How to Improve Air Flow in Your Flexible Ductwork
Step 1 - Understand How Your Ducts Operate
The optimal functioning of your ductwork is made possible by the entire system working smoothly together. The system delivers to you and your home a supply of clean, fresh, warm or cool air and in return, it takes the used air and recycles it back to have contaminants removed through a filtration system.
Step 2 - Consider Size Issues
The most important thing that will help your airflow in your flexible ductwork is making sure that the ducts are of the proper size that will enable them to give your home the proper air flow it needs. The size of the ductwork should be based upon how large your furnace and or air conditioner is.
Step 3 - Check the Routing
Your ductwork should be routed correctly so that there is no static resistance coming from the air flow. It is very important that the ductwork is installed properly with mastic and that it is tied off with zip ties to ensure a tight fit, giving very little chance of leakage.
Step 4 - Analyze the Insulation
It is also important to make sure that there is plenty of insulation to keep the ductwork insulated for maximum heat and or cooling delivery. Generally, your ducts run through spaces that are not conditioned like a crawlspace or an attic; this means the ducts are exposed to a lot of extreme types of temperatures. Thus insulation is vital. It is recommended that your insulation around your ductwork should be an R6 or an R8.
Step 5 - Check for Leaks
It is important that your ductwork does not leak, and if it leaks, even the best insulation is not going to be efficient enough to help the ductwork work efficiently. So you need to make sure that you have high-quality mastic sealing all of your ductwork. This sealant is extremely important because it will help to keep contaminants from circulating into your living quarters.
It is never advisable to use duct tape to help seal your ductwork. Despite the name being duct tape, it will never last long enough and will eventually fall off, allowing leakage to begin throughout your ductwork.
Step 6 - Look at the Boots
Boots are a big part of the ductwork system and you should make sure that the boots are working properly for your ductwork to function efficiently. The boots are connected to the ductwork and the registers of the system. The registers of course being the most visible part of the entire ducting system. If the boots are not properly sealed, they will cause air to escape into the attic area causing an inefficient supply of air to the home.
