Below are some real examples of air duct lining case studies in the Chicagoland area that Trenchless Innovations has provided to our customers.
Underground Air Duct Lining at a Townhome in Palos Park, Illinois
A heating contractor servicing a town home development in Palos Park, Illinois learned that several first floor homeowners were complaining about high amounts of dust coming from the floor registers when the HVAC system was on. Using our camera, Trenchless Innovations televised all of the air ducts from the register vents back to the area beneath the furnace. After doing so, it was determined that the metal ducts were deteriorating and allowing the material around the pipe under the slab floor to enter into the pipe. When the fan on the furnace was turned on, dirt and dust blew into the units, forcing homeowners to dust several times a day.
Using Duct Armor, our patented, environmentally-friendly and safe product, Trenchless Innovations spray lined the existing air ducts and completely rebuilt them from within. All holes where the dirt entered into the ducts were sealed. The process was completed over a two day period and the homeowners were using their systems immediately each day after we left. The result was brand new pipes formed inside the old, deteriorated ones and an immediate reduction in the amount of dust in the affected townhomes.
Underground Air Duct Lining Saves a Realtor from Losing a Sale in Lincolnshire, Illinois
Trenchless Innovations received a call from a realtor in the Northern Illinois area. The realtor had a buyer for a house in Lincolnshire, Illinois but the sale was in jeopardy because the buyer had learned that the under slab ducts were deteriorated and at times had standing water in them. The house had a vaulted ceiling with no attic so turning the heating system overhead would have meant major construction and would have altered the look of the home interior.
Trenchless Innovations performed a complete inspection of the ducts and also a drainage assessment around the property to determine the cause of the water in the vents. Trenchless Innovations discovered that downspout and sump pump lines were dropping excess water directly against the house and thus, causing water to enter into the ducts. Steps were then taken to extend the downspout and sump pump discharge lines so that water was drained away from the house.
Once the drainage issue was resolved, Trenchless Innovations sprayed the interior of the underground ducts with Duct Armor duct lining material. As a result, the ducts were completely rehabilitated from the inside and the need to turn the system overhead or pay for costly under floor repair work was eliminated. With the new liner installed in the pipes, the sale of the house proceeded and saved both the realtor and seller the loss of a sale.
Spray Lining of In-Slab Ducts in Schaumburg, Illinois
A homeowner in Schaumburg, Illinois contacted Trenchless Innovations because they were experiencing reduced or stopped airflow through their in-slab floor vents. We performed a camera inspection of the ductwork and found the reason for the air loss was due to the ducts beginning to deteriorate. The ductwork in question was round cardboard duct tubes that had a metal foil-like coating on the inside. This foil coating was peeling away from the rest of the tube and was causing the reduced airflow. Additionally, the cardboard tubes were connected together with metal couplings and metal elbows that were also beginning to show signs of rust and deterioration.
Trenchless Innovations removed the metal foil pieces that had fallen off from the interior of the pipe. Once the pipe was clean and airflow was restored to the system, Trenchless Innovations spray lined the interior of the ducts with Duct Armor. Spray lining the original cardboard ducts not only coated the interior of the pipes to prevent future peeling of the foil material but it also restored the structural integrity of the pipes and the connectors. This duct restoration project took place with no digging and no extensive construction and rehabilitation costs.
Water in Underground Ducts in Palos Park, Illinois
Trenchless Innovations was called to a townhouse association at Oak Hills in Palos Park, Illinois. A homeowner who had been living in the townhouse for almost 30 years was complaining about high humidity levels. The humidity levels were sometimes as high as 65 to 70 percent. The homeowner believed there was moisture in the under slab ducts. Trenchless Innovations performed a video inspection of the air duct system and discovered that there was standing water in it, as well as severely rusted ducts. As a result, the pipes had little structure left in them.
First, Trenchless Innovations tested to make sure the water in the ducts was not from leaking water lines or drainage pipes. After determining that the water was not from a plumbing source, we inspected the property for improper drainage issues, such as clogged downspouts, dirty gutters, downspouts discharging next to the house or landscaping pitching to the house. After ruling out these factors, we determined that a sump pit and pump needed to be installed in order to control the water. A nearby storage closet in close proximity to the furnace was an ideal location for it. The pit was dug and when tunneling under the ductwork, the groundwater that was leaking into the ducts began flowing into the pit. Now that the water issue was resolved there was still the issue with the extremely fragile ducts. Rather than just spray lining the ducts with Duct Armor, Trenchless Innovations choose to rebuild the ducts and add structural integrity back to them by performing our trenchless casting method. This is done by pulling a spray hose that is connected to a concrete pump into the ducts. As the hose is drawn back through the duct, concrete is pumped through it while a special head flings the concrete against the inside of the duct. This concrete forms a new concrete pipe within the old fragile metal pipe. The next day, we spray lined the new concrete pipes with our Duct Armor material. The ducts that had once had standing water in them and were falling apart were now totally rebuilt, structurally sound and were now a clean source of air for the heating system. All this was done with no disruption to the homeowner.