Can I install A/C in a home built in 1924 which has round heat ducts in the ceiling?

Sure -- or at least, there's nothing about having round ducts in the attic that would make A/C installation more difficult. In fact, because cold air is more dense than warm air, ceiling vents are usually considered better for cooling. The cool air flows down from the ceiling, helping ensure your rooms are evenly cooled. That's why many houses in warm climates tend to have vents in or near the ceiling. And why vents are typically low in colder climates.

If there is reason for concern here it's about the heating, not cooling. Is the attic space insulated? If not, then your ducts are going to lose heat in the uninsulated attic space, and the home will cost more to heat. This can be mitigated by good insulation & sealing around the ducts and vents. Secondly, assuming your vents go through the ceiling, there is also some additional heat loss through these ceiling penetrations. And finally, because the vents will need to blow heat down, they might not do as good a job at making...

Framing Heating Duct

May 5, 2013 Photo

How to Add a Room Air Duct for Heating & Cooling Part 2

When a new room is added to a house or a room is not heating or cooling as well as it should, you can improve the situation by moving the duct or adding another. When How to Install a Hot Air Heating Duct; How to Attach Duct Work to Framing; How to Make a Duct Board Plenum; How to Wrap a Heating Duct; How to Install Flexible Duct Heating Is there a minimum distance required between a heating supply duct and a stud? I am currently in the process of framing out a wall (first floor) which contains a forced

Double divisible connector frame for mounting air grilles and

House Systems Main; Insulation; Windows; Foundations; Framing; HVAC; Roofing Leaks in the heating and cooling duct systems can be frustrating for homeowners who were Consider an in-floor return air duct that is 32 x 22. A standard air filter that closest fits the register is 30 x 20. What...

Ceiling ductwork actually is routed through attic space, above the finished ceiling and under the roof rafters or trusses. Ceiling ducts are common in houses without basements or other under-floor space to accommodate ductwork. The basic routing plan of ceiling ductwork is similar to that from a basement: Run the main supply duct through the house as straight as possible, branch smaller ducts to individual vents and provide efficient air collection ducts to return "used" air back to the heating/cooling unit. Most systems today use round, flexible ductwork because it is insulated and easy to install.

Draw a plan of the house, showing the location of the heating/cooling unit and each room outlet or vent, and diagram duct routes on a "trunk and branch" system. Run a main supply duct from the heating/cooling unit supply plenum or output pipe as directly to the attic as possible. If possible, place the unit in a utility room with direct access to the ceiling.

Place the...

Controversial?

This is one, if not the most controversial subject in the HVAC industry over the last 5 years and it shouldn't be. What do I do with my existing ducts? What are the best kind of ducts? Should I have my ducts cleaned?

Existing Ducts

Most homes built between 1924 and 1980 used metal tin or galvanized ducts with either fiberglass or aircel insulation. If the ducts are 5" round for bathrooms, 6" and larger around the rest of the home and have not been molested? Use them. You have one of the best duct systems. It will require additional work to make them ready for high efficient air conditioning but well worth the trouble and the additional cost. This additional work will include but not limited to:

Check all ducts for tight joints, screw secure and seal air tight as needed. Reinsulate ducts with thick fiberglass duct wrap to retain temperature. If missing, install locking type dampers to regulate air flow into each...

Related to : How to Install Square Ducts for VentilationHow to Install Square Ducts for Ventilation by JEDIYoda in Home & Garden
Square ducts, better known as rectangular ducts, are installed to supply conditioned air to a room or to vent air out of a home. Connecting square ducts is a delicate process, as the ducts must be tightly sealed to each other to prevent air from escaping from the vent. Once you have the proper suppl
How to Clean Ventilation Ducts by Techhog in Home & Garden
Cleaning your air ducts is important. It helps maintain your heating and air conditioning unit. Over time, dust can accumulate within your duct work and can cause a clog. It can cause your unit to work much harder than it usually would, which can lead to higher energy bills. In addition, the dust bl
Square to Round Ducts by yodude7 in Home & Garden
In heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems (HVAC), the source of the hot or cold air is called a plenum. The...

