A manufactured home has a compact oil fired forced air furnace in one
corner oc a 40x28 manufactured home. A large central duct runs down
the middle of an unfinished basement and perpendicular ducts run in
the joist spaces. The joist spaces in the basement are insulated with
faced fiberglass. The home is in south eastern PA. Seemed like a lot
of heat was wasted because the central duct was not insulated. The
owner of the home complained of cold and one heating contractor
installed a larger central duct (slows down flow further increasing
heat loss?)

Should the duct work be insulated and if so roughly how many years to
payback?

Thank you for any help!

On 1/21/2013 5:52 AM, andyeverett wrote:
A manufactured home has a compact oil fired forced air furnace in one
corner oc a 40x28 manufactured home. A large central duct runs down
the middle of an unfinished basement and perpendicular ducts run in
the joist spaces. The joist spaces in the basement are insulated with
faced fiberglass. The home is in south eastern PA. Seemed like a lot
of heat was wasted because the central duct was not insulated. The
owner of the home complained of cold and one heating contractor
installed a larger central duct (slows down flow further increasing
heat loss?)

Should the duct work be insulated and if so roughly how many years to
payback?

Thank you for any help!
My triple-wide mfg. home has two ducts going the full length of the
house. One for each of the long sections. floor vents connect each room
to the full length duct. The third house section has a flexible,
insulated duct going under the floor from the exchanger to a single vent
in an office space.

Are you SURE of the arrangement of the heat ducts? The central duct you
see must have been added after the house was built and in place.

The heat system must have an air return path free of obstructions. That
includes leaving room doors open as much as possible. Is the heat duct
metal? Should always be insulated. Hot or cold.

Paul in Central Oregon

On Mon, 21 Jan 2013 09:35:37 -0800, Paul Drahn
wrote:

On 1/21/2013 5:52 AM, andyeverett wrote:
A manufactured home has a compact oil fired forced air furnace in one
corner oc a 40x28 manufactured home. A large central duct runs down
the middle of an unfinished basement and perpendicular ducts run in
the joist spaces. The joist spaces in the basement are insulated with
faced fiberglass. The home is in south eastern PA. Seemed like a lot
of heat was wasted because the central duct was not insulated. The
owner of the home complained of cold and one heating contractor
installed a larger central duct (slows down flow further increasing
heat loss?)

Should the duct work be insulated and if so roughly how many years to
payback?

Thank you for any help!
My triple-wide mfg. home has two ducts going the full length of the
house. One for each of the long sections. floor vents connect each room
to the full length duct. The third house section has a flexible,
insulated duct going under the floor from the exchanger to a single vent
in an office space.

Are you SURE of the arrangement of the heat ducts? The central duct you
see must have been added after the house was built and in place.

The heat system must have an air return path free of obstructions. That
includes leaving room doors open as much as possible. Is the heat duct
metal? Should always be insulated. Hot or cold.

Paul in Central Oregon
Insulated heat ducts in basements are almost unheard of up here in
"the great white north" - but our basements are insulated (and heated)

On Mon, 21 Jan 2013 05:52:09 -0800 (PST), andyeverett
wrote:

A manufactured home has a compact oil fired forced air furnace in one
corner oc a 40x28 manufactured home. A large central duct runs down
the middle of an unfinished basement and perpendicular ducts run in
the joist spaces. The joist spaces in the basement are insulated with
faced fiberglass. The home is in south eastern PA. Seemed like a lot
of heat was wasted because the central duct was not insulated. The
owner of the home complained of cold and one heating contractor
installed a larger central duct (slows down flow further increasing
heat loss?)

Should the duct work be insulated and if so roughly how many years to
payback?

Thank you for any help!


The heat loss is keeping the unfinished basement from freezing.
Insulating the ducts is probably not the problem. Installing a larger
duct is not a cure either, unless it was too small to begin with.

What is cold? The entire house or just a room or two? Does the
furnace run constantly when it is cold? Sounds like a good evaluation
is needed to find what the real complaint is and to find if the
furnace is working properly.

Right sized return duct s are a must, clean filters, proper blower
speed, balance by partly closing some of the vents, thermostat
setting, should all be looked at.

What is the thermostat set for and what is the actual temperature? .
I'd also insulate the basement. There is a lot of loss on concrete
walls.

