DuctSox, an HVAC textile air dispersion and accessories manufacturer, has announced expanding its SkeleCore in-duct cylindrical tensioning system product line with the additions of the SkeleCore FTS (Fabric Tensioning System) and the SkeleCore IHS (Internal Hoop System).

The SkeleCore internal lightweight metal framework system is the HVAC industry’s first textile air duct cylindrical tensioning device (CTD) that maintains an inflated appearance even during idle air handler periods and eliminates the ‘popping’ sound associated with air handler equipment start-up, DuctSox claimed. The SkeleCore FTS allows installing contractors to quickly and easily field-adjust the textile tautness and roundness with just a turn of a wrench for wrinkle-free aesthetics it added.

The manufacturer lists the following product features and advantages:

SkeleCore FTS

• Cylindrical tensioning rings (CTR) attached circumferentially to the fabric via sewn-in clips at the inlet, end cap, and connections (for duct runs beyond 42 feet)
• Fabric-supporting internal rings (IR) spaced every six feet
• SkeleCore’s 3/4-inch-diameter lightweight aluminum backbone tube can be wrenched to expand or contract CTRs laterally up to five inches for fabric tensioning
• Also features a new vertical suspension system consisting of Direct Hang Cable drops hooking directly to the CTRs and IRs, versus SkeleCore’s previous method of attaching horizontal cable or track to external sewn-in clips
• Weight-bearing improvement expands SkeleCore sizes from eight-inch now up to 60 inch-diameters, available in two-inch increments
• Appears more streamlined than spiral metal duct, but also saves job costs
• Comes with 10 to 15-year warranty depending upon feet/minute (FPM) and fabric type

SkeleCore HIS

• Is a lower-cost system of promoting an inflated textile duct appearance via factory-installed metal hoops
• Is shipped in 20-foot sections and installs faster than SkeleCore FTS and all spiral metal duct
• The 3600 hoops are spaced five feet apart and attached to the fabric at the 4, 8 and 12-o’clock positions
• An improvement over the aesthetics of competing 1800 ring or multiple hanging-point fabric air distribution systems
• Comes with five to 10-year warranty depending upon feet/minute (FPM) and fabric type
• In addition, both SkeleCore FTS and SkeleCore IHS are:
• Easily disassembled for air distribution reconfigurations or commercial laundering
• Save 24.5% energy compared to metal duct/register systems, according to a third-party test performed by the Iowa State University Mechanical Engineering Department
• Are retrofit replacement for all other fabric duct brands
• Compatible with all DuctSox textile air dispersion systems, the Adjustable Flow Device (AFD), personalisation/imaging and other accessories
• Come with customer support