Passages, tubings, fittings, and other cross-ventilation items that carry out airflow in and around an area/building/office are called a duct. Exhaust ducts are used everywhere, where an outlet is needed. It is to be noted that not all pipelines which are situated in an area are ducts. A pipeline carrying water, gas, sewage, etc., are not classified as ducts; ducts are only meant for forced air circulation.

The whole joining system which provides the airflow to your house is called ductwork. The duct AC unit takes warm air out of the house so it can be cooled down; all in all, ducts are important sub-systems to have in any household/building to provide efficient temperatures and a healthy atmosphere for everyone living in it.

There are various kinds of ducts available made from different types of materials suited for your needs. The duct cooler price will vary across suppliers; however, entire ductwork installation and even custom duct fabrication services will be available to you depending on the type of system you want to install.

There are mainly two types of ducts, the latter being classified into more based on the manufacturing. Based on the ductwork fabrication processes and the duct manufacturer in your area, you will get the following products:

Flexible duct line systems:
These systems are typically installed in areas where there is limited space availability, e.g., a 2-bedroom home. It is made of a metallic sheet layered with a flexible canvas duct plastic for shape reform. It also has insulation covering so that it is less vulnerable to destruction in especially closed-off areas.

These types of ducts require a certain level of installation as it can stop functioning altogether if it isn’t secured and supported properly. These are the most inexpensively available ductwork and are always the best choice for a household. Envigaurd is one of the best flexible duct manufacturers with skilled professionals who can make sure it is properly installed in your home and provide regular airflow checks.

Rigid Ducts:
The shape, size, material for manufacture, and everything else can be customized with these types of ducts depending on the ductwork manufacturers. These main lines are further classifies based on their durability, size, and flow advantages. The following are available in the market:

Sheet metal ducts:
The most recognizable form of ducts, seen in movies and video games. These are non-porous and highly reliable; these ducts are light and easy to install within any ventilation surrounding. The aluminum and galvanized steel combination makes it rigid and hence no sounds while airflow throughout its life cycle. These also available as flexible ducts with certain aluminum flexible duct pipe manufacturers.

Fiberglass lining:
These are reinforced fiberglass-based duct lines built with HVAC ductwork fabrication to be extremely efficient and mainly used for commercial buildings and office spaces with a large amount of airflow throughout the day. The fiberglass absorbs the sound of the duct AC unit, and hence the overall noise is reduced. This system requires thorough maintenance as the fiberglass may weaken overtime and break into the airflow, causing healing hazards.

Fiberboard ducts:
These ducts are specially made for heating and cooling systems and not particularly for ventilation. It is fiberglass reinforced with a resin-based solution, great for maintaining desired temperatures. It is advised not to use this for ventilation as, over time, it can become a breeding ground for mold.

Duct cooler conditioning systems are in place in virtually all home and office spaces worldwide. All of this airflow is being driven by one crucial component within this system: the air duct. The variety of applications it has can only be legitimately considered once we remove the ducts in whole and then try to ventilate and keep an airflow; it is that important.

Intermediate applications of ductworks can consist of the following:

Prevents contamination of air:
A basic duct AC system pulls in air from the outside, cools it through the air conditioning system, and delivers it to the concerned room; the warm air from the inside is also taken with this system. Ducts prevent the unfiltered outside air, full of dust and dirt particles, from mixing in with the inside air, protecting family and pets from allergies and infections.

Provide Ventilation:
Airflow is maintained through duct lines, thus providing a comfortable atmosphere indoors. Without a proper duct system in place, the airflow will be restricted, and outside and inside air will be mixed in created chaos. Temperature controlled atmosphere is necessary for extreme cold and hot areas, making top-grade ductwork for ventilation a must.

Cost-effectiveness:
For a duct AC system installation, the duct system is comprised of around 20-30% of the entire cost of installing the system. Investing in a proper duct system will make sure to prevent leakage and contamination and reduce future repairing and replacing costs.

Apart from the above mentioned, ducts also have an important responsibility in the technological sector.

Cooling of server farms:
Server farms working at a hundred percent capacity throughout the year need a constant influx of air to keep them cool and working. Large-scale ducts are installed with giant duct fans to get a large amount of air circulating throughout acres of land. Without the particular ducts in place, we would lose our important data and even the internet as a whole if these servers stop working due to heat.

Filteration systems:
Servers and mining farms require maximum capacity air filtration systems. These are accompanied by large-scale ducts working through giant suction fans. Large-scale utilization of these duct systems makes it possible to maintain the best possible temperatures in any situation.

To everyone wondering, ducts come under essential components for building houses, office spaces, buildings, and everything else in the construction world in general. Due to its important applications, duct cooler price will depend based on quality, and the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, though that doesn’t mean to say that some people won’t consider the minute disadvantages before making a decision.

To provide a brief, here is a list of the advantages coupled with disadvantages to provide more of an insight:

Advantages
Provides airflow without disrupting the inside temperatures and maintains a comfortable environment for everyone
Keeps dirt infected outside air at bay during the air conditioning process
Dampens the AC unit noise in a commercial space, preventing noise pollution
Provides ventilation throughout the building space
When properly installed and secured, there will be no accidental leakage of polluted air inside the room. Furthermore, using high-quality fiberglass-based ducts will absorb the air conditioning unit’s noise and extend its life cycle. A necessity in every household and office, ducts will improve the quality of life for everyone.

