A well-designed air duct system does more than just deliver conditioned air to every room in your house; it also helps ensure that it does so with minimal waste and maximum efficiency. In today’s post, local HVAC contractor American Refrigeration Heating and Air Conditioning Co., Inc. discusses the five key elements of good air duct design.
1. Heating and cooling requirements — Every home has its own unique heating and cooling requirements that contribute to the HVAC system’s load. The air ducts have to be designed to meet the heating and cooling needs of these rooms, therefore every room’s requirements need to be taken into account when designing a new duct system.
2. Type of HVAC system — When designing ductwork for your house, your HVAC technician needs to take into account the type of HVAC system that you have in your home. For example, a house with a furnace will need a different set of air ducts than one equipped with a heat pump. When getting a replacement HVAC system, a heating installation technician has to make sure the ductwork matches it.
3. Insulation — Air ducts have to pass through areas that don’t have or require conditioned air, therefore they have to have insulation. This helps ensure that the rooms — and only the rooms — receive warm or cool air. Poorly-insulated air ducts will let warm or cool air leak into areas where it’s not needed, such as the attic or crawlspace. The HVAC system will then have to work longer, resulting in a higher workload and energy consumption.
4. Dedicated air ducts — Some air ducts are designed to feed into more than one room. As described above, each room has its own set of heating and cooling requirements, which makes shared ducts inefficient. If you’re converting a space such as the attic or basement, your HVAC technician should install new dedicated ducts for these areas.
5. Sealing — Duct joints should be sealed with mastic and/or metal foil tape to make certain that there are no leaks, which can have the same effect as poor insulation. After installation, the duct system has to be tested before it can be connected to your HVAC equipment. Since these parts of the ductwork aren’t readily visible, they’ll need to be inspected regularly and repaired as needed.
American Refrigeration Heating and Air Conditioning Co., Inc. is your leading provider of heating and cooling services. Give us a call at (662) 337-7968. You can also fill out our contact form to schedule an appointment.
