Good video. I'm working on air sealing and reinsulating the ducts in my 80's home. The upstairs air handler/furnace (original to the home) is in the attic and it struggles to keep the upstairs at a liveable temperature. I mean 89* F while on full blast in the summer on a hot day. My HVAC company just said "it is what it is" and "your A/C is running fine." In the process of reinsulating the existing ducts (round metal), I've found tons of air leaks, which I think is probably my main problem. Some vent boots had inch+ gaps around them. There was an inch gap along the bottom of the supply plenum where it met the air handler. No mastic sealant was used on the ductwork. Most of the old fiberglass was brown from dust sucking through the air gaps. Huge amounts of cool air have been blowing out into the attic, hot dusty air coming into the system, and cool air from inside escaping via the attic. I don't want to spend a fortune on a contractor, so I'm doing bit by bit over my weekends (trying to get it done before summer!). Just my luck, the system will go out in a month and I'll have to get it all replaced anyway 😆 But the R8 foam insulation I'm using and the mastic paint have been a pretty small investment (around $250), so I'm not too worried about it. At this point, it's more about liveability and air quality than just pure energy savings, which I'm hoping to see but not betting on being all that significant.
You're right about adding duct insulation being a pain. I lack the skill to replace the flexible ductwork in my attic and it was still in good condition. So I bought some in a larger size, removed the metal coil, and wrapped it around the existing flexible ductwork with nylon ties. That turned it from a pitiful R7 to a slightly less pitiful R14. Throughout the messy process I kept thinking, "Why doesn't someone make flexible insulation designed to be placed around what is already there?" Leave it open at the bottom and have a series of steel loops that would let it snap around the existing insulation. It'd be cheap and quick to install. It would certainly better than what I had to do in that blazingly hot attic. There's a business opportunity there for someone.
It’s probably a good deal better to go insulate the area that the duct goes through, but it’s just a better return for the money that you are putting into your house. It’s definitely going to decrease the amount of heat or cold that the duct is going through in the process of cooling and heating your house
Great video. I love your straightforward explanation. I live in south Florida and I feel like my AC unit is struggling to keep up. I’ve had one company tell me that my AC handler (installed in 2019) needs to be replaced. While another company told me it was fine. They recommended adding more air flow pass through for each room. But as you mentioned in this video, my attic is a hot box. None of the contractors I brought to my home have suggested examining my ductwork and or insulation.
I have 23 year old duct board truck lines in my house and have been having ongoing health problems ever since moving into the homes 7 years ago. Doctor and testing has ruled out mold and ultimately thinks it’s the fiberglass particulates from the old duct board. I am wondering what options there are out there that would be better? Thanks!
I have a question, on round metal duct work return air systems, specifically adjacent pipe connection, does the return air duct have to follow IRC Chapter 16 Duct Lap rule (male end of the duct shall extend into the adjoining duct in the direction of airflow). I understand the Supply air needs to follow this principle, but does the return air branch duct connections need to follow this rule as well?
I have a square/rectangular return air duct in my attic and I believe that it's sucking attic dust/fiberglass insulation particles into our home and causing our allergies to become inflamed. It's around 15' - 20' in length and not something I feel comfortable pulling out to tape. The main reason why is I dread trying to refit it back to everything that it is attached to as it has a few intakes that it's attached to. The duct sits between two joists that run alongside it so I cannot get mastic or butyl tape on the sides and bottom. Can I just cover the venting w/ plywood, attaching it from joist to joist so it stops sucking in fiberglass insulation particles and dust? I figure I could put some type of dry gasket sealer between the plywood and joists to prevent air from getting vacuumed in.
Thanks so much. I have 1130 sq ft CBS 1973 one story home in East Central Florida. The ductwork is in the attic. There is a package unit on the east side of the home that the duct runs up the interior wall (using part of a bedroom closet) into the attic to a plenum that splits into 8 ducts (2 bedrooms, 2 baths (between the bedrooms), entry, dining, living and kitchen (all open to each other). The ductwork is original (R4) and truly needs replacing. A local a/c company suggests a man that would come out and do an entire evaluation for $800. But I was thinking of just getting the duct work replaced (R8?) and hope that will make a big difference. I can't do it myself but I wonder what you think.
