Insulating Hvac Ducts In Attic

The department of energy claims that the average us home loses hundreds of dollars a year in heating and cooling costs.

Insulating hvac ducts in attic.

Close to 25 of the energy you use to heat and cool your home disappears through leaky ductwork. She asked me to go into the attic to find the roof leaks or where the snow is blowing in through the soffits. 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. Why is this a problem.

This of course is a good thing. Insulated ducts have been the standard for decades now. Use the type of metallic foil duct tape recommended by the insulation manufacturer to seal and hold the insulation in place. Purchase duct wrap insulation that complies with the 2009 international energy conservation code iecc standards that specify an r value of 8 for attic ducts and 6 for ducts located anywhere else.

Unfortunately so many houses especially newer homes end up with ductwork running through 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. Wrap the insulation around the duct and then pinch the seam closed. When water condenses and drips into your attic or home it can cause a some serious secondary problems.

Proper duct insulation is a major key to ensuring your home s energy efficiency. Secure the insulation with short strips of foil tape. 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. To install preformed duct insulation start by disconnecting an elbow to expose the end of the duct.

The rigid insulation was saturated from condensation. So water is condensing on your ac ducts. Install ductwork so that it is in direct contact with i e laying on the ceiling and or truss lower cords. The greater the temperature extreme between the air inside the duct and the air surrounding the ductwork the greater your need for duct insulation.

Our heating and ac ducts are 100 within the thermal envelope in the floor trusses above our insulated basement. Apply a long strip of foil tape along the seam in the insulation. Why is condensation on ductwork a problem. When insulating hvac ductwork use a foil faced fiberglass insulation with an r 6 or higher r value.

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. Repeat to insulate the remaining ducts.