Insulating Hvac Ducts In Attic

To install preformed duct insulation start by disconnecting an elbow to expose the end of the duct.

Insulating hvac ducts in attic.

Put it in an attic full of blown insulation and you re forcing it to work harder to vent its heat. 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. Putting a furnace in an attic is not ideal but will happen. 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.

Hvac ducts should be buried under insulation hard covered too. Looking at the cooling side only the additional load would be. Duct insulation keeps air that s supposed to be cool cool and air that s supposed to be warm warm. Unfortunately so many houses especially newer homes end up with ductwork running through the attic.

Insulating hvac ductwork when insulating hvac ductwork use a foil faced fiberglass insulation with an r 6 or higher r value. First consider the duct location. R 8 duct insulation 5 227 btu hour. 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.

All the ducts are in the attic. How to insulate your central air heating ducts. Insulated ducts have been the standard for decades now. Secure the insulation with short strips of foil tape.

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. When these ducts are exposed to exterior air the plastic jacket never gets cold enough to permit condensation because the hot attic air keeps the plastic jacket warm. Make sure the foil surface of the insulation is free of dust before applying the tape. This of course is a good thing.

Let s look for constantly improving methods through sharing. Inspect the span of ductwork to be insulated. The greater the temperature extreme between the air inside the duct and the air surrounding the ductwork the greater your need for duct insulation. If your ducts aren t insulated you re probably paying way more than you should to cool and heat your home.

Purchase duct wrap insulation that complies with the 2009 international energy conservation code iecc standards that specify an r value of 8. Apply a long strip of foil tape along the seam in the insulation. The duct insulation should include a vapor barrier cover. Repeat to insulate the remaining ducts.

Use metal flex or fiber board ducts that are insulated to code. In addition to making the unit hard to get to for service high attic heat can trigger the. Use the type of metallic foil duct tape recommended by the insulation manufacturer to seal and hold the insulation in place.