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Energy Efficiency in Remodeling: Ducts
Opportunities
Many remodeling projects involve some addition to, or modification of, the HVAC system, which in many cases includes ductwork. Leaky and poorly insulated ductwork located outside of the sealed and insulated building envelope (i.e., in exterior walls, garages, crawlspaces, and attics) is very common. As many as 1 in 12 homes have major ductwork problems such as disconnected ducts, pinched or crushed ductwork, missing or badly torn duct insulation, or poor duct layouts. Remodeling is an excellent time to consider ductwork improvements, when existing ductwork is accessible and new ductwork is being designed and installed.
Benefits
Reducing duct air leakage and improving duct insulation has enormous potential to reduce utility bills and prevent or eliminate associated comfort and health problems. Specifically:
• Heating and cooling costs can be reduced by as much as 20-30%
• Comfort can be improved by ensuring adequate delivery and return of conditioned air
• Downsizing of heating and cooling equipment is possible
• Entry of mold, radon, dust, and moisture into the house can be reduced
• The likelihood of house depressurization leading to backdrafting can be reduced
Factors to Consider
Location - Ducts placed within conditioned spaces are more efficient than those placed in unconditioned spaces. If located within conditioned space, conductive and radioactive losses, leakage losses, and equipment cabinet losses are reduced or regained into the building space. If possible, locate new ductwork and relocate old ductwork within the house envelope. This means avoiding exterior walls, garages, crawlspaces, and attics. In some cases, it may be easier to alter the location of the insulated and sealed (thermal) envelope so that the existing ductwork is then within the house where leakage is of less concern (i.e., crawlspaces). If it is not feasible to locate ductwork within conditioned space, the ducts should be properly sealed and insulated.
Sizing - With all ducts, care must be taken that the ducts are large enough to deliver the needed volume of air. Smaller ducts tend to be noisier and more leaky than larger ducts due to higher air speeds and pressures. In order to deliver the same volume of air, flex duct and ductboard systems must usually be sized larger than metal ducts as their interior surface is much rougher, leading to more restrictive air flow. Any new ductwork should be sized according to recognized industry standards such as Manual-D, published by the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA).
Return air - Many homes have one or more supply registers in each room but often have a total of only one or two return registers, usually located in hallways. If interior doors are left open, this arrangement usually works well. However, when these doors are closed, as is often the case with bedroom doors, an adequate volume of air often can not get back to the these centrally located return registers. This causes higher pressures in the rooms with closed doors. This condition greatly increases the amount of heated or cooled air forced out of the house from these rooms. The higher pressures in these rooms may also make it difficult for the rooms to receive enough supply air. The result can be an uncomfortable room and higher energy use. Meanwhile, the rest of the house is at a lower pressure, causing outside air to enter at a faster than normal rate. Backdrafting of exhaust gases from combustion appliances may then result as air is drawn down flues or chimneys in an attempt to equalize the pressure. While undercutting doorways can improve air return, it simply may not be adequate in many cases. Alternate solutions include installing return ducts in each room, or installing transfer ducts or bypass grills which connect the affected bedroom(s) to the hallway, for example.
Installation Issues
In order to achieve a good seal for a long time, it is important that ducts be sealed with mastic and fiberglass mesh (where required). Flex duct should be adequately supported along its length and not pinched. Standard six-inch round flex duct should not generally be used in lengths over 16 feet.
Tests of duct systems may be used to identify leakage sites and to confirm the effectiveness of sealing measures. To test, ducts are pressurized with a fan at a return register or the air handler cabinet.
Material/Equipment Options
Sealing leaks in ductwork involves the use of special duct "mastic" and mesh which is extremely durable, long-lasting, and effective. This work may be done by some insulation or general contractors or weatherization specialists. The cost of reducing leakage is very dependent upon the number, type, and location of the leaks, as well as the particular contractor. A range of $200 to $400 would be typical for retrofit work.
DUCTS
Selection of duct material is based on its price, performance, and installation requirements.
