions.
- Determine register locations and types, duct lengths, and connections required to produce layout given construction constraints.
- Size duct system according to ACCA Manual D calculation procedures (or substantially equivalent).
- Size HVAC equipment to sensible load using ACCA Manual S procedures (or substantially equivalent).
- Install equipment and ducts according to design specifications, using installation requirements and procedures from the Uniform Mechanical Code, the Air Diffusion Council, SMACNA, California Residential Energy Efficiency Standards, and manufacturers’ specifications (Title 24); Using these procedures and those in Appendix A, the duct system should be substantially airtight.
- Charge the system appropriately, and verify the charge with the evaporator superheat method or sub-cooling method (or substantially equivalent).
- Check for specified furnace burner operation and fire-box drafting.
- Test the system to ensure that it performs correctly by determining (1) that the system is properly sized, (2) it does not leak substantially and has either (3a) adequate air handler fan flow, and plenum static pressures, or (3b) adequate room and return air flows, and specified plenum static pressures.