I have a safety and air quality questions. We moved from one old apartment complex to another old complex and my wife has had increasingly severe allergic reactions since we moved here. We moved from the old apartment for multiple reasons but one was her allergies, which have become much more severe since we moved. I usually have i higher tolerance than she but I've been increasingly sick and tired since we moved. She has missed increasingly more work from her illnesses. My questions are, 1. Is inside duct insulation still a common product used? 2. Is old inside duct insulation more prone to breed mold and mildew and cause problems with allergies and illnesses? (I'm thinking, yes, to that question. )3. What are the apartment managers responsibilities to tenants, (especially ones without renters insurance), to remove old duct works that may be full of toxic mold or mildew, or to hire experts to mitigate the probles? I can clearly see that the ducts are old and most likely riddled with mildew and mold. The original color under the surface of the insulation is yellow, which is visible in ducts farther from the central unit, but are black nearer the central unit. The apartment we live in now was said to have sustained smoke damage from an apartment fire in the unit behind it some time last year and the manager told my wife that it was completely remodeled, including new sheetrock, cabinets and carpet. However the ducts are obviously original. Our past experiences when we were younger were that apartment owners usually do as little as possible because of budget restraints and owner politics. (They're trying to save money at the renters peril.) Especially in old apartments like these where the rent is cheaper than the newer, more upscale apartments. My wife and I are in our 50's and we seem to be more sensitive to these issues than we were when we were younger. I'm thinking there isn't much we can do about this except ask if they can have the unit checked by professionals, but I doubt they would even do that. They would probably send a makeready to inspect it. And from what I've seen of maintenance men and makeready's here, they're not very skillful or intelligent. I noticed that ducts with insulation on the inside are still being sold but these are obviously old, full of poison and that it would be a very expensive and extensive fix if they would even consider doing that at all. Probably the best we could hope for is to be moved to a different unit but I doubt they would even offer that. There's always the question of availability of a similar sized unit. Sorry for the novel. Any advice?
I'm dealing with extreme sweating in bend new mobile home duct work from AC in this extreme humidity in South East tn and they don't wrap them at all and now I have water damage and even worse mold growing around for Joists! Gone wrap it but not sure what kind I would need! Help?! Lol
I often make curb adapters, and combined curb plenums where only a sheet metal divider separates supply, and return. For the life of me I can't find an answer for what R value liner I should put on the divider, if any, assuming a Delta T, or maximum temperature difference of 22° F between supply, and return. The sheet metal alone should lessen the temperature difference.
Is a plenum box needed for the supply side of AC or could metal Y’s be used? About 10’ from my handler is a plenium box that comes in with a big foil duct (maybe 16”) and exits the box at a right angle and exits with 3 different sized foil ducts (10”, 6” and 4”). Couldn’t i just use a Y into another Y to keep the air flow running straighter instead of a right angle and eliminate the box? I assume making right angles slows air flow. (The rooms with the 6” and 4” ducts don’t get as cool. I Was going to install in line booster fans for them too.). (Hawai’i so AC only, no heat).
I bought a house in Colorado Springs. It’s never had A/C but I’m wanting to have it installed. None of the ducts are insulated but the entire unit and duct work is inside the house (unit and ducks run in the basement). Do I need to insulate all the ducts in the house? If I do, Is there a good way to insulate the ducts without tearing out drywall? Lol
If your ductwork is inside your house, in your basement, you do not have to insulate it. I do HVAC, and the only time I insulate ductwork is if it is in the attic, or if it was in a crawlspace. Some crawlspaces do not require it though. But yea, if it's in your house, your fine.
What could be so dangerous about insulating the ducts? I want to wrap mine with r-8 for the brutal winter we're supposed to have. I'm a senior citizen (female) and don't see what can be so hard or dangerous.. I was going to do it myself. :)
I bought a 55 year old house that was not maintained. Right now I cannot afford to have the ducts replaced. Some of my ducts are rusted through. I'm looking at a double sided radiant barrier to try and make it kast until I can afford to have it all replaced. Due to some of the ducts being rusted through, I'm leary about the fiberglass faced wrap. What would you recommend?
