A/C vents that really seal when closed?
Old Man Winter came back to New England last week, and immediately reminded me that the A/C vents in my house (all in ceilings, spec house build in ’99) don’t really seal up tight when closed. I’m reminded of this by condensation forming in some of the ducts, especially the ones that serve high humidity spaces like bathrooms. It’s a pretty good bet that this is also costing me money in the form of heated air escaping.
The ductwork is insulated steel trunks with flex to all the vents (which are ” square). Since the flex duct sags, the low point is usually somewhere in the middle of the run, which is resulting in a steady drip in one spot.
During the summer, I spent some time sealing up a fair number of leaks in one of the two zones, so there are probably still a lot of leaks. Still, I think what I really need is a higher quality vent that really seals up when you close it, if such a thing exists. Can anyone recommend one?
Pete
Replies
Is the flex ducting insulated? Insulating and sealing the ducting seems like the answer to me. I assume that you must not have Forced Air heat and therefore do not need the vents in the winter.
If you find a duct that seals well, then the new low point for condensation will be the back side of the vent "door"
Perhaps a solution would be to cut and fit rigid foam insulation plugs to be removed come Spring?
Yes, it's insulated.
Pete,
I think you're SOL here. The best available does not seal air tight. For residential applications, I specify (and have in my house) Hart and Cooley. 411 supply registers in the floor, steel, aluminum return registers with opposed blade dampers. These require a "key" to operate, but they are the best I've seen. Model numbers for good supply registers are: 92 HVV, 92 VHV, 94 HOV, HD and HVD registers.