View ChannelsFeatured: Finance
View ShowroomsFeatured: Radiantec - Radiant Solar Heating

BobVila.com

Home

Installing High Velocity, Flexible Duct Air Conditioning in an Older Home

House eleven of the Elmwood project. The air conditioning system for the third floor exercise area is installed.

Get Adobe Flash Player to see this content.

Chapters from this episode

TPO Rubber Slate Roof Installed on Victorian-Style Roof Now Playing

TPO Rubber Slate Roof Installed on Victorian-Style Roof

Discussing Jetted Tub Home Spa and Replacing Finial on Roof Turret Now Playing

Discussing Jetted Tub Home Spa and Replacing Finial on Roof Turret

Installing High Velocity, Flexible Duct Air Conditioning in an Older Home Now Playing

Installing High Velocity, Flexible Duct Air Conditioning in an Older Home

House Eleven: Renovating Attic Space into Home Spa and Workout Room Now Playing

House Eleven: Renovating Attic Space into Home Spa and Workout Room

Clip Transcript For:

Installing High Velocity, Flexible Duct Air Conditioning in an Older Home

computer-generated transcript - may not be 100% accurate

" One of the nightmares of re having an old house is trying to fit in. Air conditioning systems into the attic spaces and here we've tucked in the Spacepak system. Behind the knee wall. Under the roof it's floating off of the rafters and we're gonna learn more about it because this is really a very very personal system. Especially for re having old houses -- fellows here from Spacepak to tell us about the features of the system. --"

" It's a two piece system you have an outdoor condensing unit and the indoor air handling section that you see there on the difference in the system is it is a high velocity system it. Which means it has a six roll cooling coil which remove more humidity. At a conventional system."

" So in an exercise facility like this we're gonna have a whirlpool tub and people sweating you know keep the environment dryer very comfortable excellent excellent. Also riding high velocity system it uses smaller plenum the plenum duct is eleven inches outside diameter nine inch on the inside. What that allows you do -- take 850 CFM. Too much smaller area and not take up as much when -- went farther away and Lou machinist here who is doing the installation -- if this -- limousine right that's from all plumbing heating. OK now we're looking at the kind of duct work that. We see more and more in modern construction it's wrapped in foil and it's basically fiberglass right that's right now the main thing that we got back there. It is. Who would you call that a trunk line fellas on main plenum duct is what it is plenum duct is what you're referring to basically a foil wrapped. Fiberglass and it has a special lining on the inside. Because of the high velocity we don't want all the little pieces of fiberglass to come into the house so this has a special lining into it that this is the main plenum duct that we used."

" And then we have supply tubing which is pieces corrugated aluminum which allows us to spend it. And it has a fiberglass wrap around it with a foil paper so that. The call -- that we delivering here stays cool to the outlet that we want it to get to right the plus. The whole key to this system is is that it's flexible we can run this through bays and ducts like we have. This system that is mounted up here right now serves the attic area but it also serves the floor below. And we're able to do that by running these supply tubes down through the bays right across to the room that we need to do that's -- I think it's that easy to make the connections between the smaller -- and the the plenum duct -- a lot easier than Annan metal system this is how we do have a piece of plenum right here in what I'm gonna do and it's going to grow -- And I used to drill backwards so it'll bring to -- what we're doing and then we'll just take our. Adapted it goes in here that's especially made to fit on this piece. We'll put it right into and it's curved as you can see -- fits to the curvature of the pipe. Then we just take these little clips right in here and they slide right down inside here and go down the side and there's been no movement assignment -- And the what's nice about this is that you can do it. -- it would -- as I'm doing again now but also in a tight spot. Then we just take this expanding tool and we just expand over and it's locked into place -- his once we get the tubing to where we want it who want to make sure that we get our adaptive. So this just pops right onto here. Like so taken out aluminum. Bring it back up to here and then just take a piece of duct tape that I have here and we -- that death -- half. And that seals this end of the piece into the well it's a terrific system thanks Lou thanks Paul."

