Two ways to design ductwork for your home
A well-designed and professionally installed ductwork system will keep your home comfortable for your family, optimize the performance of multiple systems, improve the quality of your indoor air, and keep your utility bills in check.
This is a high bar to clear and requires careful planning prior to new home construction and remodeling, as well as communication with your trusted HVAC specialist.
Throughout this article, we would like to introduce you to two typical design options for a duct system that you may implement in your home.
The trunk and branch system
The trunk and branch duct system is one of the most popular and versatile types of duct systems that can be used in most residential applications. The trunk and branch system uses a large primary supply trunk that connects directly to the supply plenum of the air handler. The smaller terminal and branch ducts are connected to the trunk. Trunk and branch systems allow airflows to be easily balanced, making them ideal for efficient heating and cooling.
Another important feature of the style is the easy installation of the trunk and branches within the conditioned spaces of a home. In the event of an air leak, this is an important factor in controlling your home's heating and cooling costs, as well as improving the quality of your indoor air. The disadvantage of the trunk and branch system, however, is that there's more room for air leaks to develop, so quality duct sealing is critical.
The radial ductwork design
When you hear the term "radial ductwork," you may think of spokes coming out of the center of a wheel. And you'd be right. Radial ductwork doesn't use a main supply trunk. Instead, each branch (or outlet) runs directly from the small supply plenum of the air handler and out to the supply outlets. This type of ductwork design optimizes airflow by generally using shorter run-outs.
Radial systems are typically used for single-story homes, but they can be modified to fit many home designs by using parallel duct runs instead of radial patterns. The radial system (or modified radial, as in trunk and branch) is easy to install in conditioned spaces such as a suspended ceiling.
Please consider visiting the corresponding page of our website dedicated to Ductwork to understand the advantages of the Ductwork System. We would also be honored if you could find answers to your questions, not only about ductwork, but about HVAC in general, in the blog section. After all, our job at AC COMFORT HVAC LLC is not only to build and maintain HVAC systems in homes in our beloved Philadelphia, but also to help our customers better understand the equipment that provides comfort and coziness in your home.
