Air Distribution and Ventilation

Most HVAC problems get blamed on the equipment. The actual culprit, more often than not, is the duct system. A unit that's sized perfectly for a house can still leave rooms too hot or too cold, humid, stuffy, or filled with dust if the air distribution side isn't designed and balanced correctly. This course starts with the physics: CFM, static pressure, and velocity, and builds from there into how ducts are designed, how ventilation is planned, and how a finished system gets verified in the field. Each unit covers a layer that most training programs treat as an afterthought. You'll learn how to size ducts using friction rate calculations, read and apply the Manual D residential duct design standard, choose between sheet metal and flex duct with real reasons behind the choice, and measure airflow at every register to balance a system room by room. Ventilation gets its own unit because modern tight buildings can't rely on leaks to bring in fresh air. You'll work through HRVs, ERVs, demand-controlled ventilation, and the standards that define what "enough fresh air" actually means. The final unit pulls back to look at indoor air quality as a whole: filtration and MERV ratings, humidity control, carbon monoxide detection, and a clear-eyed look at duct cleaning (what's real and what's a sales pitch). By the end, you'll be able to take a duct system from design through commissioning and explain every decision along the way.