How to Replace Heating Air Duct Work

If you have heating ductwork in your home it is most likely fabricated out of galvanized sheet metal. Galvanized sheet metal is regular iron with a coating of zinc on the surface to prevent corrosion and rust. Since this coating is thin, it will eventually wear out over time and the ductwork will begin to rust and corrode. Corrosion is expedited on ductwork that exhausts caustic materials, and ductwork that is moist like the exhaust ductwork from your bathroom. If a section of ductwork corrodes through, you will need to replace it to prevent air inside the ductwork from infiltrating an undesirable area.

Heavy gloves
Cordless screw gun
Tape measure
Sheet metal ductwork
Snips
Pipe crimper
Sheet metal screws

Instructions

- 1
  Locate the connection seams on either side of the piece of ductwork you want to replace. Unscrew the screws holding these seams together with your cordless screw gun.
- 2
  Separate the ductwork at the seams you unscrewed and remove the piece you wish to replace. Measure the length and diameter of it to enable you to fabricate a replacement piece.
- 3
  Cut a new piece of ductwork at the length you measured in Step 2. Crimp one end of the replacement piece with your pipe crimper.
- 4
  Slide the replacement piece into the ductwork system. On one end, a crimped end from the existing duct will slide into the replacement piece. On the other end, the replacement piece's crimped end will slide into the non-crimped end of the existing ductwork.
- 5
  Screw the ductwork at the connection seams with sheet metal screws. Each connection should receive at least four sheet metal screws.

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