How To Insulate Ductwork In Attic

Recently i had another hvac company come out and put in a new bathroom vent and they told me they believed the duct work was full of water.

How to insulate ductwork in attic. It was new when the ac was put in 7 years ago. Use metal flex or fiber board ducts that are insulated to code. The attic ductwork is flex duct work. That s what happened to the ducts in the lead photo of this article.

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. 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. Press a continuous strip of foil tape to all longitudinal seams along straight runs of duct. If you want to cover metal ductwork with blown in insulation t hese steps must be followed in this order.

Install ductwork so that it is in direct contact with i e laying on the ceiling and or truss lower cords. Tape any punctures in the insulation s vapor barrier to prevent leaks. Energy saver dealers 204 202 views. 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.

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. When insulating hvac ductwork use a foil faced fiberglass insulation with an r 6 or higher r value. Because the simplest and cheapest way to insulate an attic is to add material to the floor.

Use a pressure sensitive vapor retarder tape designed for ductwork. But if the floor is covered in plywood you can t stuff enough insulation beneath it to do the job sufficiently not even in warm climates. Cover the metal ductwork with closed cell spray foam. Plan to pull up the flooring and layer new insulation on top of the old.

I called out the original hvac company and they took a look and said they saw no water. Check the speed of the blower motor on the furnace. Cover the spray foam with fire retardant spray. Bury the ducts deeply in insulation.

Make sure the foil surface of the insulation is free of dust before applying the tape. How to insulate the attic air sealing the attic energy saving attic insulation duration. Most insulation relies upon the air space between its fibers to deliver the r value promised. Use a paintbrush to apply duct mastic to the joints where an elbow.

The foam provides a vapor barrier so the ductwork won t sweat.