Would it be worth spending money on new ductwork in Texas unless there's a major problem? (appliances)

[fiestamango]

My primary issue is that the little townhome I have now, whenever it starts warming up outside, when the A/C kicks on the air that comes out first is kinda warm/pre-heated from the attic. I wouldn't say it's like hot but obviously not cold. Very lukewarm. I feel like I've never really noticed this in various places I've lived until now.

I have a radiant barrier in the attic, but no ridge vents; only the whirly birds. I realize the absolute best option (next to moving to a state where ducting is run under the floors lol) would be to just insulate the attic using the spray foam, and then conditioning that space. But I don't really think there's a point in doing that? (Correct me if I'm wrong).

The unit was built in 72 and I'm not completely sure if the ductwork is all original or if there's been patchwork or maintenance done. When I spoke to people back in 2021 very, very tentatively about getting a super loose/ballpark figure quote, I was quoted 2-3k for ductwork. I think I also need something done with my plenum that might not be attached properly or fully sealed. Something. At that time the common theme was no one had any parts or materials but I imagine that should be much improved at this point. Probably the only thing that isn't improved is the cost.

I just wonder if getting completely modern ductwork would be a worth while "investment" that would help keep warm air out of the ducts which in turn would help cool my place down a little bit more quickly or if it would just be a complete waste if the benefit would be so miniscule. Anyone have experience here? Would ridge vents do a much better job at passively removing heat than 1 or 2 whirly birds? I've also read about powered vents (utility and solar) but despite them sounding so promising I've read that those are counter intuitive because they tend to remove conditioned air as well. Just for reference my unit is only 900 sq ft.

[HookTheBrotherUp]

If the duct work is original, then I would do it if it were my home. Is there an attic space where you can go up and look at it? If so, then two things... one, if you look along the run of the duct work, you should see the R rating... if old, it may be R6. The current standard is R8, and a 25ft run of R8 duct work runs about $95 at the box stores, or less if you go to an AC place. Most AC stores will not sell you anything electronic without a license, but I was able to buy duct vents and insulation, no problem. I have a two story home, so since I could never access the ducts from downstairs, I went ahead and used metal ductwork for the first floor all the way to the manifold in the attic since my walls and floors were open.

The second thing is that if you can access all of your vents from the attic, then the price you were quoted may be too high. I'm not knocking their rates, it is hard sweaty work, and would be the right price if the vents are hard to get to in the attic. But as a DIYer myself, I would just purchase the ducts and do it myself to save money. 'Not much to it really. It also depends on the quote, did the outfit giving you the quote go into the attic to look, or just quoted you?

Lastly, I did what you are thinking about. I had my entire house remodeled basically, and I went with an encapsulated attic. I had the attic spray foamed (open cell) so now my AC system sits in the attic which is the same temperature as the house as it has its own supply and return vents.

Now, having an encapsulated attic means also changing your heating, and water heating system. I went from a tank, to a gas-tankless and it has its own plumbing to draw fresh air form outside, and also send the burnt air outside via one tube. I also had to swap out the heating portion of my AC system to a 96% efficient system which does the same thing. Basically, you have to get appliances that supply their own air, and exhaust as well because the point of a sprayed attic is to keep it sealed.

Anyway, I could go on and on, but my heating and cooling system works great, very cold and nicely warm. Good luck!