Measure Guideline: Sealing and Insulating of Ducts in Existing Homes

Measure Guideline: Buried and/or Encapsulated Ducts

“…If there are atmospheric combustion appliances in the home, negative pressures can interfere with proper drafting, potentially resulting in exhaust gases building up within the home. In hot, humid climate regions, depressurization can also lead to high indoor relative humidity levels as outdoor air infiltration is exacerbated (Aldrich and Puttagunta 2011). Encapsulating ducts can reduce leakage; in addition to substantial energy savings, lower duct leakage can alleviate moisture, comfort, and safety concerns.…”

“…Each set of instructions is accompanied by a diagram in Appendix A showing the proper installation procedure for the system. This guideline does not cover HVAC basics and duct design, both of which are covered in other comprehensive documents (ACCA 1992(ACCA , 1995(ACCA , 1997(ACCA , 2006(ACCA , 2007(ACCA , 2009; Burdick 2011;Aldrich and Puttagunta 2011). Those engineering and design principles should be well understood by the designer and used as the starting point in designing and implementing a BED system.…”

“…For houses with combusting appliances, combustion safety and carbon monoxide testing should be performed. See Aldrich and Puttagunta (2011) for more information.…”

“…• Proper sealing and insulation of ductwork can reduce thermal losses from ductwork to around 10%, but further reduction of duct thermal losses requires more advanced techniques. The proper techniques for sealing and insulating ductwork are covered in the Building America Measure Guideline Sealing and Insulating Ducts in Existing Homes (Aldrich and Puttagunta 2011).…”

Case Study of Envelope Sealing in Existing Multiunit Structures

“…Accessible ducts were replaced before the air sealing retrofit. Information on mitigating duct leakage can be found in Measure Guideline: Sealing and Insulating Ducts in Existing Homes (Aldrich & Puttagunta, 2011).…”