On Monday, January 21, 2013 12:35:37 PM UTC-5, Paul Drahn wrote:
On 1/21/2013 5:52 AM, andyeverett wrote:

A manufactured home has a compact oil fired forced air furnace in one

corner oc a 40x28 manufactured home. A large central duct runs down

the middle of an unfinished basement and perpendicular ducts run in

the joist spaces. The joist spaces in the basement are insulated with

faced fiberglass. The home is in south eastern PA. Seemed like a lot

of heat was wasted because the central duct was not insulated. The

owner of the home complained of cold and one heating contractor

installed a larger central duct (slows down flow further increasing

heat loss?)



Should the duct work be insulated and if so roughly how many years to

payback?



Thank you for any help!

My triple-wide mfg. home has two ducts going the full length of the

house. One for each of the long sections. floor vents connect each room

to the full length duct. The third house section has a flexible,

insulated duct going under the floor from the exchanger to a single vent

in an office space.



Are you SURE of the arrangement of the heat ducts? The central duct you

see must have been added after the house was built and in place.



The heat system must have an air return path free of obstructions. That

includes leaving room doors open as much as possible. Is the heat duct

metal? Should always be insulated. Hot or cold.



Paul in Central Oregon

I'm pretty sure the supply ran in the basement and was probably added after the two halves were assembled. With the furnace on it got warm and if it was insulated I'm not sure the basement would freeze here in Pa, just seemed like wasted money. The owner was a older women who for 5 years had no problems but only now in her sixth season complained of cold, almost seemed like she was complaining of air currents. All the windows were "closed" but some were not latched properly. She had had several heat contractors out to try and solve her problem. One installed a new larger central duct(uninsulated) in the basement but that did not seem to solve her problems, that did not make sense to me as the house worked fine in its original configuration. I'm pretty sure that the house acts as the return to the furnace. The homeowner said she cleaned the filter regularly. I guess its time for another heating contractor.

I will advise the home owner, thank you for your help!

On Tue, 22 Jan 2013 18:15:08 -0800 (PST),
wrote:




I'm pretty sure the supply ran in the basement and was probably added after the two halves were assembled. With the furnace on it got warm and if it was insulated I'm not sure the basement would freeze here in Pa, just seemed like wasted money. The owner was a older women who for 5 years had no problems but only now in her sixth season complained of cold, almost seemed like she was complaining of air currents. All the windows were "closed" but some were not latched properly. She had had several heat contractors out to try and solve her problem. One installed a new larger central duct(uninsulated) in the basement but that did not seem to solve her problems, that did not make sense to me as the house worked fine in its original configuration. I'm pretty sure that the house acts as the return to the furnace. The homeowner said she cleaned the filter regularly. I guess its time for another heating contractor.

I will advise the home owner, thank you for your help!

Given that it was OK for a few years, it is not the duct. What
changed? I'd check that she did not close or open some vents, that a
duct did not come apart inside a wall, that the blower switches are
going on and off at the proper temperature, that the blower is running
properly, temperature limit switches are working properly, and that
sort of thing.

Oh, don't for get the chimney or vent for obstructions. Bird's next
or dead squirrel can make a difference. Did she lose her cat?

another issue espically with high efficency furnaces is burner turn on
turn off temperature.

in a attempt to maximise fuel efficeny blowers run long after burners
turn off. to get the last of the heat from the burners.

this leads to furnaces blowing chilled air at blower shut down making
people feel colder.
easily fixed by readjusting switches.

another possiblity isnt home repair related at all.

many years ago my mom complained she was cold all the time.......

that peaked out with the furnace running constantly, indoor air
temperature of 90 degress farenheit.

i took my mom to her doctor who did blood woork she was severly
anemic..

this lady should probably get bood work to confirm the issue is the
house and not her........

On Jan 21, 7:05*pm, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On Mon, 21 Jan 2013 05:52:09 -0800 (PST), andyeverett

wrote:
A manufactured home has a compact oil fired forced air furnace in one
corner oc a 40x28 manufactured home. A large central duct runs down
the middle of an unfinished basement and perpendicular ducts run in
the joist spaces. The joist spaces in the basement are insulated with
faced fiberglass. The home is in south eastern PA. Seemed like a lot
of heat was wasted because the central duct was not insulated. The
owner of the home complained of cold and one heating contractor
installed a larger central duct (slows down flow further increasing
heat loss?)

Should the duct work be insulated and if so roughly how many years to
payback?

Thank you for any help!

