Insulate Heat Ducts In Attic

Inspect the span of ductwork to be insulated.

Insulate heat ducts in attic.

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. Today s flexible ductwork is covered with a shiny metallic cover this is its vapor barrier. Hvac ductwork is typically visible in your attic especially flexible ductwork.

Press a continuous strip of foil tape to all longitudinal seams along straight runs of duct. The shiny vapor barrier will protect the ductwork from sweating as long as it s exposed to the surrounding air. 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.

R 8 duct insulation 5 227 btu hour. Plan to pull up the flooring and layer new insulation on top of the old. But if the floor is covered in plywood you can t stuff enough insulation beneath it to do the job sufficiently not even in warm climates. If necessary switch the wires to reduce the blower to its lowest.

Use the type of metallic foil duct tape recommended by the insulation manufacturer to seal and hold the insulation in place. 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. How to insulate your central air heating ducts 1. Because the simplest and cheapest way to insulate an attic is to add material to the floor.

Make sure the foil surface of the insulation is free of dust before applying the tape. Use a paintbrush to apply duct mastic to the joints where an elbow. 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. Install ductwork so that it is in direct contact with i e laying on the ceiling and or truss lower cords.

The rigid insulation was saturated from condensation. When insulating hvac ductwork use a foil faced fiberglass insulation with an r 6 or higher r value. Check the speed of the blower motor on the furnace. To install sleeves you must either disassemble the ductwork and slide it on before reassembling the ducts or as many homeowners find themselves doing slit it and wrap it around like the blanket style material.

To insulate the exterior you have a choice between sleeve style insulation and blanket wraps which literally wrap around the ductwork. Look for signs of air leaks at seams or joints such as streams of dust.