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.