[-]

More Videos »Related Videos

Summer Prep for Your Window A/C Unit

Here s another great tip from BobVila.com. Get a jump on the hot weather by making sure your room air conditioner s up to the challenge. Before you pull it out of storage, consider the age of your air conditioner. Efficiencies have improved so much that replacing an old clunker from the 70s with a new 10-seer unit could cut your cooling costs in half. Regardless of age, all units need maintenance every season and about once a month during the season. First, unplug the unit and see your manual for instructions on discharging the capacitors to avoid a shock. Dirt is your air conditioner s worst enemy. Clean out the drain ports with a length of wire. Vacuum the evaporator and condenser coils and gently straighten any bent fins with a fin comb, which you can get at most hardware or plumbing supply stores. Remove the filter and wash and dry it thoroughly or replace it with a new one if it s the disposable kind. Run the unit for a few minutes to see how it performs. If the fan s making noise, try tightening the blade s set screw as well as the bolts that hold the fan unit to its housing. If the power cord, switch or thermostat is worn or faulty, you can replace it without having to buy a new unit. The coils, compressor and motor are all sealed and should be repaired by a professional. On the bright side, if you do this check early, you won t be put on someone s waiting list in 90-degree heat! Find out more at BobVila.com: the ultimate home improvement web site! 2008 BobVila.com

Installing a Room Air Conditioner

Here s another great tip from BobVila.com. Choosing a room or unit air conditioner wisely and installing it correctly can keep you from getting hot under the collar this summer. Room air conditioners are rated by the number of BTUs, or British thermal units, of heat that they can remove per hour. Contrary to what you might think, it doesn t make sense to run out and buy the most powerful unit you can find. You could wind up spending much more than you need to. Upgrading to the highest efficiency you can afford, however, is a good investment. In very hot climates you need an efficiency rating of 10, but 9 will do in milder climates. To calculate the number of BTUs you need, measure the room you re cooling and multiply by 35. A room that s 12 x12 or 144 square feet, for instance, needs a unit with a capacity of around 5,000 BTUs to keep it cool. If you ve got a shady window to install the unit, you can lower that number by 10 percent. For a sunny window, add 10 percent. If it s in the kitchen, add 4,000 BTUs. And if it s a room used by more than two people during cooling hours, add 600 BTUs per person. Most room air conditioners can be plugged into a standard 110V 15- or 20-amp circuit as long as it s not shared with any other major appliance. Larger 7.5-amp units need their own dedicated circuit. Make sure to measure the window you re installing in before you buy. While it should come with expandable filler panels, you ll need weatherstripping and tape to seal the unit to the window and keep heat from leaking in. Have some spare lumber and screws handy in case you need to build up the window frame or sill to accommodate the unit. Most importantly, have a friend help you. Even small air conditioners are heavier than they look and you don t want to drop the unit out the window. Find out more at BobVila.com: the ultimate home improvement web site! 2008 BobVila.com

Cooling with Ventilation

Here s another great tip from BobVila.com. Before you crank up the A/C this summer to keep cool, try a little old-fashioned ventilation first. Just keeping air moving can make your home feel much cooler. But it goes beyond opening a window. There s a little science to it. If you live where the nights are cool, keep your house sealed during the heat of the day. If it s well-insulated, it should only heat up about a degree an hour. Open windows and circulate cool air in the evening and early morning. Get some cross-ventilation going by opening windows on opposite sides of the house. Homes designed with cupolas, clerestory windows, vented skylights or even attic vents have the ability to create what s called a thermosiphon. Hot air escaping from the top of the house pulls warm air with it from the rest of the house and cooler air through lower windows, creating a constant cooling flow. Take advantage of those features or install an attic fan to create the same effect. It helps to minimize the heat you generate inside the house by using the oven, dishwasher and dryer in the evening or early morning hours. Even light bulbs can heat things up, so making the most of the daylight is both cheaper and cooler. If you still can t get the air moving, there s always the underappreciated window fan. For much less than it costs to run your air conditioner, a fan can give you the summer breeze you re looking for. Find out more at BobVila.com: the ultimate home improvement web site! 2008 BobVila.com

Wiring an Electrical Box to Support a Backup Generator

Electrician Harry Cunningham and Kim Hansen of Square D / Schneider Electric join Bob to explain the electrical box that supports the household power and backup generator. Two power sources feed into the service box -- the utility and the generator. There is a safety check in place to prevent the generator from automatically taking over the power load or feeding out into the street to power the neighborhood. The switch in the box must be flipped to protect power from surging through the outlets when work is being performed or the environment is unsafe. The generator allows for flexible power and the opportunity to switch between circuits. The homeowners can decide to power up an air conditioner during a storm, switch circuits to do laundry, or power up the TV and family computer. In an emergency, the system allows homeowners to tailor their energy use to suit the needs of their home and family.