Air ducts are one of the most important parts of any air conditioning system. Air ducts carry hot or cold air to every room in your house and having the right kind can be the difference between staying warm or freezing all winter. The problem is that there’s so many different materials to choose from, you never know which one is the best fit. That’s why today we’ll be going over how you can choose the best ducting material for your business.
As you can see on the builders merchant EasyMerchant website you have lots of options when it comes to air ducts, the main thing that’ll help you decide what duct material is best for your warehouse is researching what every material is specifically made for and which material will benefit you most.
Picking What Material Works Best For You
There are many different materials your ducts can be made out of and each material has its benefits, some of these materials include:
- Fiberboard Ducting
Fiberboard is the least expensive material when it comes to ducting. Fiberboard is made out of fiberglass compressed and sealed in resin. Fiberboard is a great insulator and doesn’t require any additional insulation besides the foil covering that’s on the outside. This foil covering acts as an outside barrier to air and moisture. Unfortunately, fiberboard ducts are also prone to growing mold and mildew. Apart from this, the inside of the ducts can be rough, trapping dust and debris in its crevices, and cause friction in the airflow reducing your ac system’s efficiency.
- Fiberglass Ducting
One option you have is to buy a metal duct bordered with fiberglass. This special fiberglass border helps with insulation keeping your air at an optimum temperature, it also works as a silencer dampening the sound of air running through your house. The ability to mute any noise makes fiberglass ducting a popular choice for business offices and buildings. These ducts also come with disadvantages, one of these disadvantages is ducts are harder to maintain and clean, this is mainly due to fiberglass particles being released into the air if ducts are cleaned excessively or incorrectly. This ducting material is extremely vulnerable to mold and mildew because of its absorptive surface. It’s recommended that all fiberglass ducting be serviced regularly by professionals. This will slow down and can even stop the growth of mold or mildew and make sure no fiberglass particles are released into the air, because this can lead to poor air quality.
- Galvanized Steel
Most ductwork is fabricated with galvanized steel sine the zinc coating is a great anti-rust agent in addition, the zinc coating doesn’t have to be painted over. The steel duct can’t be used on its own and must be insulated. For insulation, you can either use metal liner or duct wrap.
Rectangular ductwork is usually custom made by a machine shop. These metal ducts mostly come in 4-foot sections to make handling easier. Round ducts can come in many different diameters and lengths, some of the standard diameters used are from 4 to 24 inches with the length reaching from 6 to 12 feet. Stock pipe is usually sold in 10-foot joints for businesses and 5-foot joints for residential purposes.
- Aluminum
Aluminum ducts are the easiest and quickest to install and fabricate. Most custom ducts are made in the shop, but, because of aluminum’s lightweight properties, they can also be fabricated on site. Aluminum ducts are started by tracing the duct outline onto the aluminum panel, they’re then fabricated and assembled with glue. Aluminum tape and sealant is then used to seal all the seams of the duct so no air can escape.
- Flexible Ducting
Unlike all the other rigid ducts we’ve talked about, flexible ducts are just that, flexible. These ducts are inexpensive and easy to install. Flexible ducts are long round tubes made up of durable plastic and steel wire. Flexible ducts are the best to use in tight and awkward spaces that other rigid materials would not be able to fit in. However flexible air ducts are the only ducts that need some kind of support. Without this support, your air ducts can sag and bend causing airflow to cut off and your air conditioning system to fail. Another pro of flexible ducting is that it provides the best air quality. The plastic that these ducts are made of doesn’t have any fiberglass in it, meaning fewer pollutants, this type of plastic is also resistant against mildew, dust, and mold meaning cleaner air and less allergies.
Conclusion
Putting in new air ducts can be overwhelming. Even though the material that your ducts are made of might not seem important to you, picking the right material for your ducts can save you money. Every material has its pros and cons and should be taken into serious consideration when choosing the right duct for your warehouse.
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