duct board

[wallynut]

I have been using sheet metal duct work for my warm air systems heat and cool,how is duct board to work with compared to metal?
Duct board might be a brand name but i think you know what i mean.

[Toolpusher]

I prefer metal.
I'll use ductboard a couple times a yr.
I would rather use metal and wrap it, if need be.

[centralflinstaller]

in florida there is little to no metal. industrial would be the exception. residential you see flex,maybe on custom homes you might see it all hardbord but that's if it's requested and i do a few but 99% is flex. commercial is duct board and some flex. i hear a lot of stories on here from people talking about only doing metal i guess that's up north never seen much here. sounds like the contractors up there spend alot more time on the jobs to complete than we are given here also. it's a bidding war here and the lowest bid usually wins so you have to find the medium between quality work and speed if you like you're job. in a perfect world it would be quality first!

[beenthere]

We use duct board on resi, and lt commercial, very little sheet metal any more, lanc PA.

[Dof3]

Been using ductboard for over 20 years. We first used Knauf brand then we switched to Owens Corning Enduracoat. A couple of years ago they dropped it and now they just have Endurogold. It is not nearly as good. I think the Manville product looks good. Owens-Corning has a terrible customer service. You can never find any of their people to talk to. If they would put the EndroCoat back on the market I think they would have alot of buyers. We put ductboard in all the new houses we do. We use sheet metal in the change outs{with existing metal work}. I sometimes get hassles from people about using it but,I haven't found any trouble with it.It is quiet and has good thermal properties. I hand cut all mine on the job so I have very little waste. Bottom line is I like it.

[duct dr]

In AL, most applications are in ductboard. The new type 475 is pretty good board but would still like to see the industry go to series 800 all the way.

[Dof3]

duct dr,is the 800 series denser than the 475? Can you cut it with hand tools?

[duct dr]

The 800 board is in fact more dense. Most commonly used in commercial applications it can be cut with hand tools or with a machine. I prefer to use my "red" and "blue" hand tools, the "red" has a "V" cut which i feel gives a tighter fit when stapled. Trying to convince my Boss to start using the 800 board for all applications cause it holds up better, lasts longer and has a higher "R" value. Sorry so long winded, hope I answered your question.

[batdude]

Which type has the taste that's preferred by mice?

we use metal here, w/flex, for attics. middle of Missouri (Gem of the Louisiana purchase, BTW, according to either Lewis or Clark, can't remember which. too cold in winter too hot in summer, I say)

I have been told the inside of flex install will let some loose fibers go for a while. Is this true?

We have one customer, an old timer who does a few custom houses still and he specs duct board cause he says its quiet. I haven't been on any of those jobs but it looks like a hoot to get to use those tools. Bet it's blow and go. Warn the spark-tricians, plumbers and the insulators not to stomp too hard on it, I guess!

[condenseddave]

Originally posted by centralflinstaller
i hear a lot of stories on here from people talking about only doing metal i guess that's up north never seen much here. sounds like the contractors up there spend alot more time on the jobs to complete than we are given here also.

I guarantee that you are mistaken about the time it takes to install sheet metal ductwork.

[duct dr]

LOL, good post Bat. If you're refering to flex duct losing fibers, I have'nt seen or heard of that happening. The newer ductboard had a coating on it to prevent fibers from turning loose while the system is running. As far as people stepping on or crushing ductboard, that will always be a problem, but I can promise you that after they get a couple bills from us because we had to replace crushed trunkline, they usually walk a little softer. Metal and ductboard both has pros and cons, I have a metal plenum on my system, and even though its cross broke and installed properly I can still hear it flex and "pop" when my furnace kicks on. But then again this is just a rental house so I aint gonna fix it.

[duct dr]

BTW bat, I've never seen mice eat through ductboard, flex duct however is another story.

[batdude]

Right you are duct dr...when those rodents get hungry or their teeth need trimming they will eat almost anything. My buddy who just moved to Florida (and he turned his house upside down looking for his duct board tools, guess what he's going to be doing) was telling me about a couple jobs where they fixed duct board the mice ate into. Gobbled flex, this I can easily believe. Saw a furnace last fall where the little rats got in and gnawed insulation off a bunch of wires. Makes you want a cat around, I guess. We have pulled little mouse babies out of condensate drains and a guy was telling me about finding one in an inducer fan, which absolutely strains credulity.

[bb]

I've never seen rats eat through ductboard but have seen 2" pvc air vent chewed in half by them. They tend to chew where they think water is.

Ductboard is good for many applications. I tend to feel that most people use it due to the reduced labor and cost.

BTW, don't use the triangle boxes with your flex, only wyes.

[centralflinstaller]

I've never seen rats eat through ductboard but have seen 2" pvc air vent chewed in half by them. They tend to chew where they think water is.

Ductboard is good for many applications. I tend to feel that most people use it due to the reduced labor and cost.

BTW, don't use the triangle boxes with your flex, only wyes.




that would be my guess to why it's used so much .....

[Dof3]

ductdr, I use GlassMaster hand tools on Owens 475. I have used them for 10 years with no trouble. I have never tried the "V" groove method. I had a portable machine once but, I sold it cause it was to much to handle. I have never seen mice eat through ductboard. Sometimes get flak from some of the guys around here,not so much anymore.Ductboard has it's place as does sheet metal. We try to do a little of everything ductboard, sheet metal, ductless a/c, infloor heat{my favorite but,pricey}.

[duct dr]

My hand tools are Amcraft 1100 (red), and 1102 (blue). The red has 90 degree "V" cut, and the blue is the end cut off tool. They work great on any 1" ductboard, 475 as well as 800. We just got a pallet of the new Certainteed (sp) last week with a new coating on it, and I love it. Has the feel of 800 board at the cost of 475.

[duct dr]

Thank god someone sgrees with me central. I cant stand to see ductboard triangles used. Yet my boss insists on them, says it couts down on cost. But it also cuts down on airflow.

[duct dr]

Hey batdude, sounds like your buddy needs to invest in a couple cats...what ya think. And if you think pulling a mouse out of a furnace is bad, try pulling a possum out of a package unit. Talk about nasty. A dealer told me a while back that some of the newer ductboard has a chemical in it to prevent mold and is suppose to be quite effective on mice as well. Don't know how true that is though.

[dash]

Originally posted by duct dr
Thank god someone sgrees with me central. I cant stand to see ductboard triangles used. Yet my boss insists on them, says it couts down on cost. But it also cuts down on airflow.

Try a ductboard box sized as follows;

For a 14" flex,use a 14X14 box,about 2' long,taper it(not a triangle),to 12X12 or 10X10,depending on the next size "trunk" flex run.If there is no further trunk,just branch ducts,taper it to 10X10.

Follow the same idea for other flex sizes.