Air ducts control air flow through your home. They regulate temperature in your home by cycling air through each of the attached vents. In a typical house, you would expect anywhere from 20-30% of the air moving through the ducting system to be lost as a result of leaks and poor connections. But which air duct makes the most sense to install in a new home: oval spiral duct fittings or rectangular ducts?
Spiral Duct Fittings
These are the better choice. Period. Rectangular ducts are outclassed in performance, efficiency, and even price. Here are three explanations why.
- When a furnace that meets the current national standards (78% Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency) is partnered with a typical duct system installed in an open crawlspace or vented attic (60%–75% seasonal efficiency), only about half the heating value of the fuel will make it into the house at any given time. This is yet another reason why spiral or oval duct fittings are preferable to outdated technology.
- Whenever a hard angled joint is present in a theoretically closed system dedicated to containing air and heat, the air will be blown directly into the walls of the ducting. This perpetuates the problem until the leak is gigantic and quite costly. Oval ducts provide a smoothly structured direction of travel, easing pressure on the joints.
- The repair or cleaning costs for oval ducts are less expensive for the same reason. Fewer rigid walls for pollen and dust mites to get stuck on means that there’s less build-up altogether. As you already know, buildup can lead to issues far worse than a few extra dollars on your electric bill. Your ducting system could circulate toxic mold if you were caught unaware.
Spiral duct fittings are the future of ductwork in new homes nationwide. If you would like to learn more about the technology behind the design, get in contact with us today. Aside from price, efficiency, aesthetics, and easiness to clean, spiral duct products are becoming much more popular. Rectangular ductwork might be obsolete sooner than anyone would have thought.
