MMOIA

By James Fletcher

A y-piece (or a distribution box) makes up a major part of a reverse cycle ducted air conditioning system. A y-piece separates larger ducts into smaller sizes. For example one 14 inch duct can break off to become two 10 inch ducts. So what type are better, plastic or metal?

Plastic y-pieces are more durable than their metal counterparts. People often have a negative view on everything when they associate it with plastic. However plastic y-pieces are more durable and likely to stand the test of time. Most plastic y-pieces can easily support the weight of a man. This is ideal in a roof situation as people will often climb over and put weight on your air conditioning components. People from plumbers, insulation installers and cable television installers will all go in the roof at some stage or another so it is vital your air conditioning equipment is made to last. In this sense plastic y pieces are better.

The problem with most metal y-pieces is they are not made up entirely of metal. They usually consist of 3 metal rings welded together, with just thin insulation covering the rest of the y-piece. This insulation is easily torn which will result in a loss of power from your air conditioning unit. Even if a metal y-piece is made up of entirely metal, it is still easy to step on it and crush or bend it which will also limit airflow.

So why would anyone ever use metal y-pieces? The main benefit of metal y-pieces is that due to their ability to be crushed or shrunk down they can more easily fit in spaces such as bulkheads and dropped ceilings. Any home that has more than 1 storey will always need to use metal y-pieces on the bottom story at the very least. They can be pushed to fit in spaces where plastic y-pieces would not fit, and this is their main advantage over their plastic counterpart.

So with this in mind, be sure to ask the air conditioning installer just what type of materials you will be receiving with your job.

James Fletcher works in the air conditioning industry. His site is dedicated to saving people money, and teaching them about air conditioning. For more Air Conditioning tips visit us today.

And to understand a little more about air conditioning please have a read of our air conditioning jargon page.