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 Mobile ViewAIR CONDITIONING & HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS A/C - HEAT PUMP CONTROLS & SWITCHES A/C DATA TAGS A/C - HEAT PUMP CRITICAL DEFECTS A/C DIAGNOSTIC FAQs A/C REFRIGERANTS A/C TYPES, ENERGY SOURCES AGE of AIR CONDITIONERS & HEAT PUMPS AGE of HEATERS, BOILERS, FURNACES AGE of WATER HEATERS AIR CONDITIONER BTU CHART AIR CONDITIONER COMPONENT PARTS AIR CONDITIONER TYPES, ENERGY SOURCES AIR CONDITIONER NOT WORKING AIR FILTERS for HVAC SYSTEMS AIR HANDLER / BLOWER UNITS ANIMAL ALLERGENS / PET DANDER ANIMAL ENTRY POINTS in buildings ANIMAL ODORS IN buildings APPLIANCE EFFICIENCY RATINGS ASBESTOS IDENTIFICATION IN buildings BACKUP HEAT for HEAT PUMPS BLOWER DOORS & AIR INFILTRATION BLOWER FAN CONTINUOUS OPERATION BLOWER FAN OPERATION & TESTING BOOKSTORE - Air Conditioning "How To" Books CAPACITORS for HARD STARTING MOTORS CAPILLARY TUBES CHINESE DRYWALL HAZARDS CIRCUIT BREAKER SIZE for A/C or HEAT PUMP CLEANING & Legionella BACTERIA CHINESE DRYWALL HAZARDS COMBUSTION GASES & PARTICLE HAZARDS COMPRESSOR & CONDENSING COIL, A/C CONDENSATE HANDLING, A/C CLEANING & Legionella BACTERIA DEW POINT TABLE - CONDENSATION POINT GUIDE DIAGNOSE & FIX AIR CONDITIONER / HEAT PUMP DUCT SYSTEM & DUCT DEFECTS ASBESTOS HVAC DUCTS ASBESTOS PAPER on DUCTWORK ASBESTOS TRANSITE DUCTWORK BALANCING AIR DUCT FLOW DUCT & AIR HANDLER ODORS DUCT DAMAGE, MECHANICAL DUCT INSULATION - Asbestos Paper DUCT ROUTING & SUPPORT DUST CONTAMINATION FROM HVAC? FIBERGLASS DUCT, RIGID CONSTRUCTION FIBERGLASS HVAC DUCTS FIRE DAMPERS in DUCTWORK FLOOD DAMAGE in DUCT WORK GOODMAN GRAY FLEXDUCT INCREASING RETURN AIR LEAKY DUCT CONNECTIONS LOCATION OF REGISTERS & DUCTS MOLD in AIR HANDLERS & DUCT WORK NOISES in DUCT SYSTEM ODORS in AIR HANDLERS & DUCT WORK OWENS CORNING FLEXDUCT OWL FLEXDUCT RETURN AIR REGISTERS & DUCTS SOUNDPROOFING for DUCTWORK SUPPLY DUCTS & REGISTERS TRANSITE PIPE AIR DUCTS UNDERSIZED RETURN DUCTS UNSAFE DUCT OPENINGS VIBRATION DAMPENERS WATER & ICE IN DUCT WORK WET CORRODED DUCT WORK ZONE DAMPER CONTROLS DUST CONTAMINATION FROM HVAC? EDUCATION, HVAC SCHOOLS ELECTRIC MOTOR DIAGNOSTIC GUIDE ELECTRIC MOTOR OVERLOAD RESET SWITCH ELECTRICAL POWER SWITCH FOR HEAT EVAPORATIVE COOLING SYSTEMS EVAPORATOR COIL or COOLING COIL EXPANSION VALVES, REFRIGERANT FAN, AIR HANDLER BLOWER UNIT FAN AUTO ON Thermostat Switch FAN, COMPRESSOR/CONDENSER UNIT FAN CONVECTOR HEATERS - HYDRONIC COILS FAN LIMIT SWITCH FAN NOISES FURNACES WARM AIR HEATING SYSTEMS GAS EXPOSURE EFFECTS, TOXIC GAS DETECTION & MEASUREMENT GAUGE, REFRIGERATION PRESSURE TEST HEAT LOSS (or GAIN) in buildings HEAT LOSS (or GAIN) INDICATORS HEAT LOSS R U & K VALUE CALCULATION HEAT PUMPS HEATING SMALL LOADS HOUSEWRAP AIR & VAPOR BARRIERS HUMIDITY LEVEL TARGET INDOOR AIR QUALITY IMPROVEMENT GUIDE INSPECTION CHECKLIST - OUTDOOR UNIT INSPECTION LIMITATIONS, A/C SYSTEMS LOST COOLING CAPACITY MANUALS & PARTS GUIDES - HVAC MOTOR OVERLOAD RESET SWITCH MOLD in AIR HANDLERS & DUCT WORK NOISE / SOUND DIAGNOSIS & CURE NOISE AIR CONDITIONER / HEAT PUMP NOISE, DUCT VIBRATION DAMPENERS NOISE CONTROL for HEATING SYSTEMS NOISE CONTROL for FLOORS NOISE CONTROL for PLUMBING NOISE CONTROL for ROOFS NOISES COMING FROM WATER HEATER SOUND CONTROL in buildings ODORS in AIR HANDLERS & DUCT WORK OPERATING COST OPERATING DEFECTS OPERATING TEMPERATURES NOISE AIR CONDITIONER / HEAT PUMP NOISE / SOUND DIAGNOSIS & CURE Air Leak Noises AIR CONDITIONING & HEAT PUMP NOISES PORTABLE ROOM AIR CONDITIONERS PRESSURE READINGS, REFRIGERANT REPAIR GUIDE, AIR CONDITIONERS / HEAT PUMPS REPAIR & DIAGNOSTIC FAQs for A/C REFRIGERANTS GAUGE, REFRIGERATION PRESSURE TEST REFRIGERANT CHARGING PROCEDURE REFRIGERANT DRIERS & FILTERS REFRIGERANT PIPING & DISTANCES REFRIGERANT PRESSURE READINGS RETROFIT SIZING for A/C or HEAT PUMPS SEER RATINGS & OTHER DEFINITIONS SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEMS SPLIT SYSTEM AIR CONDITIONERS & HEAT PUMPS SWAMP COOLERS SYSTEM OPERATION THERMOSTATS, HEATING / COOLING THERMOSTATIC EXPANSION VALVES WATER COOLED AIR CONDITIONERS More Information |
