A duct work is just not a pipe that runs from your cooling and heating unit to your rooms. It comprises of an array of accessories that are fitted together to ensure smooth functioning of you duct. Let’s take a look at them:
Duct Pipe
A duct pipe for an air conditioner is a conduit that carries hot or cold air from the central unit to your rooms. Duct work is an important part of a building that is fitted with a central AC. They provide hot and cold air and also bring in fresh air from outside for ventilation. Homes that use split ACs or ductless air conditioners don’t need duct pipes.
Duct Cap
These are very essential to close the terminal end of a duct pipe. They are available in high quality galvanized steel. You can get them in various professional designs.
Duct fan
These are propellers that are situated in the duct line. These are used to propel the air from the cooling unit to the rooms. They increase the efficiency of the duct work as well as the HVAC. These fans are generally seen in industrial structure which have huge spaces and lengthy duct runs. However you can also spot them in commercial structures as well as in residences. They are especially seen in the kitchen and the bathroom area. They are used in areas which are difficult to cool of heat. For instance, in industrial complexes sections with high ceilings have duct fans for better cooling. Even in houses the rooms that have the computer server should have an optimal temperature. A duct fan can serve well here.
Duct Dampers
The cost of electric power is on the rise. ACs, furnaces or HVACs are the biggest power hogs in all houses. As result it is not an a bad idea to think of ways to save power. An effective way to do so is to install damper in the ducts. The damper control flow of air in different rooms. In case you have some rooms in your house which stay unoccupied, you can close the damper in these rooms to stop cooling or heating those sections.
Duct muffler
These are used to quieten the noise that comes from the cooling unit. These can decrease noise up to 25 dBA! A reduction in noise by 3dBA can cut the perception sound by half! These mufflers do not restrict airflow and require no maintenance.
Supply Plenum
These are like the air collection and distribution box. These are present in the supply outlet of a HVAC unit. The duct work that supplies conditioned air is connected to the plenum. The cooled air is blown into the plenum by the blowers. From the plenum the air reaches the room though the duct pipe. Sometimes air filters are located in plenums too. Plenums are also present in the return outlet of a HVAC.
Duct transition and connectors
These are used to make turns in the runs of round pipes. These have the adjustment range of 0 to 90°. They come in galvanized steel construction to reduce vibration, noise etc. They have air-tight flexible joints. Usually, the connector is inserted between the equipment and the duct work.
Duct sealants
These are elastomeric compound that is used to seal joints in a high velocity air-conditioning ducts installed indoors. They can be used with or without a duct tape. They are fast setting and are used to provide rigidity to the ducts. Some of them have mild odor.
Flex duct
These are short-length ducts made of non-porous material that is fitted between the metal duct work and the air register.