Tips for Choosing Proper Ductwork Design

Our team of knowledgeable HVAC technicians at Commonwealth Cooling and Heating understands the importance of choosing proper ductwork design for your home or business. It is one of the most important factors that affects the overall efficiency of your HVAC unit. A duckwork system that is designed well decreases the chances of poor connections and leaks.

A very important step in choosing your ductwork design is the calculation of your heating and cooling load. The heating and cooling load measures the amount of energy needed to be removed or added to a room by your HVAC system to make the space more comfortable. Also, an accurate load calculation has an influence on the equipment selection and the needed duct design to deliver conditioned air to the rooms of your home efficiently.

Consider the Duckwork Configuration

Choose a configuration that works best within the space of your home or building. There are four main options when it comes to your ductwork. These include:

• The trunk and branch configuration. It is a popular design that resembles a tree trunk with several branches. The design uses a large primary supply trunk that’s connected directly to the air handler’s supply plenum. There are also several smaller branch ducts and runouts that are connected to the trunk. These smaller ducts provide heat and AC to the individual rooms throughout the house.
• The radial design, which doesn’t use a main supply trunk. It consists of several branches of ductwork that stem off the furnace and runs individually to each room. This ductwork design is great for smaller buildings and single-story homes. However, because of the large amount of ductwork needed, it would be an inefficient design for larger buildings.
• The spider configuration, which is similar to the radial design. This option has a few main ducts that stem off the furnace; however, once these ducts come near the rooms, they split off in multiple directions to reach the designated vent. This configuration is considered more efficient than the radial design.
• The perimeter loop configuration. It uses the radial design, which has individual ducts that leads to every room. However, each duct is connected around the outside of the building with additional ducts making a loop that circulates excess cool or hot air to the next vent. This is one of the least used designs by HVAC professionals because it is difficult to design and install.

Only Use Conditioned Spaces

Design your ductwork distribution system so that it is located inside conditioned spaces of your home or building. Ducts placed in conditioned spaces are more efficient in keeping your home comfortable.

Additional Ductwork Design Tips

If you’re designing a ductwork system for large, two-story homes or buildings, consider using multiple heating and cooling systems so that each story has its own duct system. Using at least two or more heating and cooling systems for your home will provide the best performance and comfort on the upper and lower levels of your home.

At Commonwealth Cooling and Heating, we are not only experts in AC installations, but we are also a Bryant Factory Authorized Dealer that understands the importance of quality workmanship. Choosing a knowledgeable HVAC company is essential for proper duct installations. If you would like AC installation services or your home’s duckwork design assessed, contact us. We’ve been helping Alexandria, VA residents improve their home’s HVAC efficiency for many years.