Attic Hvac Ducts
Here s why that is a good thing.
Attic hvac ducts. First water dripping off of your ducts and onto your insulation can cause the insulation to compress which decreases it s r value or ability to insulate. 1 10 5 25 per foot insulated flexible duct 4 to 16 diameters used as branches or in radial duct attic systems 2 30 13 00 per foot round and oval sheet metal duct 3 to 8 diameters typically used for trunks in small homes and. If you have central heating and or air conditioning in your home the warm or cool air is delivered to each room through a system of connected ducts and vents. There will be less duct leakage.
Why is condensation on ductwork a problem. Install ductwork so that it is in direct contact with i e laying on the ceiling and or truss lower cords. All ducts are at risk for this type of leakage. Flexible duct is a plastic tube that is reinforced with wire and then insulated on the outside.
Use metal flex or fiber board ducts that are insulated to. Use the type of. Ted has more than a few cobwebs in his attic. The unconditioned space also houses his hvac system.
In the 70 s and 80 s in slab hvac ductwork was commonplace and took advantage of the relatively stable temperature of the slab at or near the ground. For an added layer of protection you can apply duct mastic to the tape and duct. When hvac ducts are installed in a vented attic in a dry climate bury the ducts in attic insulation to protect them from temperature extremes in the unconditioned attic space. The really bad news is that with old metal duct systems the only option is replacement of the ducts to stop the rain in the attic.
Most updated central air conditioned homes have a new air conditioner split system meaning the ac is broken up into parts. Sometimes air conditioned air will seep right through your ducts and become useless instead of heating and cooling your home. The air ducts for a central hvac systems are typically located above a home in the attic or upper crawl space or underneath a home in the space between the foundation and the floor so. Duct leakage causes a lot of problems including less.
An outdoor unit which houses the fan condenser and compressor and an indoor unit which holds the evaporator and fan. Why is this a problem. When insulating hvac ductwork use a foil faced fiberglass insulation with an r 6 or higher r value. So why put an hvac system up in the attic at all.
Here are the itemized costs for the most common types of ductwork and supplies needed to complete installation. Attic hvac systems also require shorter ducts. Attic hvac systems save space. Cost of installation supplies.
With newer foundation systems involving embedded rebar or tension cables making in slab hvac ductwork nearly impossible there s little other option but to move it to the attic. So water is condensing on your ac ducts. When water condenses and drips into your attic or home it can cause a some serious secondary problems. The 1 800 square foot brick ranch in climate zone 4 dates from the 1960s but the previous owner installed both a furnace and ductwork in the attic just four years ago.
Don t use standard cloth duct tape on hvac ductwork since the adhesive won t hold up to extreme temperatures.