Gas and Oil Home Heating Furnaces - Ceiling duct vent issue

Forgive me if my terminoloy is off.

I have ceiling vents for my central AC/Heating system. One of the vents is drooping out of the ceiling. I tried to pull it up from the attic to no avail. I removed the vent grill and found that the sheet rock concealed by the vent is crumbled. Am I correct to assume that the squared (rectangled) duct end (there's that darn terminology) is supposed to sit above the ceiling sheet rock and the vent grille screws in from below, sandwiching the ceiling's sheet rock between? If so, since the sheetrock is crumbled and effectively non-existent, do I need to cut it away and replace an entire section of ceiling? Please explain how the vent is supposed to work.

I figured I'd ask the experts before grabbing my rock saw and cursing for the better part of several days. Any ideas are eagerly invited.

Thanks,
allenzachary
frustrated homeowner

I am afraid you'll have to replace the sheetrock.. Yes, the sheetrock is sandwiched between the vent, and ductwork.


Check into what cause the sheetrock to go out on you.. Pipe sweating from the cooling on the pipe from the A/C? Roof leak?

If it from sweaty duct, make sure you have the pipe insulated to protect it from the hot attic.

Jay will like this. Home depot has some register boxes that have the insulation inside the box they work real good for this .The pipe just goes in the top of them. Nail the new box to a rafter there or put in a block to help hold it also.

I like to just cut out along the side of the rafters there on each side . then add a 2x2 on the side of them screw the new drywall to them.;) ED