Ductwork Replacement
Gaps in your air ducts waste energy.
When you are having a new heating and cooling system installed, it’s a good time to consider replacing the ductwork in your home as well. Over the years, air duct design has improved dramatically.
New air ducts are better made, than the ductwork installed decades ago. Installing new air ducts will:
- Eliminate air leaks
- Improve your HVAC system efficiency
- Improve air flow throughout your home
- Eliminate built up dirt and dust in your HVAC system
TMC Heating & Cooling recommends new ductwork when you replace your HVAC system because it eliminates the problems that the old ductwork created. If you have a room that is too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter, then it’s likely just not getting adequate air flow.
When we replace your ductwork, we can correct problems with air flow, eliminate air leaks, and the added operating cost caused by ductwork with too little insulation. Correcting these three areas saves you money on your utilities, increases your comfort and helps your new HVAC system run more efficiently plus last longer.
Reasons for replacing your ductwork
New ductwork - no dust, less energy, better air flow.
Cleanliness
If your ducts are as old as your system that means they’re probably pretty dirty, unless you’ve diligently changed your air filters every 3 months and kept your system maintained. In most cases, your air ducts are not as clean as they should be, and likely have other issues.
Airflow
Do you have some rooms that get too much air and others that don’t get enough? Today’s ductwork designs can be the solution to your airflow issues, eliminating the problem with rooms being too hot or cold.
Air Leakage
Most homes today are losing over 30% of the air flow from their heater or a/c in the attic or crawlspace. That means the air you’re losing is heating and cooling your attic or crawlspace instead of the interior of your home. Leaks in the return system can also be pulling in dirty air from your attic or crawlspace as well. With new ductwork designs have better seals than the old style ductwork, so you are going to feel a noticeable difference in your overall comfort with your new ductwork.
Summary
Replacing your ductwork just makes sense because you get the benefit of a new clean duct system, (which is better insulated than older styles), a ductwork redesign (to improve airflow) and a complete ductwork sealing (to eliminate air leaks), for about the cost of a thorough air duct cleaning. By thorough cleaning we mean cleaning the entire length of your ductwork, which would normally take half a day to do, not just a partial cleaning that’s done in an hour.
Frequently Asked Ductwork Questions
Should I clean or replace my ductwork?
This depends on a few different things. Just like anything else you should do your research. If your ductwork is older than 15 years old you should really consider replacing rather than cleaning. With ductwork 15+ years old it's likely that you’re probably losing more than 30% of your air causing the efficiency of your system to drop.
With new ductwork it is sealed to only leak 5% or less meaning your keeping 95+% of your air. With leaky ducts even if you get them sparkling clean your still leaking air and pulling in air from the crawl space or attic which offsets any cleaning that was done.
With new ductwork it is sealed to only leak 5% or less meaning your keeping 95+% of your air. With leaky ducts even if you get them sparkling clean your still leaking air and pulling in air from the crawl space or attic which offsets any cleaning that was done.
Cleaning your ducts does have its place but it has to be done properly and can take 4 to 8 hours to do it correctly. If you see duct cleaning for $99 or less run! Do your research and find a company that can clean all your duct lines including trunk lines, wyes, plenums and equipment. These are all part of your system.
What type of ductwork is recommended?
There are a few options for replacing your ductwork. Attic space varies from one home to the next. The flexibility needed to properly install air ducts is different for each job we do. To give you an accurate price, we need to see how many duct runs you have, and for rigid metal ductwork we have to know how many bends and turns are needed to get good air flow to each room in your home. Each bend and turn requires the addition of elbows to get the ductwork around obstacles. Of course, every additional elbow adds to the cost of the project.
Rigid ductwork is about 60% more than flexible ductwork. For many homeowners the flexible ductwork works best. The difficulty of removal of existing ductwork plus the installation of your new ductwork are included in your estimate.
If you have questions about your ductwork, give us a call at (209) 566-9247.
All Your Heating And Cooling Services
TMC Heating & Cooling provides A/C Repair Services, A/C Replacement, Air Purification, Commercial HVAC Service, Ductless Mini Split Systems, Heater Repair, Heater Replacement, HVAC System Repair Services, HVAC System Replacement, Residential HVAC Maintenance, and Whole House Fans.
Get a guaranteed quote you can count on, from the area’s #1 Trusted HVAC Contractor — TMC Heating & Cooling. Just call (209) 566-9247.