Insulating Hvac Ducts In Attic

Unfortunately so many houses especially newer homes end up with ductwork running through the attic.

Insulating hvac ducts in 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. Make sure the foil surface of the insulation is free of dust before applying the tape. 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. Insulating hvac ductwork when insulating hvac ductwork use a foil faced fiberglass insulation with an r 6 or higher r value.

If your ducts aren t insulated you re probably paying way more than you should to cool and heat your home. Use the type of metallic foil duct tape recommended by the insulation manufacturer to seal and hold the insulation in place. All the ducts are in the attic. Repeat to insulate the remaining ducts.

This of course is a good thing. To install preformed duct insulation start by disconnecting an elbow to expose the end of the duct. Use metal flex or fiber board ducts that are insulated to code. Secure the insulation with short strips of foil tape.

Snap a plastic cap onto the duct end then slip the preformed insulation over the duct. How to insulate your central air heating ducts. Look for signs of air leaks at seams or joints such. Apply a long strip of foil tape along the seam in the insulation.

In addition to making the unit hard to get to for service high attic heat can trigger the. Putting a furnace in an attic is not ideal but will happen. The greater the temperature extreme between the air inside the duct and the air surrounding the ductwork the greater your need for duct insulation. First consider the duct location.

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. Inspect the span of ductwork to be insulated. Insulated ducts have been the standard for decades now. Let s look for constantly improving methods through sharing.

Looking at the cooling side only the additional load would be. Put it in an attic full of blown insulation and you re forcing it to work harder to vent its heat. Hvac ducts should be buried under insulation hard covered too. The duct insulation should include a vapor barrier cover.

R 8 duct insulation 5 227 btu hour. 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. Purchase duct wrap insulation that complies with the 2009 international energy conservation code iecc standards that specify an r value of 8.