Insulating Hvac Ducts In Attic

Look for signs of air leaks at seams or joints such.

Insulating hvac ducts in attic.

Unfortunately so many houses especially newer homes end up with ductwork running through the attic. According to rightsuite the software we use the supply ducts have about 560 square feet of surface area and the return ducts 101 square feet. Purchase duct wrap insulation that complies with the 2009 international energy conservation code iecc standards that specify an r value of 8. Looking at the cooling side only the additional load would be.

Repeat to insulate the remaining ducts. In addition to making the unit hard to get to for service high attic heat can trigger the. First consider the duct location. Inspect the span of ductwork to be insulated.

All the ducts are in the attic. 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. Insulated ducts have been the standard for decades now. 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.

Use the type of metallic foil duct tape recommended by the insulation manufacturer to seal and hold the insulation in place. Most attic ducts are insulated flex ducts that is flex ducts with r 6 or r 8 fiberglass insulation along with an exterior polyethylene jacket. Make sure the foil surface of the insulation is free of dust before applying the tape. Put it in an attic full of blown insulation and you re forcing it to work harder to vent its heat.

Let s look for constantly improving methods through sharing. The greater the temperature extreme between the air inside the duct and the air surrounding the ductwork the greater your need for duct insulation. Use metal flex or fiber board ducts that are insulated to code. Duct insulation keeps air that s supposed to be cool cool and air that s supposed to be warm warm.

Snap a plastic cap onto the duct end then slip the preformed insulation over the duct. How to insulate your central air heating ducts. R 8 duct insulation 5 227 btu hour. Putting a furnace in an attic is not ideal but will happen.

Apply a long strip of foil tape along the seam in the insulation. Hvac ducts should be buried under insulation hard covered too. Insulating hvac ductwork when insulating hvac ductwork use a foil faced fiberglass insulation with an r 6 or higher r value. To install preformed duct insulation start by disconnecting an elbow to expose the end of the duct.

If your ducts aren t insulated you re probably paying way more than you should to cool and heat your home. The duct insulation should include a vapor barrier cover. This of course is a good thing.