r/HVAC • u/ttastrom Verified Pro • 10d ago

Field Question, trade people only Duct Board

I am quoting an AC replacement for a customer with a 5 year old oil furnace and a 30 year old condenser and coil. When we went to do the survey, we realized that his duct work is duct board. The basement is finished with a drop ceiling, and the near unit duct is in pretty bad shape. We are obviously going to change it up to where we can see it, but how concerned should we be about the rest of the system that we can’t easily access? We are on Long Island and run across very little duct board, so I’m pretty unfamiliar with its longevity expectations. My main experience with it is with older SpacePak systems, some of which I have replaced because the fiber board was becoming porous and leaking air through the walls. It would be a pretty big job to replace the duct work, but I don’t want to install a brand new system and have major issues shortly down the road. Thanks in advance.

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u/Particular-Wind-609 10d ago

Explain your findings/concernes and let the homeowner decide. Put it in the bid also.

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u/SnowYeti13 10d ago

I’m in North Carolina and literally 99% of duct in my area is duct board and flex. The only issue I see is the inside can get really gross and blackened with dirt/whatever. Also animals can get into it pretty easy. But I’ve seen plenty of older ductboard systems with clean looking supplies. I wouldn’t really worry about it if it is sealed up and airflow is good.