Sheet Metal
• Most common
• Durable
• Can be customized to fit odd sizes/locations
• Smooth surface offers low resistance to air flow
• Many connections, joints, and seams, each having potential leakage
• Must be insulated when located in unconditioned spaces
Flex duct
• Made with a plastic inner liner inside a tube of insulation, covered with a vinyl vapor barrier
• Few duct connections and joints
• Low installation and material costs
• Easily torn, crushed, pinched, or damaged, with damage to inner lining not visible
• Has higher resistance to air flow than metal ducts, must be properly specified
Ductboard
• Made from stiff, high-density sheets of fiberglass with foil facing bonded to one side
• Insulation is integral to duct material
• Material costs higher than sheet metal
• Installed costs may be comparable when sheet metal must be insulated
• Lightweight and particularly adaptable to attic systems
• Vapor barrier is part of the duct material
• Provides excellent sound attenuation
• Durability is highly dependent on closure method (tapes and mastics)
• May be damaged or crushed during construction
• Relatively air tight when properly installed
Transfer ducts/Bypass grills
• Used in lieu of individual returns for each room
• Used to connect bedrooms, etc., to a hallway having a central air return
• Typically made using short pieces of ductwork, or grills above a door or other location
• Installed in attic or through walls
SEALANTS
Mastic
• Paste applied to joints and connections in ductwork
• Becomes hard and very durable when dry
• Can be used on cracks up to 1/4-inch wide
Fiberglass mesh
• Used to help seal holes larger than 1/4-inch wide
Butyl-backed foil tape
• Can be used to seal holes or cracks
• Can not be used to seal awkward connections, such as where a round duct meets a rectangular one
• Its long term durability is not known
Foil tape
• Shown to come loose after just a few years, especially in hot attics
• Many joints can not be properly sealed with tape at all, such as where a round duct connects to a rectangular duct
New Options
Duct sealing technology which seals the ducts from the inside with a latex-based spray -- will soon be commercially available.
Duct Insulation
For metal ducts, insulation may be installed on the inside and/or outside of the duct. If on the outside, a vapor retarder, usually integral to the insulation itself, should cover the insulation. This is to prevent condensation on the duct which would severely degrade the effectiveness of the insulation and may lead to damage of the house. Remember that insulation does nothing to prevent air leakage -- ducts must be properly sealed before insulating. For ducts of any kind located in an attic, insulation of the ducts can be improved by placing batt or blown insulation over the ducts.
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REMODELING TIPS
Downsized Homebuilders Entering Remodeling Market
If you are a homeowner and decide to remodel your house most likely you are not going to do it by yourself – you will hire a homebuilders.
 In an uncertain economy and with interest rates near historic lows, many homeowners are remodeling. With fewer homes being built, many home builders are now taking on remodeling jobs they wouldn’t have considered.
“Many people are trying to do things just to survive the down times,” notes one builder. Custom home builders are still building custom homes, but there are not as many. Remodeling projects are buffering the bottom line. A few years ago, builders weren’t remodeling.
When it was easy to flip a home to add a bedroom, nowadays remodels start from $3,000, $5,000 all the way up to $125,000, and this is are becoming common.
Word of mouth is leading homeowners to call home builders for remodeling.
And of course you builder will hire a heating contractor to do some necessary sheet metal work, but they don’t rely completely on their expertise! Unfortunately a large percentage of the heating contractors don’t know how to deal with new construction and especially if it’s a remodeling project! Why? Because the most of the heating contractors are only doing replacements and servicing, the others may have bad installers who can do a sloppy job. Consider this: there is no comprehensive and uniform system for ductwork installation in this country and every company relies only on their own experience and expertise.
Also, don’t put too much hope on the mechanical inspector who he can make a contractor to do the job right!
There are three types of inspectors on the field:
First type– they are very strict, moronic type. They will enforce every letter in the code no matter what! They will make work almost impossible to do because they are thirsty for power and after the inspection is passed your contractor may redo something.
Second type – they understand that the code doesn’t have answers to all questions and may sometimes no sense to them to follow it literally.
Third type – they are lazy, uneducated and in most cases just issuing “green tags”.
But the most important thing is that: in time of inspection their brains turn on the code violations, but not on the system of ductwork itself. Hence, that means that you – a homeowner must keep your eye on the installation process and I can help you to do that!