The heat loss is keeping the unfinished basement from freezing.
Insulating the ducts is probably not the problem. Installing a larger
duct is not a cure either, unless it was too small to begin with.

What is cold? *The entire house or just a room or two? *Does the
furnace run constantly when it is cold? *Sounds like a good evaluation
is needed to find what the real complaint is and to find if the
furnace is working properly.

That's my take too. Too little info to even guess what is
really wrong. But as you say it isn't likely the uninsulated duct.
You would lose some heat from those ducts for sure.
But it should manifest itself in slightly higher energy
bills, not a cold house. If the cold problem only happened
on the coldest day and the furnace was running all the
time, then that small loss could explain it. Or if it's
only cold in the room farthest from the furnace, then
insulating the duct would help some.



Right sized return duct s are a must, clean filters, proper blower
speed, balance by partly closing some of the vents, thermostat
setting, should all be looked at.

He said in one of his posts that he thinks the system
uses the house as a return? That would imply that there
isn't a return duct system and it's just sucking air from
the basement. If that's how it's installed, then it's a big
energy loss, because you're sucking cold air from the
basement into the furnace and constantly drawing air
from the heated house down into the basement, as well
as from outside.



What is the thermostat set for and what is the actual temperature? *.

Right, we don't even know if the thermostat set temperature
is reached or not. I would assume it must be, at least most
of the time or there would be one hell of a bill.


I'd also insulate the basement. There is a lot of loss on concrete
walls.

andyeverett wrote:
A manufactured home has a compact oil fired forced air furnace in one
corner oc a 40x28 manufactured home. A large central duct runs down
the middle of an unfinished basement and perpendicular ducts run in
the joist spaces. The joist spaces in the basement are insulated with
faced fiberglass. The home is in south eastern PA. Seemed like a lot
of heat was wasted because the central duct was not insulated. The
owner of the home complained of cold and one heating contractor
installed a larger central duct (slows down flow further increasing
heat loss?)

Should the duct work be insulated and if so roughly how many years to
payback?

Thank you for any help!

Irrespective of whether the problem is connected to lack of insulation,
almost ALL duct-work should be insulated (excepting that which is in an
interior wall). Doing so will at least save on energy bills.

If you can easily reach the duct-work in question, the cost of insulating it
should be only a few dollars and a couple hours of time. Duct-work
insulation can be had at the box stores.

Payback should be in the neighorhood of one or two months of reduced energy
bills.

On Wed, 23 Jan 2013 07:59:51 -0600, "HeyBub"
wrote:




Irrespective of whether the problem is connected to lack of insulation,
almost ALL duct-work should be insulated (excepting that which is in an
interior wall). Doing so will at least save on energy bills.

If you can easily reach the duct-work in question, the cost of insulating it
should be only a few dollars and a couple hours of time. Duct-work
insulation can be had at the box stores.

Payback should be in the neighorhood of one or two months of reduced energy
bills.


Not if you want to heat the basement at least a little bit. You have
to add heat one way or another so do it the easiest method. The
basement does not have to be warm, but at least above freezing.

On Wed, 23 Jan 2013 07:59:51 -0600, "HeyBub"
wrote:

andyeverett wrote:
A manufactured home has a compact oil fired forced air furnace in one
corner oc a 40x28 manufactured home. A large central duct runs down
the middle of an unfinished basement and perpendicular ducts run in
the joist spaces. The joist spaces in the basement are insulated with
faced fiberglass. The home is in south eastern PA. Seemed like a lot
of heat was wasted because the central duct was not insulated. The
owner of the home complained of cold and one heating contractor
installed a larger central duct (slows down flow further increasing
heat loss?)

Should the duct work be insulated and if so roughly how many years to
payback?

Thank you for any help!

Irrespective of whether the problem is connected to lack of insulation,
almost ALL duct-work should be insulated (excepting that which is in an
interior wall). Doing so will at least save on energy bills.

If you can easily reach the duct-work in question, the cost of insulating it
should be only a few dollars and a couple hours of time. Duct-work
insulation can be had at the box stores.

Payback should be in the neighorhood of one or two months of reduced energy
bills.

Wouldn't change my heat bill at all - I'd just have to open the
registers in the basement farther to heat the finished basement.

On Jan 21, 5:52*am, andyeverett wrote:
A manufactured home has a compact oil fired forced air furnace in one
corner oc a 40x28 manufactured home. A large central duct runs down
the middle of an unfinished basement and perpendicular ducts run in
the joist spaces. The joist spaces in the basement are insulated with
faced fiberglass. The home is in south eastern PA. Seemed like a lot
of heat was wasted because the central duct was not insulated. The
owner of the home complained of cold and one heating contractor
installed a larger central duct (slows down flow further increasing
heat loss?)

