Heating and Cooling Duct Repair

Find out what it takes to hook up a custom made heating duct to your furnace. Learn what you should tell your contractor the next time you have your furnace serviced.

LESLIE: Laurie in Michigan listens on WPNW. What’s going on at your house?

LAURIE: I have this vent that’s driving me wild. (chuckling) Our house is like …

TOM: So basically, Laurie wants to vent about her vent.

LAURIE: The house is like 140 years old. So the vent is one of those big, oversized ones that they – you know, the ancient ones. I can’t find the part that goes underneath it so I can hook it up to the furnace. It’s actually a cold air vent. I can’t find a part that will fit; that will …

TOM: Now wait a minute. You want to hook up a heating duct? Is that what you’re talking about?

LAURIE: A duct underneath. They don’t make them big enough.

TOM: Generally, ducts are built by the heating contractors themselves. They’re – you’re not going to be able to go to a store and buy one that’s going to fit. Most of the ducts today are built for the house specifically and all of the different components that you need to make the system work. So this is something that you’re going to want to address with your heating contractor next time you have the furnace serviced. If there’s a part that’s missing, they could bend one up for you out of metal; actually create the duct. Or they could use flex duct with different sorts of transition pieces that will connect it from the square parts of the duct system to a round transition duct.

LAURIE: OK.

TOM: So those are two options, but it’s not something you’re going to be able to buy off the shelf. The custom on that is the normal way to do it.

Alright, Laurie? Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.