Last Wintertide was especially cold. My local section set records for low un-even temperatures, frequently experiencing conditions in the disadvantage digits. Both of us got an excess of snow, endured bitter windchill and suffered through many blizzards. I wasn’t happy with the performance of our oil furnace. I kept raising the control unit setting by more than 2 degrees, and yet the house felt cold. Certain rooms were much colder than others. The heating plan was running a lot more than usual. I procrastinated over scheduling oil furnace repairs for much longer than I should have. I didn’t want to pay for professional services. Instead, I wasted a tremendous amount of money on bi-weekly energy bills. When the contractor diagnosed the furnace, she found troubles with the ductwork. Testing of the ducts revealed that approximately 25% of the heated air was escaping through cracks at the seams and small holes. Since the ductwork is concealed inside walls, ceilings and crawl spaces, I wasn’t sure how these troubles could be fixed. The contractor explained an innovative process called Aeroseal that targets leaks from inside the pipes. After blocking off all of the supply and return registers, highly pressurized air containing polymer particles is pumped into the duct system. The particles are adhesive and cling to the edges of holes and cracks as the air leaks out. They gradually buildup to form an airnarrow seal. The process is guided by a laptop program and takes an minute or many to complete. It is severely effective and warrantied for more than 2 years. The improvement in the operation of the oil furnace was amazing.