Should the duct work be insulated and if so roughly how many years to
payback?

Thank you for any help!

Any heat ducts running through unheated spaces should be insulated. I
spent several days crawling aorunt on my beck in the crawl space
insulating mine (18 x 30 addition).

Harry K

On Jan 22, 6:15*pm, wrote:
On Monday, January 21, 2013 12:35:37 PM UTC-5, Paul Drahn wrote:
On 1/21/2013 5:52 AM, andyeverett wrote:

A manufactured home has a compact oil fired forced air furnace in one

corner oc a 40x28 manufactured home. A large central duct runs down

the middle of an unfinished basement and perpendicular ducts run in

the joist spaces. The joist spaces in the basement are insulated with

faced fiberglass. The home is in south eastern PA. Seemed like a lot

of heat was wasted because the central duct was not insulated. The

owner of the home complained of cold and one heating contractor

installed a larger central duct (slows down flow further increasing

heat loss?)

Should the duct work be insulated and if so roughly how many years to

payback?

Thank you for any help!

My triple-wide mfg. home has two ducts going the full length of the

house. One for each of the long sections. floor vents connect each room

to the full length duct. The third house section has a flexible,

insulated duct going under the floor from the exchanger to a single vent

in an office space.

Are you SURE of the arrangement of the heat ducts? The central duct you

see must have been added after the house was built and in place.

The heat system must have an air return path free of obstructions. That

includes leaving room doors open as much as possible. Is the heat duct

metal? Should always be insulated. Hot or cold.

Paul in Central Oregon

I'm pretty sure the supply ran in the basement and was probably added after
the two halves were assembled. With the furnace on it got warm and if
it was
insulated I'm not sure the basement would freeze here in Pa, just
seemed like
wasted money. The owner was a older women who for 5 years had no
problems
but only now in her sixth season complained of cold, almost seemed
like she
was complaining of air currents. All the windows were "closed" but
some were
not latched properly. She had had several heat contractors out to try
and solve
her problem. One installed a new larger central duct(uninsulated) in
the basement but that did not seem to solve her problems, that did not
make sense to me as the house worked fine in its original
configuration. I'm pretty sure that the house acts as the return to
the furnace. The homeowner said she cleaned the filter regularly. I
guess its time for another heating contractor.

I will advise the home owner, thank you for your help!

Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On Wed, 23 Jan 2013 07:59:51 -0600, "HeyBub"
wrote:




Irrespective of whether the problem is connected to lack of
insulation, almost ALL duct-work should be insulated (excepting that
which is in an interior wall). Doing so will at least save on energy
bills.

If you can easily reach the duct-work in question, the cost of
insulating it should be only a few dollars and a couple hours of
time. Duct-work insulation can be had at the box stores.

Payback should be in the neighorhood of one or two months of reduced
energy bills.


Not if you want to heat the basement at least a little bit. You have
to add heat one way or another so do it the easiest method. The
basement does not have to be warm, but at least above freezing.

Agreed. It also depends on how often you want the basement heated and by how
much.

An electric space heater might be sufficient if you're only in the basement
a couple of times a week to do the laundry.

On Thu, 24 Jan 2013 10:33:45 -0600, "HeyBub"
wrote:

Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On Wed, 23 Jan 2013 07:59:51 -0600, "HeyBub"
wrote:




Irrespective of whether the problem is connected to lack of
insulation, almost ALL duct-work should be insulated (excepting that
which is in an interior wall). Doing so will at least save on energy
bills.

If you can easily reach the duct-work in question, the cost of
insulating it should be only a few dollars and a couple hours of
time. Duct-work insulation can be had at the box stores.

Payback should be in the neighorhood of one or two months of reduced
energy bills.


Not if you want to heat the basement at least a little bit. You have
to add heat one way or another so do it the easiest method. The
basement does not have to be warm, but at least above freezing.

Agreed. It also depends on how often you want the basement heated and by how
much.

An electric space heater might be sufficient if you're only in the basement
a couple of times a week to do the laundry.

A whole lot cheaper to just provide a geat register that you cna open
or close as required. The heat radiated from the bare pipe into the
basement is pretty low, taking in to account the delta T.