What Is a Ceiling Duct?

Temperature Control

• The primary principle of most ductwork is to provide a pipeline for air to be pushed through. Usually, this is air that has been heated by the furnace or cooled down by a central air conditioning system. The thermostat in the house senses that the air in a room is the wrong temperature, which activates the furnace or air conditioner. Warm or cool air is blasted along the ducts until the house reaches the desired temperature as indicated by the thermostat.

Air Intake

• Heating and cooling systems can't simply produce air and then send it out into the house. Instead, they need to either heat or cool the air that is already in the home. Ductwork is also partially responsible for feeding air into these systems before it is redistributed into the home. A clear and unblocked flow of fresh air needs to be returned to these systems constantly to make them work efficiently.

Hiding Place

• Because the interior of most ducts are not visible, they can be a hiding place for many things that you don't want in your home. No strongly conclusive evidence shows that cleaning ducts to remove dust and regular dirt has positive health benefits. However, sometimes ducts get infested with pests or with mold. If you have these sorts of things hiding in your ducts, you should have a professional company come in and clean the system.

Ceiling Ducts

• Most air ducts run through the ceiling of the basement, which is one reason why people may choose to have a dropped ceiling in the basement. Such a configuration provides an easy way to conceal the ductwork while leaving it accessible, which means the ducts are actually beneath the floor of the main level. However, ducts may also be run through other locations, such as up through the walls, which is often necessary for houses with more than two floors.