My house is equally as old, and no duct rust issues whatsoever. You've got some kind of an issue going on that's causing the ducts to rust out, and you need someone who actually knows ductwork to look at your system and see what's going on. Call a local sheet metal ductwork shop and get someone to come look at your house. Do not call an HVAC company, they are NOT the same.
I moved into my family 100+ yr old house it used to be my grandparents I grew up here and in winter they would put bowls of water on the registers bc the air was so dry in the winter & over the years accident happened water getting knocked over & rusting out the elbow and further down the pipe a fist size hole to a small plate in 3 of the registers . I’m on a fixed income so I got that silver duct tape don’t cheap out on the tape from the big box store it may cost 40% less but it’s half the thickness just make sure it’s the tape for duct work & not regular gray duct/duck tape. I cut a piece of string just 2” bigger than the hole on each side so I could cut 4-5 pieces at a time for $15-$20 I was able to patch the duct work until I could save $ to replace the rusted out pieces. I probably went overboard but I used the rest of the silver tape to tape over the connecting duct pipe work they are usually 5’-6’ and as old as the pipe was it couldn’t hurt. PS take a slightly damp rag and wipe off any dust on the pipe let it dry before applying the silver duct tape. Sorry for any misspelled words & grammar hope this helps.
You have to be careful with conditioned attic spaces if you have a natural draft furnace. Those can lead to toxic flu gases entering the occupied area.
@@NewHVACGuide to move my furnace from the angle of the basement in the middle so I could have better heat distribution in the house they asked $12500.
With prices of HVAC Professionals nowadays,DIY is a necessity!
Good video. I'm working on air sealing and reinsulating the ducts in my 80's home. The upstairs air handler/furnace (original to the home) is in the attic and it struggles to keep the upstairs at a liveable temperature. I mean 89* F while on full blast in the summer on a hot day. My HVAC company just said "it is what it is" and "your A/C is running fine." In the process of reinsulating the existing ducts (round metal), I've found tons of air leaks, which I think is probably my main problem. Some vent boots had inch+ gaps around them. There was an inch gap along the bottom of the supply plenum where it met the air handler. No mastic sealant was used on the ductwork. Most of the old fiberglass was brown from dust sucking through the air gaps. Huge amounts of cool air have been blowing out into the attic, hot dusty air coming into the system, and cool air from inside escaping via the attic. I don't want to spend a fortune on a contractor, so I'm doing bit by bit over my weekends (trying to get it done before summer!). Just my luck, the system will go out in a month and I'll have to get it all replaced anyway 😆 But the R8 foam insulation I'm using and the mastic paint have been a pretty small investment (around $250), so I'm not too worried about it. At this point, it's more about liveability and air quality than just pure energy savings, which I'm hoping to see but not betting on being all that significant.
That’s been my experience too here in South Florida.
How is your project going? The R8 foam insulation? Is that used in place of the old ducts? You've taken the old out?
You're right about adding duct insulation being a pain. I lack the skill to replace the flexible ductwork in my attic and it was still in good condition. So I bought some in a larger size, removed the metal coil, and wrapped it around the existing flexible ductwork with nylon ties. That turned it from a pitiful R7 to a slightly less pitiful R14. Throughout the messy process I kept thinking, "Why doesn't someone make flexible insulation designed to be placed around what is already there?" Leave it open at the bottom and have a series of steel loops that would let it snap around the existing insulation. It'd be cheap and quick to install. It would certainly better than what I had to do in that blazingly hot attic. There's a business opportunity there for someone.
It’s probably a good deal better to go insulate the area that the duct goes through, but it’s just a better return for the money that you are putting into your house. It’s definitely going to decrease the amount of heat or cold that the duct is going through in the process of cooling and heating your house
Great video. I love your straightforward explanation. I live in south Florida and I feel like my AC unit is struggling to keep up. I’ve had one company tell me that my AC handler (installed in 2019) needs to be replaced. While another company told me it was fine. They recommended adding more air flow pass through for each room. But as you mentioned in this video, my attic is a hot box. None of the contractors I brought to my home have suggested examining my ductwork and or insulation.
I have 23 year old duct board truck lines in my house and have been having ongoing health problems ever since moving into the homes 7 years ago. Doctor and testing has ruled out mold and ultimately thinks it’s the fiberglass particulates from the old duct board.
