Insulating Hvac Ducts In Attic

I found instead a vintage 3 ton ac unit with 1 rigid insulation taped all over it and insulated flex duct snaking all over the poorly insulated attic.

Insulating hvac ducts in attic.

Proper duct insulation is a major key to ensuring your home s energy efficiency. Insulated ducts have been the standard for decades now. Duct insulation keeps air that s supposed to be cool cool and air that s supposed to be warm warm. This of course is a good thing.

She asked me to go into the attic to find the roof leaks or where the snow is blowing in through the soffits. So water is condensing on your ac ducts. When water condenses and drips into your attic or home it can cause a some serious secondary problems. Secure the insulation with short strips of foil tape.

Wrap the insulation around the duct and then pinch the seam closed. No building inspector worth his or her salt is going to let any builder or hvac contractor get away with installing ducts that aren t insulated. The rigid insulation was saturated from condensation. Use the type of metallic foil duct tape recommended by the insulation manufacturer to seal and hold the insulation in place.

The department of energy claims that the average us home loses hundreds of dollars a year in heating and cooling costs. When hvac ducts are installed in a vented attic in a dry climate bury the ducts in attic insulation to protect them from temperature extremes in the unconditioned attic space. But our erv ducts stand alone system not tied in w heat pump and 2 jumper ducts for pressure balancing from bedrooms are suspended above the insulation in our vented attic. Unfortunately so many houses especially newer homes end up with ductwork running through the attic.

Use metal flex or fiber board ducts that are insulated to. To install preformed duct insulation start by disconnecting an elbow to expose the end of the duct. Why is this a problem. Close to 25 of the energy you use to heat and cool your home disappears through leaky ductwork.

First water dripping off of your ducts and onto your insulation can cause the insulation to compress which decreases it s r value or ability to insulate. Install ductwork so that it is in direct contact with i e laying on the ceiling and or truss lower cords. When insulating hvac ductwork use a foil faced fiberglass insulation with an r 6 or higher r value. Apply a long strip of foil tape along the seam in the insulation.

Repeat to insulate the remaining ducts. The greater the temperature extreme between the air inside the duct and the air surrounding the ductwork the greater your need for duct insulation.