Spiralmate & Ventmate Round Duct Connector Systems Create a Winning Solution for UBS Arena

Posted on September 16, 2025 by Ductmate Industries

For years, the New York Islanders hockey team played at the Barclays Center, an arena primarily built for basketball. This arrangement led to obstructed views for fans who often had to watch the game from the scoreboard, and poor ice conditions and unfavorable gameplay for players were caused by the old piping system. The team finally caught a break in 2017 when they were awarded a new 17,000-person arena: the UBS Arena at Belmont Park.

When it came time to select a sheet metal subcontractor for the UBS Arena, many companies competed for the job. Ultimately, Triple S Air Systems, a Long Island-native company, won the bid. The project presented a significant challenge: installing a large amount of spiral ductwork in the arena’s “bowl,” with some pieces reaching massive sizes of 96″, 86″, and 76″. To add to the difficulty, the ducts had two inches of internal insulation.

Fortunately, Triple S was no stranger to large-scale ductwork. In 2016, they successfully installed 76″ spiral ductwork during the enclosure of the Arthur Ashe Stadium, the project during which they first used Ductmate’s Spiralmate system. They were impressed with the product’s one-bolt closure and self-sealing flanges, which made installation quick and easy.

Normally, large-diameter spiral pipes require expensive companion angle rings for reinforcement. However, during the bidding phase, Ductmate proposed an innovative solution: using Spiralmate alongside a similar product called Ventmate. Traditionally used in mining and tunnel applications, Ventmate features a wider closure band with an integrated neoprene gasket. This design allows for a secure seal even when duct runs are slightly misaligned. For the UBS Arena project, this wider band made installing the larger ducts significantly easier and eliminated the need for a separate gasket on the mating face of the flanges.

Triple S Project Manager Greg Cross had nothing but praise for Spiralmate and Ventmate. These systems enabled a significantly smoother assembly process compared to traditional angle rings. The team was able to pre-build sections of ductwork in their shop, installing the outer and inner rings before bringing them to the job site. This process, combined with the one-bolt closure band, allowed workers to avoid climbing on top of the ductwork to secure connections, resulting in significant labor savings and a safer installation environment.

Construction on the arena was underway when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, halting all non-essential projects in New York City. Despite the jobsite closure, Triple S continued to manufacture the necessary ductwork. Cross commended Ductmate for its ability to meet lead times and maintain a steady supply of materials, while many other suppliers faced significant supply chain disruptions.

In the end, the project utilized 643 Spiralmate and Ventmate three-piece systems and 752 2″ inner rings.

Cross’ final recommendation speaks for itself, “I would 100% recommend Ventmate and Spiralmate for future projects where a large-diameter duct is going to be utilized.”

Spiralmate Round Duct Connector System Working Great in South Dakota

Posted on October 24, 2017 by Ductmate Industries

The Prairie Lakes Wellness Center in Watertown, SD, a modern community center conveniently located in the fastest-growing area of Watertown, opened in April 2017 and features 104,000 square feet of space. The $24 million multi-level facility features multiple basketball courts, racquetball courts, a running track, a sauna and whirlpool, a large fitness area, and a state-of-the-art pool area that includes a leisure pool and a competition pool.

Choosing the Right System for Aesthetics & Performance

For areas that are not exposed, rectangular, medium-pressure ductwork was chosen. For exposed areas, the Spiralmate® Round Duct Connection System was used. Ductmate Industries manufactured all the spiral connections.

Gary Chappell, Ductmate Regional Channel Manager, stated that the spiral ductwork is exposed and visible from multiple angles. On the second floor, where the ceiling downstairs is positioned at eye level, it was even more important to have an attractive product. Chappel said, “The project is aesthetically pleasing both close up and from a distance. From a performance standpoint, the system is airtight, efficient and doesn’t require any additional sealing.”

Jon Burri, Vice President at Creative Metal Solutions, the specifier and fabricator for this project, said everything went very smoothly on the job site. “We made custom lengths in the shop and delivered them to the jobsite, ranging in size from as large as 42” in diameter to as small as 10” in diameter. Large amounts of 28-32” ductwork were installed above the track, and 18-20” inch segments were installed in the workout areas.”

The ductwork in the pool area was constructed from double-walled aluminum to reduce the sound of the airflow from spectators and prevent corrosion from the harsh pool environment. Galvanized steel was used on all the ductwork in other areas.

MacArthur Co. was the distributor for this project. According to Chappell, “They have been a great asset and long-standing Ductmate distributor in Sioux Falls.”

Burri said that a couple of trailers of product were sent to the jobsite on and off for about six months. “We delivered in phases so that a lot of room wasn’t needed to store product during the entire job,” he said.

The company always recommends the Spiralmate® system because, Burri said, “The cost is always justified with savings in field installation time and cost, and it allows for an air-tight system that looks great.”

Faster Installation, Big Labor Savings
Active Heating, Inc., based in Watertown, S.D., was the HVAC contractor. Jason Roehrich, Vice President at the company, said the installation of the Spiralmate® system is usually fast, but this project went even faster than normal.