I am wondering what options there are out there that would be better? Thanks!
Very informative dear!
Foam on ducts does not hold up in heat, it breaks down the foam making it brittle and cracks/flakes off.
I have a question, on round metal duct work return air systems, specifically adjacent pipe connection, does the return air duct have to follow IRC Chapter 16 Duct Lap rule (male end of the duct shall extend into the adjoining duct in the direction of airflow). I understand the Supply air needs to follow this principle, but does the return air branch duct connections need to follow this rule as well?
I have a square/rectangular return air duct in my attic and I believe that it's sucking attic dust/fiberglass insulation particles into our home and causing our allergies to become inflamed. It's around 15' - 20' in length and not something I feel comfortable pulling out to tape. The main reason why is I dread trying to refit it back to everything that it is attached to as it has a few intakes that it's attached to.
The duct sits between two joists that run alongside it so I cannot get mastic or butyl tape on the sides and bottom. Can I just cover the venting w/ plywood, attaching it from joist to joist so it stops sucking in fiberglass insulation particles and dust? I figure I could put some type of dry gasket sealer between the plywood and joists to prevent air from getting vacuumed in.
Thanks so much. I have 1130 sq ft CBS 1973 one story home in East Central Florida. The ductwork is in the attic. There is a package unit on the east side of the home that the duct runs up the interior wall (using part of a bedroom closet) into the attic to a plenum that splits into 8 ducts (2 bedrooms, 2 baths (between the bedrooms), entry, dining, living and kitchen (all open to each other). The ductwork is original (R4) and truly needs replacing. A local a/c company suggests a man that would come out and do an entire evaluation for $800. But I was thinking of just getting the duct work replaced (R8?) and hope that will make a big difference. I can't do it myself but I wonder what you think.
I have a safety and air quality questions. We moved from one old apartment complex to another old complex and my wife has had increasingly severe allergic reactions since we moved here. We moved from the old apartment for multiple reasons but one was her allergies, which have become much more severe since we moved. I usually have i higher tolerance than she but I've been increasingly sick and tired since we moved. She has missed increasingly more work from her illnesses. My questions are, 1. Is inside duct insulation still a common product used? 2. Is old inside duct insulation more prone to breed mold and mildew and cause problems with allergies and illnesses? (I'm thinking, yes, to that question. )3. What are the apartment managers responsibilities to tenants, (especially ones without renters insurance), to remove old duct works that may be full of toxic mold or mildew, or to hire experts to mitigate the probles? I can clearly see that the ducts are old and most likely riddled with mildew and mold. The original color under the surface of the insulation is yellow, which is visible in ducts farther from the central unit, but are black nearer the central unit. The apartment we live in now was said to have sustained smoke damage from an apartment fire in the unit behind it some time last year and the manager told my wife that it was completely remodeled, including new sheetrock, cabinets and carpet. However the ducts are obviously original. Our past experiences when we were younger were that apartment owners usually do as little as possible because of budget restraints and owner politics. (They're trying to save money at the renters peril.) Especially in old apartments like these where the rent is cheaper than the newer, more upscale apartments. My wife and I are in our 50's and we seem to be more sensitive to these issues than we were when we were younger. I'm thinking there isn't much we can do about this except ask if they can have the unit checked by professionals, but I doubt they would even do that. They would probably send a makeready to inspect it. And from what I've seen of maintenance men and makeready's here, they're not very skillful or intelligent. I noticed that ducts with insulation on the inside are still being sold but these are obviously old, full of poison and that it would be a very expensive and extensive fix if they would even consider doing that at all. Probably the best we could hope for is to be moved to a different unit but I doubt they would even offer that. There's always the question of availability of a similar sized unit. Sorry for the novel. Any advice?
I'm dealing with extreme sweating in bend new mobile home duct work from AC in this extreme humidity in South East tn and they don't wrap them at all and now I have water damage and even worse mold growing around for Joists! Gone wrap it but not sure what kind I would need! Help?! Lol
I often make curb adapters, and combined curb plenums where only a sheet metal divider separates supply, and return. For the life of me I can't find an answer for what R value liner I should put on the divider, if any, assuming a Delta T, or maximum temperature difference of 22° F between supply, and return. The sheet metal alone should lessen the temperature difference.