This page is a parent page which will host some secondary pages dedicated to the home remodeling issues. I already have some pictures taken for two secondary pages on which I will show a very unique way of running the supply and return ducts from the basement to the second floor and how to run a bath fan exhaust through the roof. If you are interested let me know and I will send you an e-mail when the pages will be ready.
Also, if you have any questions about the ductwork in your remodeling project don’t hesitate and ask them. Take a picture or two of the controversial spot, spell out your question and if I will see that I can make another secondary page while answering your question I will do it for you for free. Otherwise, the price for my help going to be from $1.50 to $2.50. I hope it won’t break anyone’s budget.
Instant Access:
After you have purchased a paid page; PayPal is going to bring you back to my website. In order to see the paid page you have to click on the “Register” button, fill out the form, choose your own Username and Password, click on the arrow at the top of the page, move the form up and click on the “Register” button at the bottom of the form – congratulation, you are now on the page you have paid for!
Important: After you have purchased any Paid page or Download page and PayPal brought you back to my website, the first thing that you should do is to save that page to your Favorites. Then if something went goes you always can come back to re-register yourself on my website again.
How to Run Bath Fan Exhaust through Roof – is a page which I made in order to help people better understand how this kind of job must be done. If you will have any questions or comments, please email them after reading this page.
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Split Level Ranch Remodeling - Free
Are you planning a remodeling of your house? This is great! From now on, you can get huge amount of information that will help you to find the right way of dealing with the ductwork installation issues.
What if you only had baseboard heating in your house and decided to install a central air?
Now you can do it by yourself or just get an idea on how it should be done and now you can help your heating contractor to implement this idea into a real life!
On this page, you can see 85 photos with brief explanations to them. Also, you can ask your questions or visit some paid pages, which are related to the photos on this page. Price for the instant access to the page is only $2.00.
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Toe Kick Heat Installation – the chapter covers several topics and gives explanations:
- How to make openings in the floor and in the cabinet
- What kind of fitting should be used
- How to cut a take-off in
- How to run a pipe
- How to terminate a heat run
The chapter could be useful for the kitchen or bathroom remodeling projects or to any projects alike. The chapter has five pages, 10 pictures. $2.50
Instant Access:
After you have purchased a paid page; PayPal is going to bring you back to my website. In order to see the paid page you have to click on the “Register” button, fill out the form, choose your own Username and Password and click on the “Register” button at the bottom of the form – congratulation, you are now on the page you have paid for!
Important: After you have purchased any Paid page or Download page and PayPal brought you back to my website, the first thing that you should do is to save that page to your Favorites. Then if something goes wrong you always can come back to reregister yourself on my website again.
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DUCTWORK INSTALLATION GUIDE
      
      
    
    
      
     
     
     
      
Description:
Introducing a completely current and innovative way to learn the basics of Ductwork and Furnace Installation! Featuring hundreds practical competencies, this “how to” guide has been carefully designed and thoroughly modernized to provide a complete learning system for the fundamentals and applications of core ductwork installation concepts. It combines straightforward theory lessons with useful “hands-on” opportunities for learning about the industries hottest topics, including installation in small and big houses and apartments, installation in basements and attics, rough-ins and finals, safety issues, and more. Enhancements to this edition include an updated tools and materials identification chart, new and improved pictures, revised installation techniques.
Benefits:
- The flexible format affords users the unique opportunity to learn ductwork installation fundamentals and applications either on an individual basis or in an instructional setting
- Practical competencies take readers step-by-step through specific installations, repair, and maintenance procedures and provide the hands-on training needed to work in ductwork installation field
- Theory lessons and practical competencies can be fine-tuned to meet specific training needs of local contractors, associations, or individual technicians
"Ductwork Installation Guide" is written in the Microsoft Word and it works in both: PC and Mac. The book has 62 chapters and all chapters are available separately.
If you will purchase the “Rough-in” part of the book for $39.99, you are going to have 615 photos, including tools, materials and installation on 135 pages.
If you will purchase the “Basement” part of the book for $49.99, you are going to have 602 photos, representing all stages of installation on 178 pages.
