HVAC Efficiency – How to Remove Excess HVAC Ductwork for Better Efficiency

ductsenergy efficiencyhvacvent

I have central ac in my home and at some point the kitchen was redone, blocking an existing vent permanently.
The flex HVAC ductwork leading to the vent (probably 8 feet of it) is still there.
Should I remove this ductwork to improve efficiency? How much efficiency are we talking about?

Thanks!

Best Answer

Having a dead end is actually a good thing. It will not harm your efficiency at all. You see this more often on large trunk lines, you will notice that the trunk goes past the last duct opening by at least a foot. This buffers the flow and will make the registers on the same trunk have similar flow depending on taper and such. If the vent was removed I would consider relocating it so the home is balanced.

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If you don't mind a little extra thickness, what about hanging some L brackets over the edge of your finish flooring, and then screwing the ducts to the L? Then, you can put the duct cover back on right over the lip of the L, covering it up.

Bad ASCII art time!

   --+       +--  L brackets
==== ||    || ====Floor
====  |    |  ====Subfloor
       \  /  
      |DUCT

I have no idea how you'd hold the duct in place while screwing it, mind you, unless you can get access from below. Maybe you could glue a rope to the inside of the duct and have someone yank it back up into place.

Basement – How to connect a dryer to a dryer vent

What you've done sounds fine.

One thing to look for though is that your connections are the right direction. The female end of each tubing should be on the end closest to the dryer. This prevents lint from snagging on the sharp metal on the way through the vent system and creating a clog (a big fire hazard). With the female ends upstream, there won't be any sharp ends to catch on.

Best Answer

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