Is a plenum box needed for the supply side of AC or could metal Y’s be used? About 10’ from my handler is a plenium box that comes in with a big foil duct (maybe 16”) and exits the box at a right angle and exits with 3 different sized foil ducts (10”, 6” and 4”). Couldn’t i just use a Y into another Y to keep the air flow running straighter instead of a right angle and eliminate the box? I assume making right angles slows air flow. (The rooms with the 6” and 4” ducts don’t get as cool. I Was going to install in line booster fans for them too.). (Hawai’i so AC only, no heat).
Would it worth the cost to have ductwork spay with foam?
I bought a house in Colorado Springs. It’s never had A/C but I’m wanting to have it installed. None of the ducts are insulated but the entire unit and duct work is inside the house (unit and ducks run in the basement). Do I need to insulate all the ducts in the house? If I do, Is there a good way to insulate the ducts without tearing out drywall? Lol
If your ductwork is inside your house, in your basement, you do not have to insulate it. I do HVAC, and the only time I insulate ductwork is if it is in the attic, or if it was in a crawlspace. Some crawlspaces do not require it though. But yea, if it's in your house, your fine.
I installed my own unit in a rent house. It was 160 degrees in it. Brutal.
When
@@CCCC-tq8yo this past August. Installed a 90% gas furnace with it. That didn't work out well this winter.
What could be so dangerous about insulating the ducts? I want to wrap mine with r-8 for the brutal winter we're supposed to have. I'm a senior citizen (female) and don't see what can be so hard or dangerous.. I was going to do it myself. :)
Mine is in the basement and for the most part a straight run about 20' or so long.
In your opinion is flex duct good under a house.
We see it all the time
I bought a 55 year old house that was not maintained. Right now I cannot afford to have the ducts replaced. Some of my ducts are rusted through. I'm looking at a double sided radiant barrier to try and make it kast until I can afford to have it all replaced. Due to some of the ducts being rusted through, I'm leary about the fiberglass faced wrap. What would you recommend?
My house is equally as old, and no duct rust issues whatsoever. You've got some kind of an issue going on that's causing the ducts to rust out, and you need someone who actually knows ductwork to look at your system and see what's going on. Call a local sheet metal ductwork shop and get someone to come look at your house. Do not call an HVAC company, they are NOT the same.
I moved into my family 100+ yr old house it used to be my grandparents I grew up here and in winter they would put bowls of water on the registers bc the air was so dry in the winter & over the years accident happened water getting knocked over & rusting out the elbow and further down the pipe a fist size hole to a small plate in 3 of the registers . I’m on a fixed income so I got that silver duct tape don’t cheap out on the tape from the big box store it may cost 40% less but it’s half the thickness just make sure it’s the tape for duct work & not regular gray duct/duck tape. I cut a piece of string just 2” bigger than the hole on each side so I could cut 4-5 pieces at a time for $15-$20 I was able to patch the duct work until I could save $ to replace the rusted out pieces. I probably went overboard but I used the rest of the silver tape to tape over the connecting duct pipe work they are usually 5’-6’ and as old as the pipe was it couldn’t hurt. PS take a slightly damp rag and wipe off any dust on the pipe let it dry before applying the silver duct tape. Sorry for any misspelled words & grammar hope this helps.
You have to be careful with conditioned attic spaces if you have a natural draft furnace. Those can lead to toxic flu gases entering the occupied area.
Video would be better with examples and show us what you are talking about.
One more time, why do I need a license if I can read in English?
So Insurance companies can make money
I live in Phoenix. 100 degrees is nothing.
Why
@@CCCC-tq8yo I'm cold blooded. Keeps my toes warm.
DIY guys don’t listen to the legalized robbers.
Who do DIY guys call when there's a problem? 🤔
@@NewHVACGuide I hope I would never have to call another one because is always painful how much do they charge…
What was the last repair you had done and how much did they charge?
@@NewHVACGuide to move my furnace from the angle of the basement in the middle so I could have better heat distribution in the house they asked $12500.
$475 for each R8 flex run in 2023