Duct vibration dampeners or "vibration dampers": This article, part of our series "How to Inspect the Central Air Conditioning or Cooling System" describes the vibration damper (vibration dampener or vibration isolator) connecting the air handler unit supply plenum to the building supply duct and cites cases of asbestos-containing air conditioning or heating duct work that could send asbestos fibers into building air. InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. We have no relationship with advertisers nor with topics or services discussed at this website.Asbestos in or on HVAC ducts (air ducts or heating and cooling ductwork) is a possible hazard for which we provide links to a separate document - see Asbestos Air Ducts and for a more general guide to recognizing asbestos in buildings, see IDENTIFICATION of ASBESTOS in buildings. Also see NOISE / SOUND DIAGNOSIS & CURE. © Copyright 2012 InspectAPedia.com, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use page top links to major topics or use links at the left of each page to navigate within topics and documents at this website. Green links show where you are in a document series or at this website. What is the Vibration Dampener Found on Air Handlers for Heating and Air Conditioning Systems?
Thanks to reader Kenneth Meichtry, Building Maintenance Superintendent at General Services Agency, San Luis Obispo County, CA,for pointing out that the correct term for the HVAC component we illustrate here is vibration dampener. Definition of vibration dampener: A vibration dampener is a device designed to absorb rather than transmit vibration. In the case of heating furnaces and air conditioners, mechanical vibrations that occur in the air handler would be transmitted as annoying sounds throughout the building if a vibration dampener were not installed between the air handler unit itself and the metal ductwork to which it is connected. It would be equally accurate and more descriptive to refer to this device as a vibration isolator since what it's doing is isolating vibration in the vibrating part to avoid transmitting the vibration and thus annoying noise to other parts of the HVAC system or into the building. On an air handler system or "blower unit", a fabric, currently often made of rubberized material, is installed as the vibration dampener. Vibrations in the air handler move the fabric without being transmitted into the metal ductwork. In these articles we may include the less correct term "vibration damper" because it is very widely used among HVAC trades workers and because we want online searches for this noise-reducing component to enable our article to be found using either term: vibration damper or vibration dampener. Damaged Vibration DampenersInspect the vibration dampener to see that it is intact, not torn or damaged. If the blower is running you may feel air leakage around the damper if it is damaged or not properly installed. Asbestos Textile Fabric in HVAC Ducts as Vibration Dampener Material
Colors of asbestos vibration dampener cloth: If the vibration damper fabric is white or white-gray (un-coated asbestos fabric) or possibly silver (aluminized coated asbestos fabric) and woven of a coarse-woven fabric it may be an asbestos material, typically containing chrysotile asbestos fibers in a high percentage. Look at the lower left corner of our close up photo of a silver-colored asbestos vibration damper at a warm air furnace (photo above right). See that little black round spot above the "D" in "Daniel" of our © notice? That's where a technician has made a hole in the asbestos damper material in order to insert a thermometer to sense air temperature. The fibers released by such minor damage are probably below the limits of detection.
Reports of actual asbestos lab tests of asbestos cloth vibration dampers confirms their composition: The photograph of an asbestos cloth HVAC duct vibration damper shown at left, courtesy Jason Lee, was confirmed by Mr. Lee as containing 65% chrysotile asbestos. OPINION-DF: Further testing or inspection may be in order, since if indeed asbestos material was used at this location, and especially if it is damaged, it could release asbestos fibers into building air. Do not tear, cut, or damage the material during your inspection. If the vibration damper is missing, torn, leaky, or is made of asbestos, we recommend that it be replaced with modern materials. In some cases it may be less costly to simply replace an asbestos-suspect vibration damper than to pay to have it tested. However if you want to test the vibration damper fabric, look inside the return plenum to the inside of the fabric. Often we can find an individual thread sticking up above the metal clamp securing the fabric to the metal plenum sides, easily clipped with no damage to the fabric itself. Also see these related articles on noise and sound control in buildings: NOISE / SOUND DIAGNOSIS & CURE Questions & Answers regarding this article. Ask a Question or Search InspectAPediaHTML Comment Box is loading comments...
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