Building or redoing a home is a big project with many factors to consider. One of them is making sure the ductwork installation and design is done correctly. Ductwork is much harder to access when everything is finished, so it’s important to take this opportunity to do it right.

Ductwork is responsible for circulating conditioned air from your furnace and air conditioner so each room or area gets the right amount. Figuring out the correct design starts with determining how much heating and cooling each room needs. This can be determined by having your contractor perform a load calculation using Manual J, which takes into account a variety of factors including the size and layout of your home and its energy efficiency. They use these results with Manual D to determine the proper ductwork size for your home.

Ductwork also needs to be designed and installed with efficiency in mind as it can be one of the largest contributors to energy loss in a home. Efficient ductwork design will seek to make it easy for the air handler to provide adequate airflow rates by minimizing the duct lengths and the number of turns involved. It will also seek to install as much of the ductwork as possible within the insulated and/or conditioned spaces in the home in order to minimize heat loss.

During installation, it’s important to make sure ducts are well-secured to the structure and that connections are sealed with mastic or certified tapes to prevent air leakage. Any ducts that are outside of the conditioned area of the home, such as in a crawlspace or attic, should have their own insulation. Care should be taken that the ducts don’t get damaged during installation.

For more advice on ductwork installation and design for a new home or redo, please contact us at Stack Heating, Cooling, Plumbing and Electric today. We’ve provide superior heating and cooling services to the Greater Cleveland area for over 35 years.

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

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