- By Myles Kleeman
- Tags: Spiral Duct
- October 22, 2015
Why Aren’t You Using Spiral Ductwork?
If you are already well-versed in the numerous advantages that spiral ductwork offers over traditional ducting, feel free to navigate to one of our many other helpful articles. For those in the audience that aren’t in the know, don’t touch that back button before reading about how spiral ducting can enhance efficiency, lower installation costs, reduce noise levels, and improve system performance. Those are some pretty lofty claims, but I promise we can back them up.
Enhanced Efficiency
Air leakage is the efficiency killer. You can install cutting edge equipment with the most advanced control system available and it won’t mean a thing if the ducting is more sieve than air delivery system. Spiral duct provides a superior seal to standard ductwork. This all but eliminates air leakage and allows the equipment to operate near, if not at, its rated efficiency. The low pressure drop of spiral ductwork also improves efficiency by promoting airflow instead of restricting it.
Low Installation Cost
All told, estimates place the installation cost savings of spiral ductwork at up to 50% when compared to traditional rectangular ducting with an average savings of 37%. This is largely due to the fact that is uses less components and is easier to install. One major example of this can be found at the joints. With normal ducting, joints have to be connected and reinforced which takes extra time, extra materials, and extra space.
Reduced Noise Levels
One of the primary source of noise in traditional ductwork is reverberation, which is caused by pressure differential. Spiral ductwork promotes even airflow by internally equalizing pressure and reducing pressure drop. This eliminates the breakout noise found in rectangular ducting. Spiral ducting also takes care of noise originating from turbulence by replacing sharp corners with gentle curves.
Improved System Performance
Reducing air leakage and improving airflow don’t just help with efficiency and noise, but also general system performance. Spiral ducting reduces the load on the fan motor and fresh air intake, allowing the system to provide exceptional comfort under less duress.
Next time you’re designing a new duct system or retrofitting a space with traditional ductwork, consider pitching spiral ductwork on the strength of the benefits mentioned above. Of course, if your client is the sort of business that considers exposed brick to be a design feature, you can probably sell it on aesthetics alone. One of the best things about spiral ductwork is the fact that Able Distributors has an array of components available for jobsite delivery. To place an order, just get ahold of your local Able branch!
