Residential HVAC & plumbing knowledge?

[tundra_dweller]

Does anyone know of any good resources (books, courses, youtubes) for learning more about best design practices for keeping the trades in mind while designing residential homes?  I'm not looking to try and be a mechanical engineer, just to gain some more knowledge on HVAC duct sizing & layout, and plumbing DWV requirements. I can only gain so much trying to read codebooks before my brain gives up and tunes out.

[Gawdzira]

Some good episodes of this podcast focus on HVAC

 

https://buildshownetwork.com/contents/hvac-design

[mtldesigns]

1 hour ago, Gawdzira said:

https://buildshownetwork.com/contents/hvac-design

I absolutely love this show.  Been watching him for years now and have learned so much as well.  You will learn a lot on every aspect of a build.

 

[tundra_dweller]

I'll check it out, thanks guys.

[ProPlumbing]

interesting!

On 10/19/2024 at 10:43 AM, Gawdzira said:

Some good episodes of this podcast focus on HVAC

 

https://buildshownetwork.com/contents/hvac-design

thanks for sharing great info!

 

https://www.proplumbingorillia.ca/

[CamUnruh]

On 10/19/2024 at 12:23 PM, mtldesigns said:

I absolutely love this show.  Been watching him for years now and have learned so much as well.  You will learn a lot on every aspect of a build.

 

this is really good thanks for sharing!

https://www.sunriseseptic.ca/

[Steveek]

I helped my brother on his remodel a while back — we had no clue what we were doing with the ducts at first. We thought bigger ducts = better airflow, right? Nope. What really killed efficiency were all the little leaks. Once we sealed it properly, the difference was night and day. I actually learned a lot from this article: https://www.iplocation.net/duct-sealing-the-hidden-energy-saver. Worth a look if you’re new to this like we were.

Edited September 11, 2025 by Steveek

[garrickridge]

That’s a solid question, and it’s smart to look beyond code books if the goal is practical design awareness. A lot of residential HVAC and plumbing issues come from design decisions made before the trades ever step on site. Resources that focus on buildability tend to click faster than pure theory.

 

For HVAC, material that explains why ducts are sized and routed a certain way (static pressure, friction loss, short runs, gentle turns) is more useful than raw calculations. The Build Show content mentioned above is strong in that area, and pairing it with ACCA Manual D walkthrough videos helps connect layout decisions to real-world performance. On the plumbing side, DWV concepts become much clearer when explained visually, especially venting logic, trap arm limits, and why cleanouts are placed where they are.

 

One practical angle that helped during a small residential redesign was reviewing field-driven guidance from working plumbers rather than designers alone. Service-focused resources from regions with dense housing are especially good at highlighting space constraints, access clearances, and maintenance realities. A site such as: https://www.plumbersingapore.org reflects that perspective well, Singapore homes deal with tight layouts, strict drainage rules, and efficient routing, which translates surprisingly well to modern residential planning elsewhere.

 

The biggest takeaway across HVAC and plumbing is designing for access and simplicity: straight duct runs, minimal fittings, properly sized vents, and enough clearance for future repairs. Learning with that mindset makes conversations with trades smoother and avoids expensive revisions later.