The short answer: probably, but you should consult an HVAC professional before attempting it.
The air ducts in your home were (hopefully) designed to meet the residential building codes and other best practices used when the ventilation system was installed. Depending on the age of your home and the requirements of your current HVAC equipment, there may be some room to reevaluate. In fact, you might even find that a different duct layout would help your system work more efficiently.
However, air duct changes shouldn't be made without professional guidance. Adding extra length or more bends to get around an obstacle, using a slimmer type of duct or eliminating ducts can cause a variety of potentially costly problems.
- You may find your HVAC doesn't heat and cool as well as it used to.
- Rooms or whole zones of the house may become unevenly heated.
- You might not notice a difference in performance, but if your HVAC is working harder after a duct change, the extra wear and tear could lead to repairs and/or a shorter service life.
- An HVAC that’s working harder to heat and cool the same space is a system that's wasting energy, something you’ll notice on your power bill.
One of the most common reasons to move ductwork is a basement remodel. If overhead ducts are a limiting factor in your ceiling height, you may have a variety of solutions to consider: switching to low-profile ducts, lowering the floor (expensive, but possible), moving ducts to the edges of the room and creating a tray ceiling treatment around them, installing a small-duct/high-velocity HVAC and more!
Contact an ARS®/Rescue Rooter® comfort advisor today at 866-399-2885 to discuss your options.
