A Guide to HVAC Duct Work, Supplies and Design

HVAC ducts have changed extensively over the years, as greater research and technology has been utilized to make HVAC ducts more efficient, more affordable, and better insulated. While the quality of ducting in a home can influence the home’s resale value, many homeowners know very little about these hidden parts of their HVAC system.

Types of HVAC Ducts

In older homes, most HVAC ducts were constructed of galvanized steel. These sheet metal ducts are extremely durable, but are not normally found in newer homes because they often lack proper insulation. This allows the heat and cooling to escape from the ducts and reduces efficiency of the system. The added cost of insulating the ducts resulted in many older homes lacking insulated duct work, which reduces energy efficiency. Flexible insulated ducts have been used even in older homes in areas such as the attic or crawl space.

Most modern homes use a combination of the sheet metal and the flexible insulated ducts. The flexible insulated ducts are much cheaper and less durable than sheet metal. More expensive high-end custom homes often have insulated sheet metal ducts, but for modern tract homes or affordable housing, most of the ductwork is not sheet metal. Modern homes can be heated and cooled comfortably, but the HVAC system in many homes is designed to be cost-effective and not necessarily energy efficient.

Basic Steps to Install HVAC Ducts

Installation of rigid ducts can be extremely difficult. While the ducts may install easily where they can be installed in a straight line, any turns in the ductwork will require the use of elbow joints. The ducts themselves are usually installed in a ceiling or a basement and installed with metal strips that wrap around the ducts and are screwed directly into the joists in the ceiling or the floors. These types of ducts can be very challenging to install. In addition to routing the ductwork, a duct professional will need to cut the ducts to size, install elbow joints when a turn is required, and cut a slot in the floor or ceiling joists in order to allow space for the ductwork to be installed, so hiring a professional HVAC Service Statesboro GA is highly recommended.

Flexible ducts are somewhat easier to install, as they can bend around corners without the use of an elbow joint. These ducts, however, can sometimes result in the most damage. Because installation seems to be simple, some homeowners will undertake this job without the appropriate knowledge. If the ducts are not routed in a specific way, they can sometimes bend in a way that will cut off airflow. In most cases, this will only make the HVAC system less efficient, but in severe cases, this can so thoroughly block airflow that it can cause problems in the main HVAC unit.

Finding HVAC Duct Supplies

HVAC duct supplies can be purchased from a variety of sources. Most homeowners seeking flexible duct can find their supplies and materials at their local home improvement store. Stores like Home Depot, Lowe’s, and Menard’s often offer HVAC installation kits that include flexible duct, collars, grilles, and elbow joints. These stores also sell some parts individually for homeowners who need specific elements in order to complete their projects.

HVAC Duct Design Basics

There are several things to remember when examining residential ductwork designs. First, that all HVAC systems require a certain amount of airflow. High efficiency systems or systems that will be exceptionally well filtered will often require larger ducts to ensure the same volume of airflow. Without proper airflow through the supply and return ducts, the equipment will not function properly. All homes will have unique requirements and construction, and these construction elements can pose obstacles when designing the ductwork system. This is a tremendous problem in older homes.

Basement Waterproofing

Among all the homeowners in today nation, some have never looked or thought about the surroundings their home basement floors and walls. Most people these days do not know that their basement floors and walls are the main foundation of their homes.

Basement waterproofing is important to do in order to protect the safe upkeep of your house. If you don’t take action to maintain your basement waterproof walls and floors in your basement, your basement walls and foundation of your home can become seriously damaged. Some can even crack and leak, leaving the structure of your house with severe damage.

It’s very important to research and evaluate the leaky basement Toronto before you begin your basement waterproofing. Be on point that the ground floor next to the foundation slopes away from your house foundation, not toward it. If you want to, put dirt up against the foundation in the basement to make at least a 2” per foot slope away from the foundation.

The next step, you need to check your spouts and gutters to make sure that all of them clean. Make sure that you check your downspouts and they are discharging water at minimum 5 feet away from the foundation in your basement. Also, watch out for bushes or plants that are very close to the area of the foundation because the roots can create a pathway for outside water to get into your basement.

We can now look into the area surrounding your basement, the time to start the entire process of waterproofing in your basement. Begin to waterproof your own walls with a item such as called Drylok or even Xypex. If you have small or intermittent leakages you need to use this product. Keep in mind that Drylok is a water proofer. It won’t work as a water sealer.

This product will expand because it dries. It will become cover the damage area of the wall when it completely dried. The product Xypex is like putting a waterproof concrete to the surface of the cracks. This will bond as well as repair the surface of your walls.

Follow the directions and repair defects cracks that poured concrete basement walls and the area where the tie rods and pipes go. Do this all the way through the concrete. The cracks on the walls will not structural movement experience any structural movement as well as thermal. Fast Plug made by The Drylok is fast and effective for sealing all the cracks in the masonry.

Another good reliable way to fix a wall crack with the injection of a epoxy grade product so that it will penetrate in the crack all the way from inside the concrete and outside as well. In some cases if you have big water problems you should consider using a system called a French drain. This is a continuous system of the pipes that cross under the floor of your basement and together with the complete border of your basement.

If you think that this task of basement waterproofing your home is to much for you? You can always hire a contactor to do this job for you. You would to find someone who has good experience in basement waterproofing and provide hydroclay around the exterior of your current foundation.

Hydroclay is really a waterproofing edition of bentonite clay-based. It’s noted for being able to soak up large amounts of water. The contactor will pump the clay in from the exterior. The clay-based fulfills in voids and follows the pathways which water uses to obtain inside your foundation, completely sealing the actual basement.

As you know, basement waterproofing is a big detailed process. If you know that you need to waterproof your basement in your home, it’s very important to take the right steps that are provided here to ensure that your house basement can be waterproofed correctly.

Putting a Disclaimer on Online Translators

Besides being free, online translators software slash time and effort expended in translating foreign words manually. With a few mouse clicks, you\’ll get instant translations of words, sentences or even whole paragraphs and web pages. However, like all free stuff serving up instant products, online translators come with disclaimers. With the inexact translations that they often deliver, they tend to mislead users, especially language learners at the beginning level.

That is not to say that online translators should not exist. They can be useful in translating words and will broaden your vocabulary in the language you want to learn (target language). Also, as opposed to conventional dictionaries, online translators typically store a greater selection of words.

Some online translators transcend the complexities exclusive to translating a specific language, for example French to English. Most French to English dictionaries only include the base form of a verb, and do not have the past tense. This presents a huge challenge in translating French to English because the former has a wealth of irregular verbs. Since online translators have a greater record of words, even French irregular verbs are likely to be included.

However, if you need to translate phrases, sentences and paragraphs, you have to practice caution. You should never rely solely on online translators. Instead, they should serve as tools for you to gain a better idea of the meaning of a word or phrase.

The main reason why online translators should not be recommended as main translation tools is the fact that they only depend on their record of individual words. For this reason, they usually translate sentences and paragraphs word for word. As a result, an English translation for example of a French text is literal.

You can test this idea by entering an English text and translating it to French. Then, let online translators translate the French translation back to English. Chances are, you\’ll get translations that range from insensible to funny. That is why it\’s always best to work with a language teacher or a good human translator for French into English Translation, and vice verse, particularly one who is a native speaker of your target language.