Disadvantages
Duct cooler price can be high on top of installation charges depending on the type of duct you are looking for
Maintenance charges can ramp up as the system ages
Improperly installed systems can cause leakage of air and harm the inside environment
If insulation breaks off, it can mix with the air and harm the respiratory system
Some of these disadvantages are far-fetched but still, they give an idea of what can be expected from your ductwork. Ducts like fiberglass are expensive to purchase as well as install, whereas cheaply available flexible ducts need extremely careful installation; even a single error cab collapse the entire system.

As the exchange of air takes place through the duct cooler overutilization life, duct line systems collect a massive amount of dust, which, if not cleaned, will block the flow of air and disrupt the functioning of duct cooler systems. Frequent AC duct cleaning is required to maintain the entire heating/cooling/ventilation system’s life, which itself can be an expensive undertaking.

All the points mentioned above should be considered by everyone looking to make an educated guess on how to invest in a proper duct system for their household/office.

Ducts work on the principle of forced air distribution through the duct cooler. Air, like all things, has weight; the air is pushed at a rate through the ducts, in a horizontal direction; this is because no energy is used when pushing in a horizontal direction instead of a vertical direction where work has to be done against gravity. The duct is designed in such a way that it has minimum friction and turbulence. Friction causes hindrance in the air path, whereas turbulence makes it difficult for air to escape from the exhaust duct, creating blockage and narrowing the path. These are the fundamental principles manufacturers use when designing their ducts.

A basic duct AC system consists of the following components:

Air Handler:
The place where the blower fan and filter are located. It pushes the air through the duct channel, filtering out the miscellaneous components.

Plenum:
Essentially, a large box-shaped container that holds either warm or cool air. From here, it gets circulated to the entire duct system and enters the room, where it pushes the air present inside the room to a different set of ducts.

Flue:
It brings the air outside and also removes noxious gases from it, making it suitable for the outside environment.

Duct trunk:
The main container from the furnace aids in the transmission of air throughout the system. It supplies the air to the duct pipes and registers.

Duct pipes:
Carries the air from the duct trunk to different rooms of your house. Acting as a transmission path, it provides a proper channel for the air to flow through within the system.

Duct transitions:
These branch out from the duct pipes and connect to registers in different rooms, where it is supplied.

Registers:
These are of two types – supply registers, which provide warm or cool air to the room, and return registers, which take in air from the room to be cooled or warmed.

Flex piping:
These are flexible pipes that can be bent to fit the shape of the house/room. These are best used for compact spaces where rigid piping won’t comply. These are insulated and inexpensive.

All these parts work in tandem with each other to provide the best air conditioning/ventilation system through the AC duct to a household. The registers and pipes will get dust clogged after frequent usage, so regular maintenance is required to keep optimum system performance.

Ductwork systems these days come with leakage detection, which will go off the moment any part is compromised. It is advised to always do your due diligence before confirming which system you will want to use and vet the professionals who will assist in installing the system and keeping in check with the promised maintenance schedules.

Although ductwork systems are an important part of households, buildings, and office spaces, several industries use specially made, industrial-grade duct/ventilation systems that perform at a massive scale.

These duct cooler systems are designed in such a way that they can function all day throughout the year with little to no maintenance due to their design being the most expensive in the efficiency grade, which filters out faster than it circulates air.

Here are some of the top industries utilizing ducts at a large scale for manufacturing:

Chemistry labs and chemical research:
Experiment with chemicals always gives rise to gases, some of which are dangerous to inhale. Industrial grade ducts that are immune from reaction with these gases are used at a large scale in manufacturing chemicals and scientific research labs.

Pharmaceutical industry:
Synthesis of compounds is mostly exothermic reactions, giving out gases that need to be filtered through ducts. Also, some of these are specialized tubes used for the pneumatic transportation of medicines.

Food factories and beverage manufacturing:
Large-scale manufacturing of food and beverages have giant ducts installed in their production plants, providing efficient working temperatures, which make sure the food doesn’t go bad and has an efficient shelf-life.

Car services and gas production/delivery:
Mechanical workshops which deal with exhausts and engine parts have to filter out the gases from the inside. These gases also need to be converted into less harmful gases before being released into the atmosphere. The same goes for petrol gas manufacturing and delivery. These plants have specialized duct/vent system which burns the toxic chemicals in the gases before being sent to the outlet.

Woodworking industry:
Carving wood produces tens of thousands of dust particles which can be lethal when inhaled. Powerful suction-based registers are used in these plants to make sure all of these particles are displaced safely and efficiently.

Glass Industry:
Like woodworking, manufacturing of class is also an intricate process. Ceramic, glass and dust particle here can be so tiny as well as sharp that if inhaled can cut through someone’s respiratory system. Each station consists of a suction-based respirator that works continuously to filter out all these dangerous particles in these industries.

These are some of the mainstream industries which utilize powerful industrial-grade ductwork in their daily use. The working principle remains the same, but the scale increases tenfold when dealing with something at this level.

Ask Your Questions