Do return air vents need to be at the floor?
He installed the return air vents in the wall cavity ,but they are only 1 inch above the floor. I feel he put in the minimum return air vents. And at the floor? He claims that this method pulls the heat down from the ceiling and warms the room. However in one location there is a heat duct within 5 feet of the return air vent both at the floor.
How do I install a return air venting system?
A return air venting system can be installed in one of two ways: either every room with a supply register will also have a return air vent, or there can be centrally located return vents on each floor of your home.
What should I consider when choosing a floor air return?
Floor air returns must be clear of obstructions and heavy furniture. Transferring your air return to the wall will allow you to utilize your floor space more freely. Floor air returns are large with many openings, making it the perfect place for your kids to throw things down the vent, and for your furry friends to get stuck.
What happens if you block a return air vent?
Blocking a return air vent will cause issues with air temperature, pressure, and circulation. Even if a return vent isn’t completely blocked, you still need to keep it clear. Keep all objects such as furniture, curtains, and appliances at least 1 foot away from return air vents.
Where should return grills be placed?
Does SquibT have return air vents?
Should return air ducts be high or low?
For optimal efficiency, it's ideal to have return registers installed. To ensure efficiency during the cooling season, your home should have high registers. High return registers draw hot air that rises to the ceiling back into the system to repeat the cooling cycle.
Should return vents be on the floor?
An air return on the floor collects much more dirt and debris such as hair and lint. For this reason wall air returns will require less frequent cleaning. Floor air returns must be clear of obstructions and heavy furniture. Transferring your air return to the wall will allow you to utilize your floor space more freely.
Where should return vents be located?
They must be correctly placed and unobstructed —Return ducts are usually placed in hallways, under stairwells, or in larger open areas of your home. This placement ensures that they will be able to pull in enough air to take back to the HVAC equipment.
How should return vents be installed?
Place your cold air return vents on the inside walls of buildings at the lowest point. The return vent pulls cold air from the bottom of the room and returns it to the furnace to be reheated and returned as warm air. Unlike supply vents, return vents do not need to be cased in metal.
Can you have too much return air ducts?
To answer your question, no, you normally cannot supply too much return air. If installed in a certain fashion, with bedroom doors closed, it is possible to put a single room or two under negative pressure but that won't affect the amount of heat entering the room substantially.
How many return vents should a house have?
Instead, there should be at least one return vent in every room, with two or three being ideal. If your house has only one return vent, this is not a problem — make sure to keep the doors open in every room so the air can circulate properly. Make sure there are no furniture, draperies, rugs, etc. blocking return vents.
How long can a return air duct be?
Duct Size - Single Return For most systems, the minimum duct size (see Table 1) is sufficient for up to 25 feet (8 m) with no more than three 90° bends.
Should every room have a return vent?
Does Every Room Need Air Return Grilles? While it is a myth that air return grilles are required in each and every room in the house, it is definitely necessary to have more than one of these grilles installed at strategic places in the house. The most important place to have these would be the bedroom.
How big should my return air duct be?
Multiply the tonnage, 3.5, by the total BTU per ton and this will give you the total BTU rating. Multiply 6 x 42 to determine the duct size of 252 square inches The clear are of the duct must be at least 252 square inches This measurement also includes the opening in the floor at the bottom of the return.
Can flexible duct be used for return air?
Yes, you can use flex ducts for your return air. However, to maximize its usefulness, it needs to conform to technical specifications such as its insulation rating, pressure checks, dust filters, duct sizing and placement, and lastly, the installation requirements.
Why is cold air coming out of my return vent?
So why is cold air coming out of your vents? It is most likely a leaky duct system—but you should have your home's heating efficiency checked out by an HVAC professional.
What size duct do I need for a 12x12 room?
A 12×12 foot room will need a 4×8 inch supply duct to get an adequate CFM rate, which is about 144 CFM.
Can you cover a return vent on the floor?
While you should have a filter on your air return vent to prevent too much dust or moisture from entering your air system and recirculating back to you, you should never actually cover a return air vent. Keep furniture and even curtains at least 10” away from the vent opening in order to allow for proper air flow.
Why are cold air returns on the floor?
They are located on the walls or floors; they are installed low on the wall because cold air has a higher density and it accumulates near the floor. Installed and open cold air return vent delivers cold air to the furnace; furnace returns heated air via ductwork.
What happens if there is not enough return air?
Not Enough Return Air Vents Each area that is receiving a measured amount of air should also be able to return the same amount of air to the system. If the return is not sufficient: The area becomes pressurized. The amount of airflow it can receive is limited.
Should each room have a return?
While it is a myth that air return grilles are required in each and every room in the house, it is definitely necessary to have more than one of these grilles installed at strategic places in the house. The most important place to have these would be the bedroom.
Low or high for HVAC return vent? - GreenBuildingAdvisor
In Minneapolis Zone 6 my general contractor and his HVAC sub insist that the proper return vent location is high on the wall near the ceiling. This seems counterintuitive as heat rises wouldn’t I want the returns low to circulate. As the supply heat enter to room and rises the return vent would draw that warm air back down. The opposite would be true when running our AC but we only run the ...
Adding a return air duct - should I go high or low?
I am adding a return air duct. The existing duct is high on the wall, as are all the supply ducts. I have identified two locations where I could add a return air duct, one is high and one is low. Should I go high or low, and why? The contractors say it's up to me where they will put it. All things being equal, I would go with the low one as it's less costly to do in this case.
Cold-air return: both high and low on wall? - DoItYourself.com ...
Ducting, Air Circulation and Ventilation Systems - Cold-air return: both high and low on wall? - Hello all, I recently moved into a new-to-me house, and it has duplicate cold air returns in the bedrooms. There are returns both near the floor and near the ceiling. The ones near the floor have damped grills. I presume
Adding a return air duct - should I go high or low?
I am adding a return air duct. The existing duct is high on the wall, as are all the supply ducts. I have identified two locations where I could add a return air duct, one is high and one is low. Should I go high or low, and why? The contractors say it's up to me where they will put it.
returns
I am adding a return air duct. The existing duct is high on the wall, as are all the supply ducts. I have identified two locations where I could add a return air duct, one is high and one is low. Should I go high or low, and why? The contractors say it's up to me where they will put it.
temperature rise
OK, so it's going in low. Now here's the next question. I'm putting in 3-ton AC for my 1800 sq ft house. The current R/A duct is 20x10, which most would agree at 200 square inches is too small. The location I have selected to add the second R/A will easily take a 20x10. Anything bigger than that would involve considerably more cost.
Why is it important to have a supply register in a large room?
The goal of good register placement is to keep the house as evenly heated or cooled as possible . To this end, every large room should have a supply register in it. Some supply registers may be connected and looped together in a web-like pattern while others terminate at several key end points.
What is a register in HVAC?
Registers are the vent openings that your HVAC system uses. Their placement is decided when your home is first built or when the duct work is being remodeled. If you have a chance to install new registers in a remodeling project, keep in mind that they are designed to supply air to your home after it has gone through the system ...
Where should return grills be placed?
Unless you're installing AC in the system or using the air-handler for constant circulation, or the house is designed to encourage temperature stratification (vaulted or high ceilings), return grills should be on the floor where they'll pick up the coldest air for reheating, improving the thermal transfer efficiency of the furnace.
Does SquibT have return air vents?
SquibT, My electrical contractor installed his return air vents staggered in his great room with a cathedreal ceiling. His Mech. contractor suggested he do this to like you said to redistribute the ceiling heat. And also remove the warmer air during the 2-3 cooling months.
