Ductwork is used in forced air systems to heat, ventilate, and cool buildings. Ducts are tubes that carry air from the furnace or air conditioner throughout the building. Ducts are usually made of tin, sheet metal, fiberglass, or flexible plastic. They consist of a plenum, conduit, and register. A distribution box can be used to redirect airflow. A return air duct collects displaced air and returns it to the HVAC unit. Contaminants in the air stream can be concentrated by the ducts, so frequent cleaning is essential.
The heating, ventilation and air conditioning of a building are, in a forced air system, achieved by ductwork. Ducts are a series of sectioned ducts, or tubes, that carry heated or cooled air from the furnace or air conditioner throughout the building. These ducts, along with the actual furnace and air conditioning unit, are normally considered the building’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system. Rigid pipe, used to transfer water or gas, is not considered a conduit.
The tubing or tubing commonly used for pipelines can be made of tin or sheet metal, fiberglass, or flexible plastic. One type of flexible conduit can be fabricated from vinyl-coated insulation, through which a coiled wire is inserted. This flexible duct is popular due to its ease of installation and insulating properties.
Because of its importance in the overall utility and livability of a particular structure, ducts are often among the first items to consider when designing a new building or purchasing an existing structure. Attention to HVAC systems, ensuring constant and efficient performance, is essential for proper maintenance of buildings. A common problem with air ducts is that any contaminants in the air stream will be concentrated by the ducts and distributed throughout the building. Frequent cleaning of the duct is essential to reduce this occurrence.
An example of a basic flue would be a simple chimney stack. The brick chimney surrounds a tempered ceramic tile pipe and is considered a flue. This duct carries the smoke – and all in all too much precious heat – from the fireplace or wood stove, to be delivered outside the building.
The ductwork usually consists of a plenum; the pipe proper, or conduit; and a register, or unloading device. The plenum is the inlet end of the duct, usually located at the air source, furnace or air conditioner. The ducts, pipes or tubes that convey the temperate air are usually hidden between the walls, and run in every room of the structure. The registers, located in the floor, walls or ceilings of a room, are the discharge ends of the ductwork, where the air is admitted to the room. A distribution box can be placed approximately halfway through the duct system to help redirect the airflow.
Additionally, there is a duct system configured to return displaced air from the heated/cooled air back to the furnace or air conditioning unit. This return air duct is normally not as large as the delivery system. The displaced air can be collected and returned to the HVAC unit from a more centralized location among a series of heated or cooled rooms.
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