Heating Ductwork

Repair help for the do-it-yourselfer.
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Moderators: Greg, Mark, mhrAJ333, JD

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Gary_NY

Hi All,

I have a 1978 Shult (I think) 14x60. It has a Miller oil/hot air furnace with the main duct running down the middle front to back. This is awkward, since the registers intrude into traffic areas, especially the kitchen/dining area. It makes furniture placement difficult, plus, it's full of "who knows what" after 30 years of service. If I remember right, it looks like it's made of insulation board run between floor joists, rather than metal ductwork. :shock:

I would like to know if it's possible to clean this main duct, replace it, and/or move it to the outside wall with registers under the windows? It's my understanding this location provides more efficient heating. I also have a 30x14 attached addition harboring several rooms with flexible insulated ducts, which run off the main duct. Any help or guidance would be appreciated! :)

PS- I tried the shop vac with long hoses and found it to be pretty much useless.
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Greg
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Location: Weedsport, NY

Gary, Hi & welcome. The duct system of a mobile home is a different animal from the stick built homes. the ducts are run down the middle for a couple of reasons, first it is the shortest lenght to all of the rooms, second and the most important is that the plumbing is run next to the ducts to keep them from freezing.
You can use the plastic deflectors if you need to work around furniture. since you have an addition I would hope the heating system was upgraded to allow for the additional load. You could check with a heating contractor about vacuuming the ducts, but be very careful, O.E. ducts do not stand up well to the duct vacuumes But if the system was upgraded you may be OK.
Upstate NY? what does that make me? Plus we have members that live a lot farther north than I do. Again, welcome Greg
"If I can't fix it, I can screw it up so bad no one else can either."
Gary_NY

Hi Greg... & thanks for the reply! :D

Is it possible to at least cut out the bottom of the main duct and replace it wth new, or run new ductwork through the old space?

There may even be a dead varmint or 3 in there, since the job of hooking in the addition with the flex hose was so shoddy. It still has the original furnace, so I don't think any upgrades were ever done to the heating system. :(

There's several large sections of the under belly tarp that need to be replaced/repaired as well due to plumbing leaks & associated repairs. I installed water shutoffs to the sinks etc. and had a heck of a time, since some of the polybutylen piping had swelled in spots and I think most of the drain lines have been stressed too much (leaks). So... I'll probably end up replacing all the water & drain lines anyway.

I need to relevel the addition & trailer,so I'll probably try to raise it a little higher as I go. Again... thanks for the reply Greg! :lol:
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Greg
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Joined: Wed Feb 28, 2007 8:01 pm
Location: Weedsport, NY

It sounds like you could use a copy of Mark's book. It is written for the DYI and covers about every type of problem you may encounter. If you are going to upgrade the plumbing go with PEX. It is easy to work with and it is resistant to freeze damage.
You could cut the duct but it sounds like a lot of work to me although you may not have a choice. Greg
"If I can't fix it, I can screw it up so bad no one else can either."
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Dirty White Boy
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Joined: Sun Dec 09, 2007 7:16 pm
Location: New York

At my job we also do duct cleaning. A good air compesser hooked up to a forward sweep tool will blow everything out. We use a special vacuum for the job, but duct cleaners are everywhere and pretty cheap to hire.

If I were you I would leave the main duct work were it is and cut and insert small extentions of duct work coming out the sides and route them where you would like them to go...
Gary_NY

Thanks Greg... I already bought the book, but it doesn't address this issue. I'm open to any ideas that'll help.


Thanks Dirty White Boy!!

The problem is that it's not metal ductwork... it's some kind of rigid insulation board (pretty flimsy stuff really) run between two floor joists and the interior is not smooth like metal. Installing duct extensions might not work, since there's nothing solid to attach them to. I'm sure I could blow out any loose debris with the compressor and suck it up with the big shop vac, but I don't think it will remove 30 years worth of the embedded crud. I'll sure look into trying your suggestion though. Thanks! :)
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Yanita
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Location: Eastern N. Carolina

Hi,

Have you posted this question in the HVAC forum, Robert is our tech and will certainly have some opinions on this...

Yanita
The difference between success and failure is who gives up first!
Gary_NY

Yes Yanita... I think I did post it in that forum. I've been talking with Robert about it and studying Mark's book. I don't think there's any easy solution, but I'm sure we'll arrive at the right conclusion as we move along. Thanks!
Guest

Hello, It seem like the newer homes some are now using fiberboard ducting including mine here some info on it. You might need to replace it due to 30 yrs of who know what.

You may be familiar with air ducts that are constructed of sheet metal. However, many modern residential air duct systems are constructed of fiber glass duct board or sheet metal ducts that are lined on the inside with fiber glass duct liner. Since the early 1970's, a significant increase in the use of flexible duct, which generally is internally lined with plastic or some other type of material, has occurred. The use of insulated duct material has increased due to improved temperature control, energy conservation, and reduced condensation. Internal insulation provides better acoustical (noise) control. Flexible duct is very low cost. These products are engineered specifically for use in ducts or as ducts themselves, and are tested in accordance with standards established by Underwriters Laboratories (UL), the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). Many insulated duct systems have operated for years without supporting significant mold growth. Keeping them reasonably clean and dry is generally adequate. However, there is substantial debate about whether porous insulation materials (e.g., fiber glass) are more prone to microbial contamination than bare sheet metal ducts. If enough dirt and moisture are permitted to enter the duct system, there may be no significant difference in the rate or extent of microbial growth in internally lined or bare sheet metal ducts. However, treatment of mold contamination on bare sheet metal is much easier. Cleaning and treatment with an EPA-registered biocide are possible. Once fiberglass duct liner is contaminated with mold, cleaning is not sufficient to prevent re-growth and there are no EPA-registered biocides for the treatment of porous duct materials. EPA, NADCA, and NAIMA all recommend the replacement of wet or moldy fiber glass duct material.

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Gary_NY

Thanks Jim!

It would appear that's what I have now. Even the visible areas below the registers can't be adequately cleaned, so there's no real hope of cleaning the areas I can't see.

Any idea where I can purchase this duct material? Thanks! :)
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