im an hvac guy and do radiant as past of hvac , h stands for heating ac stands for cooling........replace the duct work, this is a no brainer since you had damage in a few area's of the duct...... all duct will be insulated with a min of 1 1/2 blanket wrap. could go as high as 2 3/16 i think........... then you worry about your walls later do the ducts and insulation first.

First things first; there is a proper procedure to follow in all HVAC servicing. Do not waste your hard earned money doing things in the wrong sequence, - always do things in the proper sequence!

First, all of the factors affecting the heat-gain/heat loss must be assessed, that should include a manual J heatload calc.

Second, the duct system must be be evaluated & tested for air leaks & for the proper Cubic Feet per Minute (CFM) airflow! This procedure is extremely important, as improper airflow will destroy EER, SEER & BTUH performance, & the freon charge can never be right.

If the ducts are not large enough, then you replace them with the proper sized insulated ducts. If the ducts are properly sized I would repair the damaged ducts.

The radiant barrier & insulation will save on both summer & winter energy costs & should be done. The insulation is only optimally effective when the air infiltration is properly addressed. - udarrell

Here is a link that might be useful: Correct Sizing of Residential Ductwork Systems

hey mr 2007, I read and reread your answer.
"If the ducts are not large enough, then you replace them with the proper sized insulated ducts. If the ducts are properly sized I would repair the damaged ducts."
Is that all he was looking for do you just like to keep riging about duct size all the time ?

just curious!

You should repair the ductwork and then add a product called the Ultimate-R this product provides an R-38 value to any attic ductwork, wrapping is an inefficient and costly task

Here is a link that might be useful: Ultimate-R

Ultimate R?

Perhaps the website should give consumers a clue of what it is?

It's shoes apparently.

Here is a link that might be useful: http://ultimate-r.com.mytempweb.com/cat-Test-2.aspx

Boy, I should have joined this forum a long time ago...I would have learned things that I already made mistakes on. Anyways, once you've decided to repair or replace the ducts definitely insulate them using the ultimate-r containment system. There simply isn't a better way to insulate your attic ductwork that is sitting on the attic floor. Also, I don't think there Web site is great but it gives you an idea of what it does. Check out http://www1.eere.energy.gov/inventions/pdfs/crall.pdf to learn more. Or, visit http://ultimate-r.com/. Hope this helps...It's helped our customers. P.S. I've been dealing with ultimate-r since 2006 but not sure who is responsible for the posts ultimate-r. Is that Theron or another installer? Thanks

Thank you all for your responses. (Hopefully everyone realized I meant to title this "replace or repair ductwork"!)

I am sorry you caught the web site in the middle of restructing, there are thrid party evaluations done by the Department of Energy(DOE) for anyone looking to get more info on the product go to http://www1.eere.energy.gov/inventions/pdfs/crall.pdf
you can also get this info on the home page of www.ultimate-r.com on the left side of the site. The product is actually a fan fold application that creates a continuous "trough" to enclose the duct work with cellulose insullation bringing your r-value to atleast an r-38

Here is a link that might be useful: Ultimate-R