The ideal time to upgrade ductwork in your Grosse Pointe home is when remodeling or renovating. New construction gives you a great opportunity to insist on efficient ductwork. Good ductwork design is no accident; it comes from careful planning and clear communication between homeowner, mechanical contractor and architect.
Clear Conversations
When planning a renovation or new construction, request a frank conversation between architect, general contractor, mechanical contractor and you, the homeowner about your desire for energy efficient, properly installed ductwork. This discussion will pay enormous dividends in several ways:
- Efficient duct runs
- Lower energy bills
- Lower installation costs
- Ideal indoor comfort
- Improved indoor air quality
- HVAC equipment works efficiently
- Minimal chance of mold and mildew
Ductwork Design Pays Off
When remodeling, strive to correct flaws in existing ductwork. Faulty ductwork can cause your Grosse Pointe Farms home to have hot or cold spots or hamper your HVAC system’s efficiency. Since you are altering your home’s systems anyway, you face little added expense to run ductwork correctly for the remodeled area and adjacent rooms.
For new construction, have your mechanical contractor use the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) Manuals J, S and D to calculate heating and cooling loads, select suitable HVAC equipment, and design new ductwork to make your Grosse Pointe home comfortable and economical to heat and cool.
Ductwork Design Details
When starting from scratch, you have two main options with supply-side ductwork: trunk-and-branch, or a radial design. Your return air ducts, ideally, will be a multiple-room design, so that every room has proper airflow and the entire system is balanced. Beyond those two principles, other details will contribute to energy efficiency and family comfort:
- Ductwork must pass through conditioned spaces, not crawlspaces or attics
- Ductwork must run up interior, not exterior, walls
- Metal ducts should be connected with sheet metal screws and sealed with mastic
- Separate zones with programmable thermostats allow for the ultimate comfort control of your Grosse Pointe Farms home
For more help in saving money through good ductwork design for your Grosse Pointe Park home, contact us at Aladdin Heating & Cooling.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Warren, Michigan about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about ductwork design and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Image courtesy of Shutterstock