Is your furnace in the basement or out in the garage? If so, you could be losing a lot of valuable heat through your ducts. This is a huge concern if you live in freezing climate. Basically, your furnace will be much less efficient and more expensive to run if your exposed ducts are not insulated. The ducts that run from your furnace into the walls of your home can vary in length. Obviously, the longer they are, the more heat loss you need to worry about. This article explains how you can insulate your ducts, no matter how long they are.

Using the Right Products

First, you need a few rolls of wool insulation. You should measure the circumference of the ducts to see how many feet you need to buy. You might want to double wrap your ducts, so keep this in mind. Also, you need to calculate how much need based on the width of the rolls. 16" is a common width that works well with ducts. It is wide enough that it can be wrapped around bends and L-corners in the ducting. You also want some normal duct tape to secure the insulation. Wool insulation is very itchy so wear a long sleeve shirt, protective gloves and eyewear.

Tape the Duct Seams First

Before you apply the insulation, you should tape the seams between the individual duct sections. Air can leak through these seams, even after the ducts are insulated. In fact, once the ducts are insulated, you will not be able to find leaks or loose seams. So taping beforehand is a great precaution.

Applying the Insulation

Applying the insulation is relatively straightforward. You can wrap it around the duct in continuing, spiraling sections. But you should probably wrap and tape one section at a time. That is, wrap one piece all the way around the circumference of the duct, and then cut it and tape it down. Pull the insulation tight, but don't stretch it out. If the wool fibers are stretched apart, they will not insulate as well. You should tape the edges of the insulation sections together. Basically, you don't want any part of the ducting to be visible. If it's covered by the wool, it will be protected from the cold air and heat loss.

This is a very cheap and simple way to make your furnace more efficient. Over the course of a couple hours, you can increase the efficiency of your system. Contact a company like Absolute Comfort Heating & Air Conditioning for more tips.