Welcome to this edition of HVAC Tips. Today we are de-mystifying the plenum. The plenum is essentially the hard duct box which resides on both the return and supply side of your air handler, in the case of a heat pump system, or furnace, in the case of a natural gas or liquid propane heating system.
The plenum is typically insulated or lined and the main parts of a home’s duct system are affixed to said plenums. It is critical the ducts on the supply side are connected further from the source of air, to allow for proper static pressure build up. On an up flow application, the return plenum may be eliminated in exchange for connecting return ducts directly into either side of the furnace.
Contact a license and qualified HVAC contractor on how to best design your duct system.
Craig Sopo 