Designing Ductwork -- The Basics

Perhaps no other system in your home impacts home comfort and energy efficiency more than your ductwork system. If you are undertaking new home construction, upgrades, remodels or repairs, it’s wise to seek an expert for designing ductwork in your home-comfort plan.

What’s at stake?

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, if your ducts are not properly insulated in unconditioned spaces, as much as 60 percent of your heated or cooled air can be lost before it reaches the air-supply registers. As staggering as this figure is, it doesn’t include two other important factors for ductwork airflow, energy efficiency and equipment load:

• Additional conditioned air losses due to leaking and damaged ductwork,
• And inefficient airflow due to poorly designed ductwork and obstructions.

New Duct Construction

The goal of designing ductwork is to ensure optimal home comfort and the greatest energy efficiency possible. This is achieved by properly designing and installing the ductwork system to maintain airflow temperature and speed, with minimal to zero waste from leakage and conduction losses. There are many variables to this equation:

• The ductwork must provide unobstructed and balanced supply and return airflow,
• Install ductwork in conditioned spaces wherever possible,
• And fully insulate and seal ductwork joints, especially in unconditioned spaces.

Upgrades, Remodels and Repairs

Perhaps you are remodeling the garage into a living space, trying to make heating and cooling in your home more even, or perhaps you’re attempting to repair a duct that somehow got banged up or stepped on. There are a few basic elements to keep in mind:

• Ensure that the space or room in question isn’t itself the problem due to air leakage, inefficient windows or inadequate insulation.
• Closed doors is one of the major culprits for airflow obstruction to the return grille. Consider jumper ducts or undercutting doors to alleviate this problem.
• With any room additions, be sure to install both supply and return registers.

Lastly, ductwork installation and repairs are serious undertakings. Call a professional, qualified company with a proven track record for your family’s home-comfort needs. Contact CCAC, Inc. today.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about ductwork design and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Mathews CCAC Air Conditioning and Heating services Corpus Christi, TX. Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today!