An important part of good heating and cooling is distributing air to meet the heating and cooling loads of the rooms in a house. Improving home performance involves air sealing and insulating, leading to loads that are lower.
Manual D from the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) is a common way to design a residential duct system to get the right amount of air flow. We'll cover the basics of the Manual D design process and point out best practices and some of the important things to be aware of when designing and sizing ducts.
This session will discuss air distribution basics and the challenges of delivering the design volumetric flow rate of air at the desired temperature. We will discuss the needs for insulating ducts, both from a thermal and an acoustic performance need. We'll cover getting proper air temperature at the supply, duct surface temperature above the dew point in cooling mode, reduced heat gain and heat loss through the duct, and the factors that lead to good air flow. We will also discuss types of insulation, as well as buried ducts, reflective insulation, and code requirements.
Learning Objectives:
By attending this session, attendees will:
Identify the thermal and flow requirements of air ducts
Understand the mechanisms involved in air distribution and the important parameters that need to be controlled in air distribution systems
Become familiar with the code requirements for insulation in ducts
