DENVER - Watch out, contractors. Engineers in Denver for the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Annual Meeting were asking themselves, "What often-ignored factors affect the performance of residential forced-air systems?"
Not surprisingly, some of the first items cited during a program on residential applications were load calculations, duct sizing, and duct integrity. Proper usage of duct tape was even called into question. According to a unitary manufacturer, "Most systems are oversized and most ducts are undersized."