My wife and I moved into our new house back in November, and most of the house is done, but the builder still has a few small repairs to make. I have some questions on the installation of the ductwork that runs from the packaged unit into the house, in particular, the part where the duct penetrated the foundation. When they installed the ductwork they cut a big hole in the cinder block foundation wall to run the ductwork. Later they installed the exterior brick around the opening. Finally they installed the ductwork, packaged unit, and a metal housing that encloses the duct between the house and the unit. When they intalled the duct they didnt insulate around the duct, so there is a big gap around the duct (round peg in a square hole). The duct runs in a 2' air gap between the finished basement ceiling and first floor joists, so I can get in there and easily stick my hand through the hole in the foundation. First off, why didnt they insulate around the duct to keep cold air from coming into the house? when its breezy I can feel cold air coming in around the duct. Secondly, I noticed there is a small bit of water that leaks into the area when it rains.

I have apicture but have a way to post it. If you think you can help let me know and I will email ti. The picture is looking from the basement out through the foundation opening and into the metal housing that runs between the house and the packaged unit. At the top of the picture in the middle you can see a drip of water forming on the white house wrap. From there is drips down and lands on the duct. First off, how could water get behind the brick and onto the house wrap? Our house is Hardie plank from the first floor up, but around the basement it is brick. Could there be a leak at the transition point from plank to brick? Also, you will see the area around the duct has no insulation to keep cold air from entering the house. When the cold air come in it blows right on top of the basement ceiling, which is heated and cooled space.

There is obviously a problem here, but I would like some input before I call the builder back to fix it. Thanks for your help.