Insulating Metal Ductwork In Attic

In this video this old house plumbing and heating expert richard trethewey helps a homeowner insulate his ductwork.

Insulating metal ductwork in attic.

Go to the basement or crawl space of your home. The cost and effort to add more insulation is minimal. Acute temperatures in these areas contribute to thermal loss in metal ductwork. Made from 1 to 2 inch thick sheets of rigid glass fiber and coated with an aluminum laminate for a moisture air barrier duct board comes in sections that fit together like metal ducts.

Duct board much like the duct liner is also a fiberglass product. If it s uninsulated you should insulated it to at least r 4 to r 8 for dfw. If you want to cover metal ductwork with blown in insulation t hese steps must be followed in this order. How to insulate the attic air sealing the attic energy saving attic insulation duration.

Although both the attic floor and the ductwork are insulated ted recognizes the situation isn t ideal. Check the speed of the blower motor on the furnace. Duct liner isn t generally a diy installation and if your ducts already have liner you don t need to insulate the exterior. The duct insulation should include a vapor barrier cover.

Use the type of metallic foil duct tape recommended by the insulation manufacturer to seal and hold the insulation in place. Choose a faced fiberglass. Install ductwork so that it is in direct contact with i e laying on the ceiling and or truss lower cords. Plan to pull up the flooring and layer new insulation on top of the old.

Protect yourself from itchy fibers when working with fiberglass insulation. If your rigid metal ductwork has any insulation it may already have enough. Because the simplest and cheapest way to insulate an attic is to add material to the floor. If necessary switch the wires to reduce the blower to its lowest speed.

Make sure the foil surface of the insulation is free of dust before applying the tape. Wear work gloves long sleeves and long. Mechanically fasten and mastic seal all duct connections. Consider adding more insulation as ductwork is farther from the furnace.

Wrap metal duct tape around any seams you see in the ducts. Summer hasn t even arrived he notes in a post at gba s q a forum and when the temperature outside climbs to more than 95 f the temperature in the attic tops 120 f. A metal duct conveying cool conditioned air through a broiling attic in summer or warm air through a chilly crawl. Press a continuous strip of foil tape to all longitudinal seams along straight runs of duct.

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