In today's world where energy conservation is more and more considered, we still run 4 or 5 fans throughout the house to move air when we have one fan that can move air in every room and will end up using less electricity. This is the fan on our furnace.

Many people do not realize that the "fan/auto" switch on the thermostat is there for exactly this and that even though you're running the fan, the heating or cooling cycles will still operate as they normally would. The trick here is that they will likely not run as often since you are not allowing the air in the home to separate. This is a particularly good idea on our more extreme temperature days.

On nicer days, where the temperature outside is where we'd like it and let's say we don't have air conditioning, this is a great idea to while letting the furnace fan draw in the outdoor air and cool down that sauna that those hot days have made out of your home.

As for energy, the fan starting is where the most...

Ductwork is a branching network of tubes in the walls, floors and ceilings. It takes air from throughout the house and delivers it to the heater/air conditioner, where the air is heated or cooled, then delivers the heated or cooled air back into the living space. Both intake and output of air is important to a balanced, climate-controlled system. To operate efficiently, ducts must be sized to match the heater and air conditioner, and designed so the correct amount of air reaches each room. Typical costs:Replacing aging, leaking or inadequate ductwork typically costs about $35-$55 a linear foot for labor and materials, or $1,000-$5,000 or more for a single-family home, depending on the length and type of ducts used (sheet metal, fiberduct or round flexible ductwork) and local rates. (The linear footage of ductwork varies widely depending on the type of heating and cooling system, when and how it was installed and the layout and construction of the house.) Factors affecting the...

Al wants to move heat from room to room

I am thinking of putting large (1'x3') vents at the top of the walls in my house. How can I determine if I should install a fan in them or rely on passive air movement? What kind of vents can I get that have a feature to close the vent for zone heating? Any other ideas to spread heat to other rooms including upstairs?

Sincerely, Al

Hi Al,
The passive transfer of heat from one part of a house to another is a tricky proposition, depending to a large extent on the characteristics of the house itself. I think the critical factor is the energy efficiency of the building envelope. That is, the individual rooms in a leaky, poorly insulated house need a lot of heat input every hour to maintain a comfortable temperature, much more than can be supplied by passive convection from another room. On the other hand, a relatively tight, well-insulated house tends to remain at a fairly even temperature throughout, even if it is...

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Good questions, in old houses like mine, we have hot water baseboard heat run from the furnace.

Central Air Conditioning is installed by putting a big compressor outside the house on a concrete slab. Insulated pipes run up to the attic to a heat exchanger.

The heat exchanger is connected to a long duct running down the center of the attic from end to end.

Insulated flexible pipes about 7 inches inside diameter connect from the central duct to ceiling vents in each room.

In the winter the attic is very cold because the roof and gables are not insulated. The attic has no floor, just wooden joists with fiberglass insulation sitting on the drywall sheets which make up the ceiling of the rooms below.

The air conditioning duct and pipes become very cold from the freezing attic.

Cold air from the ducts flows down into the room. Also the cold metal ducts absorb heat from the room.

If you sit or stand under a duct, you can feel a cold draft...

Sunrooms are wonderful additions to any Georgia home. Unfortunately, heating and cooling a sunroom can be a pain! For some, a converted front or back porch was used to make a sunroom and others built an additional space for the sunroom. Whichever option you decided on, there are ways to properly maintain a comfortable temperature in your sunroom year-round. Edwards Heating & Air is a local heating and air company servicing residents in and around Acworth and Atlanta, Georgia.

Install a Dedicated HVAC Unit

Sunrooms are constructed differently from the home, so they have vastly different heating and cooling needs than the rest of your living spaces. Installing a dedicated heating and cooling system to serve your sunroom addition is the best choice to ensure comfort year-round.

Edwards Heating & Air offers the best HVAC systems in the industry with skilled technicians to install them properly.

Ductless Mini-Splits for Sunrooms

Ductless mini-split...