Full Answer
Should you have an air return in every room?
Having one central air return dirties up your house in much the same way. Except you can't pick your house up, turn it upside down, and shake out the yuck. In an ideal HVAC design, your home would have an air return in every bedroom.
Can an air Return Vent 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.
What happens if you don't have a return air duct?
Furthermore, without a return air duct in each major room, the supply duct air has to "push" all of the air in the room out of the way as it makes its way towards you. The return air ducts help pull the air as it is being pushed.
Are central returns bad for your HVAC?
Not only do central returns constitute less-than-ideal HVAC design - they can also increase the intensity of air leakage and create severe indoor air quality issues. So… yeah.
Can you have too many air returns?
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.
Can return duct be too big?
No such thing as too much return. It will not take in any more air than it pushes out, thus no such thing as too big. Its hard to imagine a return that is too big ,but you want the return to have some draw to evacuate an area.
How do I know if I have enough return air?
If you were to put a wet finger close to the vent that is generating airflow, you should be able to tell if there is a lot of airflow or not enough airflow. This is the simplest way to tell if you are getting enough return air. If you lick your finger and put it close to the return vents, you will feel the airflow.
How many air returns are needed?
Your Home May Not Have Sufficient Return Vents Having a number of return vents (preferably one in every room, but also 2 or three is far better than just one) creates regular air pressure. If you have one return vent, your house is great. Maintain the doors to every room open so air can properly flow.
How big should my return air be?
A typical return vent is 16 inches by 20 inches, according to Hunker.
Why do I have two air returns?
Having two air return vents allows you to seasonally control which air is returning to the HVAC system. In older homes, this may not be an option. The theory is that in the Summer cooling season, you want to be circulating warmer air back through the HVAC system to be cooled.
What happens if my return is too small?
If the return duct is too small, there are an inadequate number of return grilles or they are undersized, it can't return enough air to recirculate back into the system. The average duct system has 25% less return air than required according to National Comfort Institute.
Can a return air duct be too small?
Ducts that are undersized will increase the static pressure, which will result in excessive noise as air moves through the system. It is often loud enough to be distracting, so it will not be difficult to overlook and should be addressed, as undersized ducts overwork the heating unit.
Do I need a return vent 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.
How many return vents should I have?
Your Home Might Not Have Enough Return Vents 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.
Where should air returns be located?
If you are in the far north, or in the Southern US, the answer is simple. In an air conditioning climate the return duct goes near the ceiling to draw off the hot air and cool it down. In a heating climate, the return duct goes near the floor to draw off the cold air and heat it up.
Should cold air returns be high or low?
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.
What happens if you don't have enough air in your HVAC?
If you do not have an equal amount of air going back to your HVAC unit, you will have too much pressure going out and not enough coming back in. Eventually, this is going to be a problem. Some of the problems you can have with the lack of sufficient return airflow include warm or cold spots in your home, higher utility bills, ...
What does it mean when a room doesn't have a return air vent?
Those rooms that do not have return air vents are not going to get good circulation. That means less heat or conditioned air in those spots. Just like your own circulation system, if you do not get enough flow in that area, it can be bad.
How many return air vents do I need?
Generally speaking, you should only need one return air vent per room in your home. However, you may need additional air vents for larger sized rooms. Regardless, the number of return air vents that your home requires depends on the size of your house, the size of the rooms, the ductwork, your particular HVAC system, and a variety of other factors. ...
How does a return air duct work?
The system pulls in air through the return air ducts and pushes it out through the supply vents. There are return ducts and supply ducts so that the airflow continues to flow uninterrupted. When you do not have enough air return vents, the system has to pull air from somewhere else. It will continue to search for small holes or cracks ...
Why does my air conditioner freeze?
The lower airflow will make your home uncomfortable. It can cause air conditioner coils to freeze. Unbalanced leaks can increase the pollutants in your home. This may cause a crack in the heat exchanger, which can lead to carbon monoxide in your home.
What happens if you block an HVAC vent?
Think of it as your bloodstream. If you have a blockage somewhere, it is going to cause a buildup or possible stroke along with your circulation system eventually. If you do not have an equal amount ...
How does air circulation work?
The ducts supply your rooms with cooled or warmed air to keep your home at a comfortable temperature all year long. The system pulls in air through the return air ducts and pushes it out through the supply vents. There are return ducts and supply ducts so that ...
How to tell if an undercut allows enough air movement?
The only way to find out whether an undercut allows enough air movement is to perform a pressure test for the individual room. Here's the good news. This is a pretty easy problem to fix. There's almost always a way to improve airflow, reduce infiltration, and curb energy loss when you have a single central return!
What is attic air?
Or attic air. In other words, there's a lot of air infiltration . Bedrooms only get supply air, putting them under substantial positive pressure when doors are closed. Instead of returning to the home's HVAC system, the conditioned air leaks from the bedroom to the outdoors. Dirtier air.
Can you pick up your house with one central air return?
Having one central air return dirties up your house in much the same way. Except you can't pick your house up , turn it upside down, and shake out the yuck. In an ideal HVAC design, your home would have an air return in every bedroom.
Can central air return cause energy loss?
At the same time, it could be causing energy loss in upstairs bedrooms - or any upstairs rooms that aren't connected to an air return.
Can you have negative pressure in an upstairs hallway?
Though rare, negative pressure in an upstairs hallway can be so severe that the central return starts pulling CO from gas appliances. When you don't have an equal pressure balance across the house - and you have combustion appliances inside an unvented, conditioned space - this scenario is possible.
Can central air return be used in HVAC?
A single central air return. Not only do central returns constitute less-than-ideal HVAC design - they can also increase the intensity of air leakage and create severe indoor air quality issues. So… yeah. We don't like them.
