Instlaling Ductwork in Existing Home
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Instlaling Ductwork in Existing Home
I'm a recent, first time homeowner. My home currently has a very unorthodox method of ductwork. The original HVAC install just dropped the ceiling by about a foot in the main hallway, encapsulated it in drywall, ran one central line off the unit and fed it into the drywall. Each room has a drywall cutout to the hallway with a vent. I've recently found that part of the drywall where the main line enters the home has collapsed and is leaking a good bit out to the attic.
I'm wondering about the feasibility of me running all new ductwork. I've done a manual J calculation for my home using the demo for Right Suite Universal. I planned on using the existing metal supply/return duct (if it's sized appropriately) and using takeoff's of that to run my new lines.
Here is a link to my manual J calcs and home/duct layout proposal.
Currently I have a 4 ton unit. The laundry room has never had central AC and I've currently got a small window unit in there. I plan on adding more insulation over the entire attic area of my home to bring it up to R38 value. When I make that change, I assume it should make it more manageable for the unit to handle the additional sq ft.
Is this a manageable DIY job? I don't plan on getting this done overnight. Thankfully, the weather is just starting to get a little nicer around here (North MS) to where working extended periods in the attic are more manageable.
Thanks!
I'm wondering about the feasibility of me running all new ductwork. I've done a manual J calculation for my home using the demo for Right Suite Universal. I planned on using the existing metal supply/return duct (if it's sized appropriately) and using takeoff's of that to run my new lines.
Here is a link to my manual J calcs and home/duct layout proposal.
Currently I have a 4 ton unit. The laundry room has never had central AC and I've currently got a small window unit in there. I plan on adding more insulation over the entire attic area of my home to bring it up to R38 value. When I make that change, I assume it should make it more manageable for the unit to handle the additional sq ft.
Is this a manageable DIY job? I don't plan on getting this done overnight. Thankfully, the weather is just starting to get a little nicer around here (North MS) to where working extended periods in the attic are more manageable.
Thanks!
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I did my own system. I did a heat load calculation to size my system. I had a company cut the duct board to size, I folded the pieces and taped them all together, and hooked it to the air handler.
I then sized the rooms and ran the correct size duct to the rooms and cut in vents. The I had a hvac tech hook up the wiring and line set and I was good to go. Hardest part was cutting all the holes for the vents.
I then sized the rooms and ran the correct size duct to the rooms and cut in vents. The I had a hvac tech hook up the wiring and line set and I was good to go. Hardest part was cutting all the holes for the vents.