While most people enjoy the benefits their air conditioner in their home provides them, not may people realize just how extensive the overall system connected the the air conditioner actually is. Aside from the external air conditioning unit and the internal air handler, there are also intricate ductwork designs that have been engineered and carefully laid out in order to achieve the maximum cooling and heating efficiency possible.
What Is Ductwork?
Ductwork is simply the series of tubes and passageways that connect the main air conditioner to each individual room in the house. Traditional ducts can be rectangular, square, round, or oval in shape, however, fabric ducts are more free-form and have no defined shape to speak of. Ducts can be rigid or flexible, depending on the location they are being used in and the ease of access to their destination point. A standard ductwork design layout consists of one main duct extending from the main air conditioning unit. Several branches, or take-offs, extend from the main duct and connect to specific rooms at either a ceiling, floor, or wall vent. Larger rooms may have several vents, while smaller rooms tend to only have one vent. The size of the duct leading to each vent is determined by the volume of air needed for that room as well as the number of ducts that will be providing air flow to the same area. A properly designed ductwork system can take full advantage of the maximum effectiveness and efficiency of your air conditioning unit.
What Is Ductwork Made From?
Air conditioning ductwork can be made of various materials including aluminum, plastic, and fabric. Ducts are often insulated with a form of fiberglass material called glass wool, which is occasionally bended with polyester fiber.
Rigid Ducts
Traditional rigid ducts are made with thin aluminum sheet metal rolled into tubes or formed into squares or rectangles. The metal is then covered in a layer of insulation material before being installed. Of all the traditional varieties of ductwork, aluminum ducts are the lightest and easiest to install.
The second type of rigid ductwork is made from insulated panels created with polyurethane foam coated with a think layer of aluminum. The main benefit of these panels is that they incorporate the support system and the insulation into one piece.
Rigid ducts are extremely energy efficient, which means they are able to maintain the temperature of the air that is being passed though them at fairly consistent levels. However, because of their solid design, they are usually reserved for fabricating the main duct line in the overall ductwork system and not the smaller branches that run to specific areas of the house.
Flexible Ducts
Flexible ductwork is created by taking a semi-rigid coiled wire and coating it in plastic sheeting. This flexible tube is then wrapped in glass wool insulation and then coated again in a plastic material. The result is a variety of duct that can be run around various corners and most angles with ease. The downside of flexible ducts is that they are not as energy efficient as the rigid versions. Because of this, flexible ductwork is reserved for take-offs and usually limited to spans less than 15 feet to avoid as much temperature loss as possible.
Flexible fabric ducts are quickly gaining in popularity for open ceiling environments which tend to be in primarily industrial and commercial settings. They are ideal because they allow a more evenly distributed airflow through multiple discharge points as opposed to single vent systems. They can also be self-maintained rather easily since they are removable and can be washed in any large capacity washing machine. While they may not have a high residential benefit yet, it is possible that the design can be modified over the next few years to be used in place of metal or plastic ducts.
Ductwork Maintenance
The easiest way to keep air conditioning ductwork clean, and the quality of air in a home at its best, is to ensure the air filters on your air conditioner are changed at their proper intervals. Traditional air filters are designed to be changed once a month. Another growing market in the air conditioning industry is high quality air filters, some of which promote increased allergen trapping capabilities, while others are simply designed to last longer than the usual one month increments.
With the proper ductwork design layout, effective combination of rigid and flexible ductwork, and proper maintenance procedures, air conditioners can deliver the highest levels of effectiveness at the lowest energy costs for many years.
Related topics:
8 Trackbacks
[...] Ductwork is the part of a central air system that carries both hot and cold air throughout the building. These ducts can be used to both bring air as well as remove air from a particular area. Ductwork is an essential component of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning(HVAC) systems and is critical to proper function of the system as a whole. A complete duct system is often referred to as ductwork. Proper ductwork or duct work as it is also called, can vary widely depending on application. For example, when running duct work in a home, there are a very different set of standards than when running ductwork for a commercial application. Not only are the standards different but the type of material used is totally different as well. Let’s go over a few main points for both residential ductwork as well as commercial ductwork. [...]
[...] room in the home is produced by the air conditioning ductwork the central unit is attached to. The ductwork layout is essential to efficient operation of a central air conditioning [...]
[...] and then coated with insulation. There are also rigid insulation boards that can be used to form ductwork without the need for the sheet metal to hold their shape. These two types of rigid ducts are ideal [...]
[...] Professionalductworkcleaning can be a c…By default@goarticles.com (Jay Thompson) [...]
[...] of the homes across the country contain heating and cooling ductwork in some form or fashion. Whether the ducts are in the ceiling, in the basement, or under the floor. [...]
[...] your air conditioning system consists of a window unit or two there is ductwork running throughout the building. This ductwork system is designed to carry the treated air from the [...]
[...] your HVAC ventilation system something which needs to be done. The thought of cleaning duct work in your home is something that does not cross many people’s minds. Items such as these, which [...]
[...] the air and heating duct work of HVAC systems is among those important tasks that homeowners usually overlook when trying to keep [...]