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Can you add an air duct to a garage?

HVAC equipment and ductwork should not be located in the garage where it can act as a conduit for air movement between the garage and the house. In addition, any walls, ceiling cavities, and floor cavities separating the garage from livable space should be extensively air sealed.

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Existing Homes

The same principle applies to retrofit as to new construction: avoid locating HVAC ductwork and air handling equipment in the garage to avoid the potential indoor air quality issues that could result from these systems pulling garage air contaminants into the house. In a retrofit situation, if the existing equipment or ductwork is already located outside of the garage, do not move this equipment into the garage. If the equipment or ductwork is being replaced, do not locate the new components in the garage. This will ensure that no garage air is pulled from the garage into the home. If the existing equipment and/or ductwork is currently located in the garage and is being replaced, make every effort to move the equipment into the conditioned space of the house. This could involve locating the equipment in an unused closet and running the ductwork through constructed chases or bulkheads (soffits), or building a new mechanical closet for the equipment if space is available. If the attic, basement, or crawlspace is being retrofitted to become part of the conditioned space of the house, then these spaces can be used for the equipment and ductwork. Alternately, if the space conditioning equipment is being replaced, ductless mini-split heat pumps could be used instead of a ducted system; ductless mini-split heat pumps can be much easier to locate inside the home and do not require ductwork. If the existing equipment and/or ductwork is currently located in the garage and cannot be relocated, or is not ready to be replaced, then an insulated and air-sealed closet should be constructed around the air handling equipment to completely isolate the equipment from the garage. This closet should be equipped with a sealed and weather-stripped door with self-closing hinges that is wide enough to allow for future equipment replacement. It is important to follow all HVAC design and installation best practices when retrofitting or replacing an existing HVAC system. The Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) provides proper design guidance in its Manuals J, S, D, and T and installation guidance in its Standard 9, HVAC Quality Installation Verification Protocols. These ACCA design and installation guidelines should be followed for the intended retrofit design of the home, to ensure that the completed HVAC system will perform properly.

How to Correctly Isolate Ducts and Equipment from the Garage

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When performing a home retrofit or retrofit of the heating and cooling system, it is important to plan the duct layout and equipment location at the initial design stage of the project. HVAC equipment and ductwork must be located inside the conditioned space of the home and not located inside the garage. Ductwork should not be located in the garage framing cavities or garage exterior walls. 1. All ACCA Manuals J, S, D, and T protocols should be followed and utilized in designing the HVAC system as part of any home retrofit or HVAC system upgrade. Improvements to the energy efficiency of the home (such as insulation upgrades or air sealing) could lower the home’s heating and cooling loads, resulting in oversizing of the existing equipment and ductwork. This could require equipment replacement and/or a ductwork retrofit as part of the overall project, to properly size the HVAC system for the home. In addition, newer equipment may be more efficient and responsive than the existing equipment, and could improve the overall energy performance of the home along with providing better comfort and user satisfaction. 2. When designing the new HVAC system, all equipment and ductwork should be located inside the conditioned space of the home. This can be accomplished by locating equipment in an unused closet or by building a new mechanical closet and constructing chases or bulkheads (soffits) to locate the ductwork. If the attic, basement, or crawlspace is conditioned, or is being conditioned as part of the retrofit, the equipment and ductwork can be located in these spaces. Alternately, if new equipment is being purchased, ductless mini-split heat pumps could be used that will likely be easier to install in conditioned space and do not require ductwork. 3. If existing equipment and ductwork is currently located in the garage and cannot be relocated to inside the home, an insulated and air-sealed mechanical closet should be constructed around the equipment and attached ductwork inside the garage to isolate the equipment and ductwork from the garage space:

a. This mechanical closet should be constructed around the equipment.

b. The walls of the closet should be insulated and finished with drywall to create an enclosed, conditioned room for the equipment.

c. Extensive air sealing of the mechanical closet should be completed

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i. All framing bottom plates should be sealed to the garage slab using a closed-cell-foam sill seal. ii. The door to the equipment room should be weather stripped to ensure no air transfer and should include spring-loaded hinges to automatically close the door if it is left open. iii. The door framing should be wide enough to accommodate future equipment replacement. 4. If HVAC air handling equipment is located in the same space as natural-draft or power-vented water heating equipment, sufficient combustion makeup air must be provided to this space to prevent back-drafting of the flue gasses. Back-drafting can draw combustion by-products into the air handling equipment, which can then be distributed into the occupied space of the house and cause a health and safety hazard for the occupants. If the equipment is located in a sealed mechanical closet, provide combustion makeup air through a ducted supply from the exterior of the home. 5. The planned retrofit must allow for structural changes within the home to include chases, bulkheads, furred walls, or interior partition walls to accommodate new ductwork and mechanical runs inside the conditioned space of the home. The Building America Solution Center provides guidance on several alternatives for locating HVAC equipment and ducts within the conditioned space of the house. 6. If the ductwork must be located in the garage framing, it is critical that all joints and seams are sealed with mastic to the appropriate thickness per manufacturer’s instructions.

a. All joints in the equipment must be sealed.

b. The ductwork and surrounding framing cavity should be encapsulated inside a robust air barrier. For more information about removing supply vents from garages, see the U.S. Department of Energy’s Standard Work Specifications.

Sealed and Insulated Flex Ducts

Sealed and Insulated Metal Ducts

Air Sealing Attached Garages

Mini-Split (Ductless) Heat Pumps

Air Seal HVAC Cabinet Seams

Strategy Guideline: Accurate Heating and Cooling Load Calculations

Strategy Guideline: HVAC Equipment Sizing

Advanced Strategy Guideline: Air Distribution Basics and Duct Design

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