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Can you put a cold air return in the basement?
Drawing the cold, damp, stale air, from the basement floor and sending it through the furnace and back to the whole house will improve the environment in the basement. Installing a cold air vent from the family room to the furnace should provide a constant change of air when the furnace is running.
How do you install a cold air return in a finished basement?
How do you install a return air duct in a basement?
How many return air vents do I need in my basement?
One 6″ sounds pretty small for a whole basement, you may need two. You can always close down if you get too much heat. Don’t split a small 4,5 or 6″ branch line. If a ceiling vent gets too little air it won’t be forced down and mix properly, it will just rise to the ceiling.
Do you need return vents in basement?
Finished Basement Air Duct Placement Depending on the square footage of the area you plan to finish, you may need to consider adding additional return vents. If you push more air into a new space, like a basement, air may become stale and not circulate as well.
Where should air returns 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.
Does finished basement need cold air return?
I recommend that all basements should have at least 2 supply registers and 1 return register in the basement/equipment area just to keep that area slightly warm or cool and the air fresh. If you are going to finish that area to be used as living space, then more supply and returns will be needed.
How many cold air returns do you need?
Having several return vents (ideally one in every room, but even two or three is better than just one) creates consistent air pressure. If you have one return vent, your home is fine. Keep the doors to each room open so air can properly circulate.
Can I use flexible duct for cold air return?
Flex duct doesn’t come in an R12 version, so you will have to wrap it. Its fine to use for a return.
How do you install a return air duct?
Step 1: Determine Where the Ducts Will Go. Locate where you want your return air ducts. Step 2: Begin Adding Panning. Go into the basement and locate the holes. Step 3: Enclose New Ductwork. Step 4: Add New Air Return Duct to Furnace. Step 5: Install New Air Filter. Step 6: Install Return Air Register Covers.
Do you need a return duct in every room?
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.
Can you have too many cold air returns?
Can an air return be too big? No, an air return cannot be too big, except in extreme cases where a closed room is temporarily under negative air pressure. Return vents maintain air pressure, filter out debris, and are critical to the efficient operation of any HVAC system.
How much return air do I need?
If your home is 2000 square feet, you can calculate your HVAC needs the same as you would for a 1600 square foot home. Assuming one ton of cooling capacity can cool 400 square feet of your home, you’ll need about 5.0 tons of air conditioning capacity. Multiply this by 12,000 BTUs, and you’ll get 60,000 BTUs.
Why is there a vent in my basement?
Even when your basement is not being used as living space, you still use it to store your utilities, including your water heater, furnace, and other utilities that need to stay warm. When cold air is vented into the basement, it will chill everything there, as well as the floor above.
Where should I put my return and supply ducts?
“An HVAC return air duct should be in every room except a bathroom and kitchen. They should be on interior walls across the room from the supply ducts that should be washing exterior walls with conditioned air.”.
How do I circulate cold air in my basement?
Keep your basement door open to easily allow cool air to enter the rest of the house. Install a ceiling fan near your basement entrance, such as in the kitchen near your basement doorway, to promote circulation of basement air into the rest of the home.
How far should a return be from a supply?
You are correct, the supply should be at one end of the room and the return at the other end.
Can a cold air return be in a closet?
No, it is a code violation. No return allowed in a closet.
Should AC returns be high or low?
In the winter you want the cold air to be drawn through the return registers leaving the hot air behind. By opening the lower registers and closing the top ones you keep hot air in and draw the cold air out. Since cold air is heavy it will automatically flow down to the lower register.
Can cold air returns be in the floor?
Return vents are usually larger than heat registers and can generally be found close to the ground or in the floor in older homes or on a wall close to a ceiling in newer homes.
Does a furnace need a cold air return?
In order for your furnace to run efficiently and your home to heat evenly, this airflow must be in balance. In other words, the amount of air that your furnace “breathes in” must equal the amount of air it “breathes out.” Cold air returns are what allow your furnace to “inhale” your home’s air.