If you will purchase the “Ductwork Installation Guide” as a whole for $84.99, you are going to have 1217 photos, including tools, equipment, materials and installation on 313 pages.
- If you are a homeowner who is doing remodeling of his/her house, you will have more than enough information to get the gob done right!
- If you are an apprentice or an experienced HVAC installer you are also going to get everything what you need to become the best in your company.
- If you are an HVAC contractor and you will train your employees in these skills, you will provide them with the tools they need to perform to the best of their ability.
Instant Access:
After you have purchased a paid access page; PayPal is going to bring you back to my website. In order to see the paid page you have to click on the “Register” button, fill out the form, choose your own Username and Password and click on the “Register” button at the bottom of the form – congratulation, you are now on the page you have paid for!
Important: After you have purchased any Paid page or Download page and PayPal brought you back to my website, the first thing that you should do is to save that page to your Favorites. Then if something goes wrong you always can come back to re-register yourself on my website again.
This is an on-line version of the book. No CD version is available at this time.
Chapters available online:
ROUGH-IN (Chapter-by-Chapter Description of the Contents 1)
1. Introduction, Tools and Equipment
Materials
2. Architectonic Features of House
3. House Mark Out
4. Rough-In
5. Heat Runs, Bath Box Installation in Interior Wall
6. Bath Box Installation in Exterior Wall
7. High Wall Heat
8. Bath Box Working for Tow Rooms
9. Oval Stack Installation, Oval Stack in Exterior Wall
10. Bath Box Situated in Parallel to Oval Stack
11. Bath Box Disposed Perpendicular to Oval Stack
12. Bath Box Situated Right above Oval Stack
13. Hooking up to Floor Box
14. Oval Stack Situated in Interior Wall
15. Oval Stack in Wall between Two Joists
16. Oval Stack in Wall Perpendicular to Joists
17. Hooking up Oval Stack to Toe Kick 90*
18. Uncommon Cases of Oval Stack Installation
19. Cold Air Return Installation
20. Cold Air Frames Installation
21. Blockers Installation
22. Uncommon Cases in Installation of Air Return
23. Bath Fan Exhausts
24. Bath Fans Installation
25. Uncommon Cases of Bath Fan Exhausts
26. Dryer Vent
27. Kitchen Exhaust
28. Fresh Air Cap Installation
29. Venting of Furnace
30. Thermostat Wiring
31. Firestop Insulation
32. Temporary Furnace Suspension |
BASEMENT (Chapter-by-Chapter Description of the Contents 2)
33. Basement
Preparation of Workplace
34. Sheeting (Panning)
35. Variants Sheeting Installation from Cold Air Return Duct
36. Double Sheeting
37. Furnace Installation
38. Plenum Installation
39. Ductwork Installation
40. Cold Air Return Duct Installation
41. Suplly Duct Installation
42. Calculation and Manufacturing Off-set and Riser
43. Heat Runs Installation
44. Jumper Installation
45. Application of 8” Pipes and Fittings
46. Basement Heats
47. Fresh Air, Combustion Air
48. Microwave Hood, Jenn-air, Kitchen Hood
49. Venting
50. Condencate Line, Venting and Condensate
Line for Comfortmaker and Aire-Flo furnaces
51. Humidifier Installation
52. Registers and Grills Installation
53. Thermostat Installation
54. Finishing Basement
55. Installation of Heating System in Big Houses
56. Air Handler Installation
57. Underground Ductwork
58. Garage Heaters
59. Furnace Change-out
60. Correction of Mistakes
61. Safety Techniques
62. Uncommon Cases
Conclusion
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HVAC Quality Installation Specification
This is the place where the people who have purchased one of my books can say "Thank You", join others and show their accomplishments in the field of ductwork installation!
ROUGH-IN $39.99
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DUCTWORK INSTALLATION GUIDE $84.99
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| Buy Ductwork Installation Guide and one of the items on this page and get back up to 20% off your entire purchase! |
Tags
how to install a bathroom exhaust fan through the roof, ac ductwork for remodel, heat duct to addition, I built a addition to my house but can't attach to furnace duct work,
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