Air Ducts In Attic Problems

According to energy star about 20 of the air that moves through the duct system is lost due to leaks holes and poorly connected ducts ductwork leaks cause your hvac system to work harder.

Air ducts in attic problems.

Use metal flex or fiber board ducts that are insulated to. Below are some commons signs of poorly installed ductwork. Install ductwork so that it is in direct contact with i e laying on the ceiling and or truss lower cords. Twisted kinked crushed or torn insulated flexible plastic air ducts.

Why is this a problem. Flexible plastic air ducts are now common in many homes and are often found in your attic. Why is condensation on ductwork a problem. With hundreds of square feet of ductwork surface area in the attic and a δt of 75 f the air coming out of the vents in your home will be significantly higher than 55 f.

However many modern residential air duct systems are constructed of fiber glass duct board or sheet metal ducts that are lined on the inside with fiber glass duct liner. First the delta t across the exhaust duct doesn t matter because you re getting rid of that air. Since the early 1970 s a significant increase in the use of flexible duct which generally is internally lined with plastic or some other type of material has occurred. 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.

When water condenses and drips into your attic or home it can cause a some serious secondary problems. Contact a qualified hvac company to fix any of the following duct problems. 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. So water is condensing on your ac ducts.

These restrictions in airflow cause your system to work harder to move air. Diagnose cure hvac duct problems like weak air flow leaks noises condensation. If you have insulated flexible ductwork check to make sure that is not kinked crushed torn or twisted. The air moving through those ducts in the attic doesn t have anywhere near the temperature difference that heating or air conditioning ducts have.

In last week s blog i discussed the practice of burying attic ducts in deep insulation since burying ducts is simply one of several ways to address the energy waste associated with the decision to locate ducts in a vented unconditioned attic it s worth taking a fresh look at all of the possible solutions to the attic duct problem. Shawn an erv isn t the same as a heating or cooling system.