A Solution for Leaky Ductwork

Harvard University

Leaky ductwork connected to a new air handling unit in Girguis Lab at Harvard University was fixed with a new approach to duct sealing.

At Harvard University’s Girguis Lab, engineers had just installed a new 8,500 CFM air handling unit that was meant to supply heat to the lab and an adjacent facility. When the unit was brought online, however, its fan was operating at around 97 percent of capacity with little effect—and that was even before the system was connected to the adjacent facility. It was determined that leaks in the ductwork were reducing static pressure to such a degree that air couldn’t reach its destinations. With ducts hidden under insulation and behind layers of pipes, fixing those leaks seemed an impossible task.

Fortunately, the mechanical contractors on the job had heard about a new approach to duct sealing called Aeroseal that worked from the inside of the air shafts to locate and seal leaks.

In just a matter of days, the problem was fixed. The system’s duct leaks were quickly reduced from more than 5,800 CFM down to 429 CFM—a 98-percent reduction. The AHR fan now operated at only 37 percent of capacity. The system was quieter, and university engineers were relieved.

“I would absolutely call this a project saver,” says John Holliser, senior capital project manager for Harvard. “Our only other option was to tear down walls and demolish the building structure in order to access the leaky ductwork. We were very pleased with the results and I honestly don’t know how we would have solved this issue if the Aeroseal technology wasn’t available.”

aeroseal.com

This article originally appeared in the College Planning & Management July/August 2019 issue of Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Los Angeles City College Breaks Ground on New Administration, Workforce Building

    Los Angeles City College (LACC) in Los Angeles, Calif., recently broke ground on a new $72-million administrative facility, according to a news release. The Cesar Chavez Administration and Workforce Building will stand four stories, cover 67,230 square feet, and play home to a wide variety of the school’s educational and administrative services.

  • University of Kansas Opens $400M Football Stadium Reconstruction

    The University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kan., recently announced that the $400-million reconstruction of David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium is complete in time for the 2025 football season, according to a news release. The university partnered with Turner Construction Company on the project.

  • Case Study Highlights Texas District’s Campus Security Upgrades

    The Taft Independent School District near Corpus Christi, Texas, recently partnered with Intech Southwest Services to revamp its campus security technology system, according to a news release. Intech has released a case study on its website detailing the process that advanced the district’s technology by more than 20 years in less than three weeks.

  • Pittsburgh High School Upgrades Athletics Facilities’ Technology

    Plum Senior High School in Pittsburgh, Penn., recently partnered with South-Dakota-based Daktronics through the We’re All Mustangs Here Foundation to upgrade the technology in its athletics facilities, according to a news release. Daktronics designed, built, and installed new LED video displays and finished the project in time for the beginning of the 2025 high-school football season.