Ducting: Insulated Or Non Insulated? +REP FOR GOOD ANSWERS

Fuck Snails

Fuck Snails

Active Member
That is the question... whether tis nobler to... ok seriously though.

Yesterday I managed to buy a 6" 435cfm inline centrifugal fan for 25 bucks normally priced at over $130... Sweeeeeetest deal ever thank god for craigslist.

Today i need ducting for it...Home depot is the shop of choice...they have insulated ducting and un-insulated ducting for roughly the same price. My question is....whats the difference??
Is insulated better? What are some of the pro's and cons of going insulated as opposed to non insulated?

Also what are some tips for a good ducting setup? As far as preventing leaks and other tricks you may have picked up.


Please answer in a very clear way so that people who read this years from now can maybe learn something the easy way without having to scour the pages of this forum like I've done so mercilessly before.
 
Dennis Rodman

Dennis Rodman

Active Member
insulated is going to keep heat from radiating out of your ducting. ie keep it cooler in your grow room if you're using it to air cool your lights.
 
J

jpill

Well-Known Member
i use flex ducting without the insulation. Its not as bulky as insulated ducting, very strong and flexible. its premium ducting and its not much more than insulated ducting. Also i use metal tape to attach it to my reflectors. metal tape is strong and wont "peel" off like a cheap tape would. There's no "leaking" from the ducting but if there was i would just patch it with metal tape ! i don't have problem with heat radiating from the ducting. but where i live is very cool and the air going into the ducting on average is 70 degrees.

hope this helps !
 
F

freshveg

Member
it depends on if the % of heat loss is worth the extra cost, bulk, inflexibility etc...if you've got good ventilation and cooling this isn't so important. then again, every little bit helps
 
Fuck Snails

Fuck Snails

Active Member
I dont have any AC and the room will most likely get hot as I'm in california.....

the main amount of cold air will be coming from an outside intake that i havent even figured out how to work in yet...

So insulated or non insulated? They cost roughly the same....sorry i just dont understand completely what you're saying
 
dbkick

dbkick

Well-Known Member
non-insulated (depending on the room temp and the temp in the ducting) may condensate. I use insulated ducting mainly.
 
dbkick

dbkick

Well-Known Member
Fuck Snails said:
I dont have any AC and the room will most likely get hot as I'm in california.....

the main amount of cold air will be coming from an outside intake that i havent even figured out how to work in yet...

So insulated or non insulated? They cost roughly the same....sorry i just dont understand completely what you're saying
Click to expand...
let me know if there's something I can help with, I prefer a semi sealed room in the day (with AC and co2) and a room that draws air inside during night cycle. Soon I'll be able to kill the ac and just pull frigid colorado air in, winter is truely the best for growing indoors.
 
Fuck Snails

Fuck Snails

Active Member
dbkick said:
winter is truely the best for growing indoors.
Click to expand...
AMEN! Be careful not to run that AC too much in to the winter months, that can look pretty sketchy to the wrong people! You seem to know exactly what you're doing though. Thanks again for the help I'll definitely be running insulated ducting!
 
W

what what

Active Member
I have a 4 by 5 and 8ft high tent with one 600 watt and a raptor hood. i used the insulated ducting from lowes. I have an 8in sunleaves windtunnel fan and a small osilating fan inside. I cut about a 10 inch vent hole on the bottom side of the tent and I live in cali too in the 714 and right now the temps are 77 when light is on and 70-73 with light off. I have only used this set up so I couldnt tell you any different variations. They make insulated covers for the reflectors too. Not sure how much they help. Hope this helps.
 
ROBSTERB

ROBSTERB

Well-Known Member
go the insulated route! as above it keeps the heat from getting back into your room, uninsulated acts like a radiator, also it will keep the noise of the air down, its quite similar to acoustic ducting, the only difference is it doesn't have the tiny holes on the inside.
 
N

neophyte101

Active Member
im surprised only one person mentioned the noise aspect... air vibrations make noise and insulated ducted reduces that noise
 
Rushed

Rushed

Active Member
neophyte101 said:
im surprised only one person mentioned the noise aspect... air vibrations make noise and insulated ducted reduces that noise
Click to expand...
Me too.
I insulate my sealed hoods with silver bubble wrap insulation and use silver insulated flexible duct.
I also istalled my fans in boxes lined with sound board. (whisper quite)

Good Luck
 
Joint Monster

Joint Monster

Well-Known Member
OP, there are a few different types of ducting you can purchase. Depends on the purpose and price point you are willing to spend.

A White Vinyl Duct -
Good - Cheap Price, Easy to Use, Slips onto fan/flange easily.
Bad - Not light-tight, may let light through. NOT for warm/hot air. May be noisy.

Silver / Foil Duct -
Good - Flexible/Pliable and easy to use, Slips onto fan/flange easily. More/Light-Tight. Can be used with warm air (SEE THE TEMPERATURE RATING on the package!)
Bad- May be noisy.

Metal Duct -
Good - For HOT Air, Cost Efficient
Bad - Hard To Work With, Harder to get onto Fan/Flange than the other ducting mentioned above.

Insulated Ducting -
Good - Controls Heat and Condensation, Light-Tight, good Sound-Control (Not noisy).
Bad - Heavier in weight than the other ducting, and more costly than the other ducting.


Sounds like you just need something simple for an air-intake. I would go with a white flexible duct or a silver foil duct.

If you feel like spending three or four times the price and want light-tight + sound-deadening then go with the Insulated Ducting.

edit.... I posted this whole thing then realized @missloud bumped an old thread. lol.
 
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