Your air ducts are the pathways that allow cooled or heated air to travel into and throughout your home. The four common types seen in residential and commercial buildings are fiberglass lined, fiberboard, sheet metal and flexible air ducts.
If you are building a home and want to find out which kind would work best for you, or if you just want to learn about air ducts, read on to learn more about these four varieties.
1. Fiberglass lined. Fiberglass lining insulates air ducts to avoid condensation, in times of high humidity and cold air, as well as loss of heat. This lining can also muffle the sounds of your HVAC system, making it less of a disturbance to you in your home. Fiberglass lining is generally used for sheet metal ducts.
2. Fiberboard. These ducts are made of compressed resin bonded inorganic glass fibers. The interior is sealed so that no fibers can enter the air flow, while the exterior has a foil face to prevent condensation and loss of air. Fiberboard air ducts are one of the least expensive systems to have installed.
3. Sheet metal. This is by far the most common type of air ducts seen in any type of building today. Made of either galvanized steel or aluminum, sheet metal ducts can be round or rectangular. Since they do not have any pores, they are the most durable, and the least likely to have mold growth.
4. Flexible. Flexible air ducts are made of a polymer plastic containing a spring steel wire. These lightweight ducts are lightweight, making them easy to install and relatively inexpensive. Keep in mind that the length of the ducts and number of bends in the wire can affect the performance of the system.
Have a question about your air ducts and how they affect your HVAC system? Give Heatmasters a call.
Courtesy of Ductworks
