How To Insulate Flex Ductwork In Attic

Bury the ducts deeply in insulation.

How to insulate flex ductwork in attic.

Cover the metal ductwork with closed cell spray foam. Heaping insulation over the ducts is fine in dry climates but can cause condensation on the duct insulation jacket in humid climates. Invest in duct insulation today to safeguard your family s health and your pocketbook. 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.

If it s uninsulated you should insulated it to at least r 4 to r 8 for dfw. The cost and effort to add more insulation is minimal. Applying spray foam insulation to the outside of the duct. If you want to cover metal ductwork with blown in insulation t hese steps must be followed in this order.

Use metal flex or fiber board ducts that are insulated to code. The doe s building america program recommends beds buried encapsulated ducts. Tape any punctures in the insulation s vapor barrier to prevent leaks. The two most common ways to insulate ductwork are.

If your rigid metal ductwork has any insulation it may already have enough. Start saving money today. Energy saver dealers 204 202 views. You re throwing money out the window.

Avoid compressing the insulation. The foam provides a vapor barrier so the ductwork. Mastic comes in a bucket air duct sealant comes in a tube they re basically the same thing. That s what happened to the ducts in the lead photo of this article.

Stop wasting money and energy with a leaking duct system. Install ductwork so that it is in direct contact with i e laying on the ceiling and or truss lower cords. The first thing you want to do is take either air duct sealant or mastic and spread it around the take off. 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.

Most insulation relies upon the air space between its fibers to deliver the r value promised. Wrapping the duct in a foil faced blanket. By spraying closed cell foam on the ducts before burying them in attic insulation you prevent the condensation problem. Consider adding more insulation as ductwork is farther from the furnace.

Mechanically fasten and mastic seal all duct connections. If you need help deciding which type of insulation you need set up an energy consultation. 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. This isn t equivalent to bringing them into the conditioned space as you ll still have additional duct load but it s a lot better than having them in unconditioned attic space.

How to insulate the attic air sealing the attic energy saving attic insulation duration. Spread it around with either your fingers or a disposable chip brush or disposable paint brush. Use a pressure sensitive vapor retarder tape designed for ductwork.