Licensed HVAC professionals serving West Palm Beach since 1988.
Florida Building Code requires duct systems to meet specific leakage standards and be tested after installation, and in Palm Beach County, where air conditioning runs nearly year-round, a duct system that falls short of those standards costs homeowners real money across the life of the equipment.
At Hopkins Air Conditioning, our NATE-certified and National Comfort Institute (NCI) certified technicians have been designing and installing duct systems throughout West Palm Beach and Palm Beach County for 38 years.
Request service online to schedule a ductwork assessment today.
Why West Palm Beach Homeowners Choose Hopkins Air Conditioning
Ductwork is the circulatory system of your home's HVAC. When it is properly designed and installed, every room receives the right volume of conditioned air at the right pressure, and your equipment runs within its designed operating parameters. When it is undersized, oversized, or leaking, you get hot and cold spots, elevated static pressure that shortens your equipment's service life, and energy bills that do not match the setpoint on your thermostat. Most homeowners never see their ducts, which means problems in the attic or within walls go undetected for years while the costs accumulate quietly.
We take ductwork seriously because we have seen what poorly designed systems do to otherwise good equipment. One homeowner in West Palm Beach reached out after several years of inconsistent comfort. After inspecting the existing system, we identified that the duct branches serving the rear bedrooms were undersized relative to the load those rooms carried during peak afternoon heat.
We redesigned and replaced those runs, sealed every joint with mastic, and completed a post-installation duct blaster test to confirm the system met Florida code leakage thresholds. Scott E. of West Palm Beach described using Hopkins Air for the past four years, noting that installing new ductwork for the whole house made a big difference in all the rooms and was well worth it. He wrote in December 2025 that Hopkins always does a good job and is highly recommended.
What Our Ductwork Design and Installation Process Includes
Every ductwork project we take on begins with a Manual J load calculation, which is required under the Florida Building Code before any HVAC system or duct recommendation is made. Manual J accounts for your home's square footage, ceiling height, window area and orientation, insulation levels, and local climate data to determine the actual heating and cooling load each room must handle. That calculation drives everything that follows.
From the Manual J results, we use the Manual D methodology to perform a room-by-room CFM (cubic feet per minute) calculation. Manual D establishes how much airflow each space requires and determines the correct duct diameter, length, and number of supply registers needed to deliver that airflow at the right pressure. Getting these calculations right is what prevents hot and cold spots, a problem that no amount of thermostat adjustment can fix if the ductwork itself is the cause.
Material selection depends on your home's construction and the specific duct run. Flexible duct is well-suited to short branch runs in residential applications. Sheet metal is the preferred choice for main trunk lines where rigidity and low resistance are important. Insulated duct board is appropriate for certain plenum and transition applications. In all cases, ducts located in unconditioned spaces must be insulated to a minimum of R-6 per the Florida Building Code.
Installation follows the layout designed by Manual D. We seal every joint and seam with mastic sealant or UL-listed foil tape. Every penetration through a building envelope is sealed. All flex duct runs are supported to prevent sagging, which increases airflow resistance and reduces the effective diameter of the duct.
"Andres and Yadian did an excellent job installing a new HVAC system, were thorough, made sure the customer understood the controls, communicated well, and left the place spotless."
Roberto B. of West Palm Beach shared that experience in March 2026. That same thoroughness carries through every ductwork installation we perform, from initial calculation through final testing.
Performance Verification
After every ductwork installation, we conduct a duct blaster test to measure total system leakage. The duct blaster is a calibrated fan that pressurizes the duct system to a standard pressure while we measure the airflow required to maintain that pressure, directly reflecting how much air is escaping to unconditioned space.
The Florida Building Code establishes the maximum allowable leakage threshold the system must meet, and we do not consider the job complete until the test result confirms compliance. We also take static pressure readings at multiple points to verify that airflow resistance is within the range the equipment manufacturer specifies. The homeowner receives written documentation including the duct blaster test result, static pressure readings, the Manual J and Manual D calculations, and a record of materials and sealing methods used.
Why Professional Ductwork Design and Installation Matters
Undersized or leaky ductwork forces your air conditioner to work harder than its design requires. Static pressure climbs above the equipment's rated operating range, components wear faster than they should, and energy bills rise.
In Palm Beach County's climate, those costs compound quickly over a year-round cooling season. Florida requires a permit for duct system installation and replacement in most cases, and the post-installation duct blaster test is part of the inspection process. Work done without permits leaves homeowners without code compliance documentation, which can create problems at a home sale or insurance claim.
Learn more about ductwork repair and attic insulation.
Schedule Ductwork Design and Installation in West Palm Beach Today
Whether your home is in West Palm Beach, Jupiter, Delray Beach, or anywhere across Palm Beach County, our team is ready to assess your existing system, perform the required load calculations, and design and install ductwork that meets the Florida Building Code and delivers balanced comfort to every room.
Request service online to schedule your ductwork assessment today.