Duct Sealing in Conditioned Spaces and Un-Conditioned Spaces
Throughout the United States, there are a variety of different ductwork configurations in homes and buildings. One of the biggest factors is the location of the ductwork in the home. There’s two main places to run air ducts: in conditioned spaces (bedrooms, living rooms, dining rooms, etc.) and un-conditioned spaces (crawlspaces, un-finished basements, attics, etc.).
Some people think you only need to seal ductwork in conditioned spaces. That’s actually a myth. In fact, here’s a research study by Comfort Institute that busted it.
It’s important for ductwork to be airtight regardless of its location in conditioned or un-conditioned spaces because leaky ductwork prohibits your air from getting to where you want it to go. The goal of ductwork is to evenly distribute heated or cooled air EVENLY to all of the air vents/registers in a home or building.
If the heated or cooled air from your HVAC equipment leaks through tiny cracks, holes, and seams in ductwork before reaching the vents/registers, then you’re being robbed of comfort and making the HVAC equipment work hard than it necessary.
Want to read more about sealing ducts in conditioned space? Check out this forum on the Journal of Light Construction.