“The finished job features a wide-open, exposed look with neat, straight long runs,” he said. “In one area, we had a run of 100-150 feet with a 90-degree turn into another long run of about 300 feet, and it looks great.”

Roehrich added, “Our installers in the field really like the Spiralmate® system because it quickly snaps in place, provides a great seal, installs faster than other products, and it provides a straight, clean look when it’s finished.”

Another advantage of the system is that when a piece of ductwork is cut down in size, the flange can be removed and reused—unlike with other systems. This saves even more time and money.

The result was a successful project for Ductmate and everyone else involved. The state-of-the-art Prairie Lakes Wellness Center features an HVAC system that’s pleasing to the eye, energy-efficient, and will perform well for many years to come.

High-Ceiling Project Makes Spiralmate Round Connector System a Must

Posted on November 9, 2012 by Ductmate Industries

The North Shore Marine Transfer Station is located in College Point near New York City and LaGuardia Airport. It is expected to open in the spring of 2013 and will transport approximately 3,000 tons of garbage from the Queens borough by barge to landfills each day.

The facility is enclosed to limit bird attraction, which can be very detrimental to airplane traffic at nearby LaGuardia Airport. It was the birds, after all, that were sucked into both engines of Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger’s airplane caused him to ditch in the East River. The North Shore transfer station is only 735 yards from one of LaGuardia’s runways.

The spiral duct manufacturer on the project is Southern Tier Custom Fabrication, located in Elmira, New York. Southern Tier has been a loyal user of Ductmate products for many years, especially the Spiralmate® round duct connector system. Southern Tier Vice President Ian Morrell is very proud of the company’s relationship with Ductmate.

“We really believe in Ductmate’s innovative approach, especially with products like Spiralmate,” Morrell said. “They are easy to install and are real time savers in the shop and in the field.”

Morrell also stated that the company has been incorporating the Ductmate line into its fabrication process for approximately 30 years. He said they are also installing contractors, although not on this particular project.

Because the North Shore Transfer Station is a marine facility, it is naturally in a corrosive environment. The saltwater air will eventually start corroding any steel product, including galvanized spiral ducting. The project was specified with 316 stainless steel to counter the corrosive seawater environment and any toxic off-gassing from the trash.

Stainless steel is also very expensive, almost five times that of regular steel, and Morrell emphasized that the spiral ducting must be installed correctly and without any damage.

Morrell said Ductmate offers its Spiralmate in a variety of materials, including galvannealed, aluminized, 304 stainless, 316 stainless, and PVC-coated. Additionally, the Spiralmate features a sealing mastic in the pocket of the flange, eliminating the need for manual sealant application during assembly. Ductmate guarantees the flange will seal from 18’’ positive to 10’’ negative w.g. The mastic is non-hardening and non-drying and will not crack when transported to the shop site by truck.

The sheet metal contractor on the project is Delta Sheet Metal Corporation, located in Long Island City, NY. Delta is part of PJ Mechanical, a mechanical contractor founded in 1971 that serves the greater New York City real estate market.

Delta Sheet Metal Senior Project Manager Jacob Pierides noted that the installation differed from typical spiral projects.

The overall size of the facility measures 260’ by 215’ and consists of three levels. The tipping floor, approximately 26’ above the pier, is where the large trash trucks enter and unload their waste. The waste falls to the loading section 10’ below, where heavy equipment collects and tamps the trash into compact bundles. These trash bundles are then loaded onto barges 16’ lower at the pier level, where they are taken for eventual burial.

The facility requires constant ventilation due to the unpleasant odor of refuse and exhaust gases from the trucks. Due to the high volume of ventilation required, the facility features 28 fans, with 18 located on the mezzanine level. These 18 fans are all connected to the spiral ducting with runs along the station ceiling.

In all, approximately 3,800 linear feet of stainless spiral ducting was installed at the transfer station in a variety of sizes from 10” to 62”, with 1,400 feet sized at 52”. Over 1,200 stainless steel Spiralmate connectors of all sizes were used to attach the ducting.

The highest point in the trash facility is 62’, making the installation rather treacherous at times! For ductwork 42” or less in diameter, Pierides said the sections were manufactured in 10-foot lengths. Ductwork above 42” in diameter was manufactured in 5 long sections. All sections were assembled piece by piece in the air.

“Spiralmate made it easier to connect spiral ductwork 60 feet up in the air,” Pierides mentioned. “The one-bolt closure band accelerates installation time in the field compared to bolting the flanges together. Using Spiralmate connections helped with the production and quality of the spiral ductwork installation.”

He said that by using Spiralmate connections, they did not have to add any additional stiffeners to the duct. That made production in the shop and installation in the field more efficient. It also made it safer by reducing the possibility of a section accidentally coming loose while workers were in the air.

Pierides also concluded that the Spiralmate duct connectors helped maintain the spiral ducting’s shape.  Using Spiralmate connections made the installation of the spiral ducts on this project possible. It allowed the spiral duct to maintain its shape after installation by adding rigidity to the overall structural product.