Bad consendation on air ducts

Rhino

My air ducts have a lot of condensation on them, to the point of leaking out into the finished downstairs basement (and ruining the dry wall). The HVAC guy checked the condenser line (cleaned it) and lowered the speed no the fan. I also have a "portable" dehumidifier in the utility room with the air conditioner (ie. where the air intake is).

He says that is about all he can do unless I want an whole house dehumidifier. He will, of course, gladly sell and install it for a "reasonable" price. He's definition of "reasonable" is different than mine.

Do I have any other options? My friend said I could try insulating the ducts themselves, but could make problems worse if moisture gets between the duct and insulation.

JebusUD

Has it been particularly humid in your area? Up in MN the dew point has been above 85 for days last week. Nothing we could do to keep the vents from dripping at work.

If it has been unusually humid I would just let it go.

Rhino

JebusUD wrote:

Has it been particularly humid in your area? Up in MN the dew point has been above 85 for days last week. Nothing we could do to keep the vents from dripping at work.

If it has been unusually humid I would just let it go.

Yes, but it has happened every year. Just lots worse this year.

Secondly, it is enclosed in dry wall. The problem, is it starts sweating and dripping on the "inside" of the walls. This is tearing up the dry wall. It is also starting to grow mold. We want to get it fixed, but if it's just going to drip again, it's going to keep ruining it.

Chanus

Insulating your ducts would help, but yeah, you'd have to do it in a way that you didn't have air getting into the insulation... because then you'll just have a bunch of moldy insulation.

You basically have all the practical answers already... so it's just a matter of how much you're willing to spend now vs. how much risk you're willing to take that you don't have to spend later.

HeraldS

Would it be possible to rig up some sort of trough to catch the condensation? Is it leaking from the vents or along the entire ductwork?

Chanus

Really, though, talk to a professional about getting your ducts insulated... that's definitely the least expensive option... and if they aren't insulated, you probably shouldn't be using them for A/C anyway.

Rhino

Chanus wrote:

Really, though, talk to a professional about getting your ducts insulated... that's definitely the least expensive option... and if they aren't insulated, you probably shouldn't be using them for A/C anyway.

Is this standard? I've never lived anywhere with insulated ducts, but had AC.

Chanus

Rhino wrote:

Chanus wrote:

Really, though, talk to a professional about getting your ducts insulated... that's definitely the least expensive option... and if they aren't insulated, you probably shouldn't be using them for A/C anyway.

Is this standard? I've never lived anywhere with insulated ducts, but had AC.

It may be a regional thing.

In Virginia, it's super humid from March until September, so cold air flowing through ducts would result in a lot of condensation if they aren't insulated.

Rhino

ok. Who would know about insulating them properly? The HVAC guy said he wasn't very comfortable with how to do it.

Chanus

Rhino wrote:

ok. Who would know about insulating them properly? The HVAC guy said he wasn't very comfortable with how to do it.

Hmm... that who I would have guessed... so I'm not really sure

Rhino

thanks. I'll try calling a few duct cleaning places. A google search says the EPA says that it's pretty good to seal and then insulate air ducts.

Chanus

Yeah, it will ensure you don't have any leaks as well, which would save you money.