If you're getting a new furnace or new central air conditioner, you might need to get new ducts too. You might need a different size for your new equipment, or your ducts may be old and need to be replaced. You might even need a full or partial duct replacement if your attic was invaded by bats, raccoons, or rats and the animals did a lot of damage to your ducts. Here's a quick look at the air duct replacement process.

You Choose The Type Of Ducts You Want

The installation contractor can help you decide if you want rigid or flexible ducts. Each has its good points, so you may just want the same type you had before. Your contractor will choose the right size to buy and order the supplies so that everything will be on hand when it's time for the air duct replacement.

Metal Ducts Need To Be Put Together

If you're having metal ducts installed, they probably won't come in assembled pieces that are ready to install. Instead, the installation contractor has to join the pieces of metal together and seal the sides with clips that allow another piece of duct to slide in place and lock together.

Assembling metal ducts requires working with a variety of tools since the parts create small sections that join together. This requires bending metal so the pieces fit snugly. Fortunately, ducts are made of thin metal, so bending them is easy to do.

Flexible Ducts Are Cut To The Length You Need

Flexible ducts arrive in a long tube that has to be cut into sections to fit where the duct needs to go. The material can be cut through easily, and it's necessary to cut through the outer insulation and the inner coil duct.

Care has to be taken not to bend the duct too much when attaching it. The duct goes from one metal connector that goes to a grille vent to another vent or to the air handler. The tube is flexible so it needs to be supported or it may pull itself loose. The installer might use mesh tape and nail the tape to the ceiling so it can hold up the flexible duct.

The installer may use a large zip tie or clamp to hold the inner coil duct to the metal connecting tube. Then they tape the outer insulation to the tube so both parts of the duct are held securely in place. Air duct replacement is often slow work since ducts have to be custom fitted to the space available.

However, once the ducts are in place, they should last for years, and since they're new, you shouldn't have to worry about duct leaks for a long time.