Flex Duct Vs Sheet Metal Duct

While sheet metal ductwork tends to be a better long.

Flex duct vs sheet metal duct.

In comparison to metal duct flex duct is easier and faster to install. Flexible ducts are made out of corrugated plastic often wrapped in insulation. Fiberglass lining is used to insulate air ducts from heat loss or to avoid condensation in cases where the supply air is very cold or there is a high ambient humidity in the plenum. I don t know why but i have taken metal pipe apart to find a lot of crud which i don t think would live in flex duct.

Flex ducts are better for existing trunk and branch heating and cooling systems. Their shape and size also allows them to be installed in locations that would not accept full sized sheet metal ductwork. Cost of installation supplies. Some sheet metal air ducts are lined with an external or internal fiberglass duct liner.

I have seen many leaky metal ducts in crawl spaces as well. This is because they re more versatile and flexible. Flexible ducts are fairly easy to install and will often cost less than the rigid ductwork. Metal ducts are more rigid due to the nature of steel making them ideal to build an entire hvac system.

Also i think spider webs are more likely to form in metal versus flex. 1 10 5 25 per foot insulated flexible duct 4 to 16 diameters used as branches or in radial duct attic systems 2 30 13 00 per foot round and oval sheet metal duct 3 to 8 diameters typically used for trunks in small homes and. I ve only been building since 1995 so i can t say for certain why we left the sheet metal guys behind but i suspect it was manly for cost reasons. Sheet metal ducts are less likely to incur dangerous mold and growths because their surfaces are non porous and smooth.

In this video i ll make a case for going back to rigid metal ducts for your trunk lines and keeping your flexable ducts to the last 10 or less of a.