Controlling airflow in an HVAC system is essential when trying to optimize the efficiency of the system with the furnace and/or air conditioner. One of the primary HVAC parts that help with stopping airflow is the Plug. An HVAC plug stops the airflow on spiral pipe by forcing the air to stop flowing out of the pipe and in a better direction. For furnaces and air conditioners, they have to work harder when the airflow isn’t optimally traveling properly to all parts of the home. There are many other HVAC products that can also help serve airflow including elbows, reducers, and transition HVAC parts. When it comes to plugs, there are a couple of plugs that Tradesman Manufacturing offers, but which one would be preferred for installations?
The Gore Locked Plug
A gore-locked plug is great for stopping the airflow in your spiral pipe. Gore lock construction of fittings for your HVAC system allows more flexibility in the radius length and is fairly practical for helping change the direction of the airflow. The end that goes into the spiral pipe typically has some length so that four screws can be added to complete the seal. Our Tradesman Gore Locked Plugs have a crimped end for installation and can be manufactured for a big end or small end of the spiral pipe. The Gore Locked Plug is built in two parts and would require to have a crimped end for the big end of a spiral pipe and no crimping for the small end. This means you would have to carry 2 different types of gore-locked plugs in your inventory.
The Spun Plug
The spun plug is a more versatile type of plug. When we look at the construction of the spun plug, the big end can be used as a cap to plug the small end of a spiral pipe. The opposite side of the spun plug can be used for the big end of a spiral pipe by acting as a more conventional plug. Installation of the spun plug requires three screws to hold and seal in place. A benefit of utilizing a spun plug comes from the versatility of only having to carry one type of plug in your inventory. It is a more versatile HVAC part that also has no sharp edges, which means fewer accidents when working on the HVAC system. Due to this plug being spun, it is constructed as one piece, it means less tampering or preparation of the plug before installation.
What is Tradesman Manufacturing’s recommendation?
Spun plugs are great for most applications. Being able to utilize a spun plug for two different sizes of pipe make HVAC installations easier and you won’t have to carry as much inventory of plugs. Safety is another great factor that differentiates the plug types. Having a more safe and easy-to-handle plug reduces the risk of injury from sharp edges. However, if you do require a size larger than 16” then you would still need to order a gore-locked plug, for now! Whether you’re looking at acquiring gore-locked plugs or spun plugs, we recommend you check out our new installation instructions for each by visiting their product pages! If you have any questions about our HVAC parts, installation, or where our nearest dealer for our HVAC products could be, reach out to us today by contacting us via the contact form!
