Ductwork Replacement in Plymouth, Michigan

A new furnace on old ducts in Plymouth is a common disappointment, and we would rather prevent it than explain it afterward. On every installation estimate in Wayne County we check whether the existing ductwork can carry what the new equipment needs, and in the 1880s–1940s historic two-stories and bungalows with 1950s–60s ranches on the edges homes around the Plymouth Cultural Center the answer is often no. Temprasure replaces ductwork in Plymouth alongside the equipment when both are needed, commissioning them as one system, or on its own when the furnace is fine and the ducts are the only problem. The design, the materials, the sealing and the final measurements are the same either way, and the estimate is free.

Plymouth houses and what that means for duct replacement

Plymouth's housing is the oldest in our Wayne County area and the most sensitive to how a replacement is done. The historic blocks around Kellogg Park and in Old Village are 1880s to 1920s two-stories with Michigan basements, fieldstone foundations, and ductwork that was retrofitted when the original coal or gravity furnace came out. Hot-water radiators and boilers are still in service in some of these houses, and in others the radiators came out but the duct runs they were replaced with are undersized and noisy. The 1920s to 40s bungalows along Penniman, Harvey and Ann Arbor Trail have small basements, short duct runs and finished attics. On the south and west edges toward the township line, 1950s and 60s ranches on block basements make up the newer stock. Central air is an add-on nearly everywhere in the city, and in the historic district the condenser location is a planning conversation as much as a mechanical one. Water heaters are gas tanks in low, often damp basements.

Adding central air to the older Plymouth housing near the Plymouth Cultural Center is a duct project first. The 1880s–1940s historic two-stories and bungalows with 1950s–60s ranches on the edges two-stories and bungalows were built for a furnace, sometimes a gravity furnace whose octopus ducts are still in the basement, and heating needs a fraction of the airflow that cooling does. Hanging a coil and a condenser on those ducts gives you a system that freezes every July. On a Plymouth house like that, we design a new trunk and branch system to carry the cooling airflow, add returns upstairs where the heat collects, and often route the second-floor supply through closets or a chase rather than through an unconditioned attic. The air conditioner then goes in on a system that can use it.

Plymouth has about 9,400 in the city, with the surrounding township adding 27,000 more residents and a housing stock, mostly 1880s–1940s historic two-stories and bungalows with 1950s–60s ranches on the edges, that has been through more HVAC changes than its ductwork has. When a 1990s furnace was replaced with a high-efficiency unit, or central air was added to a house near Kellogg Park that never had it, the ducts usually stayed the same. We repair and replace ductwork throughout Plymouth, from the older blocks around Harvey Street to the newer streets near Old Village, sealing with mastic rather than tape and sizing replacements to the equipment that is actually installed.

Local details we plan around in Plymouth

• Narrow side yards between the historic houses mean condensers often end up in the back yard with a longer line set run than the manufacturer's default.
• The city of Plymouth has historic district review for exterior changes on designated properties, which can affect where a condenser or vent termination is allowed on a street-facing wall.
• Knob-and-tube remnants and early 60-amp services turn up in the historic blocks, and adding air conditioning often starts with an electrician.
• Plymouth sits in the Middle Rouge valley, and the low ground in Old Village and along Hines Park near Wilcox Lake runs humid, with basements that take on water in spring and after heavy summer storms. The dense old tree canopy downtown keeps summer afternoons cooler than the open subdivisions in the township but traps dampness and drops leaves into every condenser. Winters are typical Southeast Michigan freeze-thaw with the occasional deep cold snap.