Need Help w/ Central Air Conditioning - RC-Monster Forums

E-Revonut · 04.27.2009, 11:35 PM

Resident Tin knocker here.....There not called flow limiters! Volume dampers is the proper terminology. Sorry I gotta be a smart ass when I can. There has been some good advice so far. Linc said it best, istall the volume dampers as close to the main plenum as possible, they will make the biggest difference there and create the least amount of noise in the rooms. If the ductwork isn't wrapped with insulation that would also help, both summer and winter. The dampers that are part of the registers are really only to shut off rooms that you don't use, using them to limit the volume of air will create a lot of noise and have less effect getting the air to the other rooms. That is why you want to install them as close to the furnace/heat exchanger as possible.

lincpimp · 04.28.2009, 12:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by E-Revonut

Resident Tin knocker here.....There not called flow limiters! Volume dampers is the proper terminology. Sorry I gotta be a smart ass when I can. There has been some good advice so far. Linc said it best, istall the volume dampers as close to the main plenum as possible, they will make the biggest difference there and create the least amount of noise in the rooms. If the ductwork isn't wrapped with insulation that would also help, both summer and winter. The dampers that are part of the registers are really only to shut off rooms that you don't use, using them to limit the volume of air will create a lot of noise and have less effect getting the air to the other rooms. That is why you want to install them as close to the furnace/heat exchanger as possible.

What do you think of the flexi ducting? I have recently (well in the last 3 years or so) installed a few systems and used the flexi duct in all of them. Seemed pretty good, and was super easy to do. I could easily do a single story house in a day if I was swapping out the old ducting for this... As long as someone could figure out the correct sizes for the various rooms...

E-Revonut · 04.28.2009, 09:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lincpimp

What do you think of the flexi ducting? I have recently (well in the last 3 years or so) installed a few systems and used the flexi duct in all of them. Seemed pretty good, and was super easy to do. I could easily do a single story house in a day if I was swapping out the old ducting for this... As long as someone could figure out the correct sizes for the various rooms...

Flex is not good for full runs. There is a lot of static loss with flex, a lot of friction on the air passing through because the sides aren't smooth. Generally the most flex I'm allowed to put at the end of a run is 6', sometimes the specs for a job call for no more than 3'.

lincpimp · 04.28.2009, 10:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by E-Revonut

Flex is not good for full runs. There is a lot of static loss with flex, a lot of friction on the air passing through because the sides aren't smooth. Generally the most flex I'm allowed to put at the end of a run is 6', sometimes the specs for a job call for no more than 3'.

Good to know, I figured it had to have some problems, as it is so easy to use. We left the bulk of the solid ducting in my house, and just used short lengths of the flexi duct to tie in to the new plenum.