Flex Duct Vs Sheet Metal Duct

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.

Flex duct vs sheet metal duct.

While sheet metal ductwork tends to be a better long. In comparison to metal duct flex duct is easier and faster to install. Metal ducts are more rigid due to the nature of steel making them ideal to build an entire hvac system. I have seen many leaky metal ducts in crawl spaces as well.

While they tend not to last as long as sheet metal they are very cost effective. Flexible ducts are made out of corrugated plastic often wrapped in insulation. Also i think spider webs are more likely to form in metal versus flex. 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.

Some sheet metal air ducts are lined with an external or internal fiberglass duct liner. 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. Flex ducts are better for existing trunk and branch heating and cooling systems. Sheet metal ducts are less likely to incur dangerous mold and growths because their surfaces are non porous and smooth.

Here are the itemized costs for the most common types of ductwork and supplies needed to complete installation. I am not hating on metal pipe but flex duct is more practical in many applications. This is because they re more versatile and flexible. 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.