Hvac Duct, Is Your System Healthy?Your hvac duct system is the heart of your homes' heating and cooling system. Without a healthy system you could be wasting a lot of money. Like the human body, if the heart isn't healthy you are in trouble.
A duct system provides a controlled path for air flow throughout the home. There are three main parts to the system. A problem in any part results in a sick system. The first section is called return air. This part provides a path for air from the individual rooms to the inlet of the furnace or air handler. The air is usually cleaned in this section of the system. In a healthy system, fresh air is introduced here. In some cases moisture is required and added here as well. Next, the air passes into the furnace or air handler. This is where heat is added or removed to make the home comfortable. In most older systems, the filtering was performed here. This was not very convenient for the owner and caused service problems. Finally, this conditioned air enters the supply section of the system. The purpose of this part of the system is to deliver conditioned air to the individual rooms. The two main types of supply systems are extended plenum and central plenum. A central plenum system is a system where all of the branch ducts start at the same location called a plenum. The extended plenum system consists of a supply air plenum which is connected to the outlet of the hvac equipment. The main supply ducts are attached to this and typically run to the end of the home. The size of them is reduced as necessary to maintain adequate air flow. The branch ducts attach to the main ducts and carry the conditioned air to the individual registers. It is critical, for a healthy system, that the proper amount of conditioned air is delivered to each room. This is only possible through proper system design.
In some cases, such as more than one level in a home, a zoning system is required. Just as the heart adjusts the flow of blood to the body, these systems adjust the flow of air to different parts of the home. These systems can solve some of the problems associated with improperly designed hvac duct systems. But, it is usually less expensive to do it right the first time. Another method of upgrading existing hvac ducts is to insulate them. Back when energy was cheap this was not a big concern. But with the rising energy costs, insulating the ducts may result in substantial savings. Best of all, it is an easy do it yourself project. A special type of hvac duct system is called a high velocity duct system or a mini duct system. These systems have the same basic parts as other systems and operate in much the same way. The main difference is that the ducts are usually a lot smaller. This allows them to fit into existing ceiling, floor, or wall cavities. Typically there are more ducts and more outlets in each room. These systems are a very good option when you do not want to do major remodeling to add heating and air conditioning ducts. They are commonly used in historic building renovations. So, how will you know that your hvac duct system is sick? One of the first symptoms will be a whistling, wheezing, or popping noise. This is a sign that the system is working harder than normal to maintain your comfort. It is like the beginning of chest pains for a heart patient. As the condition gets worse, the next symptom will usually be an abnormally high utility bill. Many times this will go unnoticed until the unit is unable to keep you comfortable. This is where the situation gets really critical. Intervention is required to save your furnace or air conditioner. At this stage, you are still able to help yourself. If the condition continues for long, serious damage or even death could occur to your hvac system. Then, it is out of your hands and you are at the mercy of the repairman. With our air duct installation guide, you can install your own metal duct system and save. You can also use our flexible duct installation guide for situations that require insulated ducts such as an attic or crawlspace.
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