Some houses cannot take conventional ductwork without wrecking what makes them worth living in. High-velocity is how you heat and cool those homes anyway.
The problem it solves
Retrofitting a conventional sheet-metal duct system into a house that was never built for one is a construction project before it is an HVAC project. Trunk lines need somewhere to run, and when there is no attic, no chase and no spare joist depth, that somewhere becomes soffits, dropped ceilings, boxed-in corners and a lot of patching.
High-velocity systems take a different route. The tubing is small and flexible enough to be threaded through existing wall cavities, joist bays and closets, and the outlets are small enough to sit unobtrusively in a ceiling or floor. The structure mostly stays intact, which is frequently the whole reason the conversation is happening.
How it actually feels in a room
High-velocity delivers air faster through smaller outlets. That higher velocity mixes the room more thoroughly than a conventional register does, which tends to reduce the stratified layers of warm and cool air you can otherwise feel between the floor and the ceiling of a tall room.
It is worth setting expectations honestly: the outlets are visible, just small, and a well-designed system is quiet while a poorly designed one is not. Which brings us to the part that matters most.
Design decides whether it works
High-velocity is less forgiving of a mediocre layout than conventional ductwork, because the runs are longer and outlet placement is doing more of the work. We start with a load calculation for the house as it stands, then design the tubing routes around the building rather than around whatever is convenient to install.
That is the same discipline we bring to every High-Performance job. We measure first, we design to the measurement, and we test the result — static pressure, temperatures and airflow — once the system is running, so you can see what it is actually delivering rather than what the brochure says it should.
We install Unico high-velocity equipment and work with SpacePak systems as well.
Where it fits
It is usually the right answer in one of a few situations, and in each of them the common factor is that there is no practical route for a conventional trunk line.
- Homes with hydronic heat and no existing ductwork at all
- Renovations where original ceilings and architectural detail have to survive
- Additions and converted spaces the original system was never sized to reach
- Third floors and finished attics that a conventional system cannot get to
- Houses where a previous contractor said central air could not be done
When we will steer you somewhere else
High-velocity is not automatically the answer. A ductless mini-split solves an overlapping set of problems and is frequently the better fit when the need is one or two spaces rather than a whole house — we compare the two honestly on ductless versus high-velocity.
And if you already have ductwork that is simply underperforming, adding a second system is the expensive way to solve a problem that duct testing and renovation may fix outright. We would rather measure the ducts you have before anyone talks about replacing the concept.
Estimates, warranties and financing
Estimates on new equipment are free, and a Comfort Advisor verifies sizing with a load calculation before making a recommendation. Installations carry a two-year labor warranty, a lifetime workmanship guarantee and a ten-year parts warranty once registered, with an optional ten-year labor warranty available on new residential equipment installation. Manufacturer warranties may vary.
Financing is available at 0% for up to 60 months on qualified purchases. If you want to talk a project through before committing to anything, get in touch and we will come out and look at the house.
Talk to our team
Call us at (847) 729-9190 or request service online. After-hours calls are answered by a member of our office staff.