Why You Need To Move Those Air Conditioner Ducts Out Of Your Attic ASAP
Central air conditioning in the home was once a luxury reserved for the rich, but now most homeowners in various climates want the comfort of a cooling breeze during the summer. Whether you use your A/C for eight months a year or only run it for a few weeks during heat waves, you're spending more than necessary if your ducts are located in the attic. Read up on the details of why it's folly to place ductwork in the attic.
Temperature Extremes
The biggest reason to keep A/C ducts out of the usual home attic is because this part of the house usually gets very hot during the summer due to the sun constantly beating down on the roof. While temperatures obviously vary due to the regional climate, attic venting, roof material, and insulation, temperatures over 130 F have been recorded in Florida attics. While cold air traveling through attic ducts may not spend more than a few minutes in that area before reaching the vents in the rest of the house, that's still long enough for it to warm up and lose effectiveness as a cooling method.
This problem also affects any heating equipment hooked up to the same ductwork. If the ducts are warming up in the summer, naturally they'll be cold in the winter and transfer some of the heat from your air supply out into the attic. Installing metal ducts in the attic are such a bad idea that the National Renewable Energy Lab has issued statements advising against the practice.
Dust Exposure
Interested in keeping your ducts clean so that your air supply stays safe for family members with allergies and asthma? If this is a major concern, keep or get those air ducts out of the attic. When the ducts weaken at the seams or develop small punctures, dust creeps in and fills up the empty space inside. All that dust starts circulating around the rest of the house, or it sits in the ducts and feeds mold and mildew colonies as soon as moisture from a roof leak joins the mix. Unless your attic is sealed in with spray insulation and cleaned on a regular basis, you're putting yourself at risk for dirty ducts by leaving them in such a large and unfinished space.
Damage Potential
Whether you spend a lot of time in the attic storing unwanted items or you never step foot in it, your ducts are at risk for serious damage from the following:
- You and other family members stepping on or accidentally bumping the ductwork
- Boxes and stored items falling over onto the ducts
- Insects and animal pests chewing up or living in the ducts
- Moisture from roof leaks triggering rust on metal ductwork.
With all of these problems, you're unlikely to notice the damage to the ducts for months. Damaged ducts leak cold air into the attic where it's unneeded, leaving you overheated and paying high power bills. Moving the ducts to a more secure location and inspecting them regularly is the only way to prevent long-term air leaks.
Building Envelope
In order to eliminate temperature issues, you need to move the air conditioning ducts inside the conditioned building envelope. This refers to the parts of the home that receive air from the central A/C unit, which usually does not include the attic. Picking the right location within your home also eliminates most dust and damage issues as well. Consider running the ducts inside traditionally framed walls, in special soffits built under the ceiling, or under the floor if it's open. If you're worried about fitting ducts into any of these spaces, ask your air conditioner installer about small diameter flexible ducting that can fit in practically any space that is at least a few inches wide.
For more information and assistance with altering your A/C system, talk with a home air conditioning repair and installation company, such as HomeSmart From Xcel Energy.