This would be very unwise and the recommendation is to never place furniture over or in front of vents. If vents and air conditioning, in general, were not absolutely necessary for your home, the system would not have been installed and those aesthetically boring vents would not have been affixed into your home.
Is it bad to put furniture next to air vents?
Placing wood furniture on or too near air vents will almost certainly damage the wood. The forced air is very drying and could cause joints to loosen and boards to crack. If another piece of furniture is blocking the vent, exceptionally moist conditions in the room might cause wood furniture to warp.
How far apart should furniture be from air conditioning vents?
Follow sensible and safe guidelines for furniture placement when you have to work around vents. Leave at least 18 inches between furniture and vents to promote free air flow.
Can you put a sofa over a furnace vent?
Never mind that you would love to have a toasty warm room in the dead of winter, that sofa, highboy, or bookcase over the vent could also wreck your furnace. A furnace works with a metal coil called a heat exchanger that heats the air forced across it by the system's blowers.
How do you protect furniture from fire ventilation?
Respect the nature of your wood pieces, especially fragile antiques, and keep them out of the line of fire of a vent to prevent excessive swelling or shrinking and the resultant damage. As a last-ditch solution when vents and furnishings collide, invest in an air deflector.
Is it OK to block air vents with furniture?
It is best practice not to cover vents with furniture. If you place furniture atop a vent, it may dry out the wood and damage your expensive sofa or armoire. You may also cause your furnace or air conditioner to work harder, resulting in a higher utility bill or premature wear to your system.
How far should furniture be from return air vent?
Keep couches, chairs and other large pieces of furniture at least 10 inches away from your cold air return vents. Avoid covering your cold air return vents with curtains, drapes or rugs. Always check your air filters and replace them when needed.
How much space do you need between air vents and furniture?
Vent Clearance All your air vents need at least six inches of clearance from all furniture, drapes or other household items to ensure proper system breathing.
Is it OK to block a return vent?
It's important not to block your return air vent because your HVAC system needs constant return air to work properly. Blocked air return ducts will cause your system to lose energy efficiency and cause premature failure of your HVAC system. This does not mean you don't have many options for hiding your return air vent.
Is it OK to cover a return air vent?
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.
Can covering a heat vent cause a fire?
Perhaps the most obvious (and most dangerous) result of a blocked vent is that it will cause a fire.
Can you put a rug over a vent?
1:465:19Small, Area/Runner, Rug Hack for Floor Vents #InteriorDesign ...YouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnd then I put the vent floorcovering. Over it and it looks beautiful it's perfectly centered inMoreAnd then I put the vent floorcovering. Over it and it looks beautiful it's perfectly centered in front of my double sliding glass door and the vent cover actually helps keep that area rug in place.
How much clearance do you need for floor vents?
Floor vents should have 6 to 10 inches of clearance from other fixtures to avoid blocking airflow. Air moves much more freely in and out of your HVAC system when you have more space.
Why put furniture over a central air vent?
Put the furniture over the vent in summertime, and you decrease the overall air flow from a central air-conditioning system . Blocking a vent or vents creates a pressure imbalance that causes the system to work harder, produce less cool air, use more expensive energy, and potentially results in a frozen coil -- a very expensive repair ...
What happens when a furnace vent is blocked?
When a vent is blocked, less cool air flows across the heat exchanger, which then overheats, and expands, and cracks. Huge bill, very chilly house, unhappy homeowner. It's unlikely but not impossible that blocking a heating vent and causing the furnace apparatus to overheat could cause a fire. Advertisement. Put the furniture over the vent in ...
How does a furnace work?
A furnace works with a metal coil called a heat exchanger that heats the air forced across it by the system's blowers. When a vent is blocked, less cool air flows across the heat exchanger, which then overheats, and expands, and cracks. Huge bill, very chilly house, unhappy homeowner. It's unlikely but not impossible that blocking a heating vent and causing the furnace apparatus to overheat could cause a fire.
Why does wood warp when it's in the air?
Wood cells are made to contain water, and even as lumber, the wood in your furniture will shrink and swell as the humidity in the environment changes. Placing wood furniture on or too near air vents will almost certainly damage the wood. The forced air is very drying and could cause joints to loosen and boards to crack. If another piece of furniture is blocking the vent, exceptionally moist conditions in the room might cause wood furniture to warp.
Why does my wood furniture warp?
If another piece of furniture is blocking the vent, exceptionally moist conditions in the room might cause wood furniture to warp.
Why do you need air circulation in a room?
Air circulation helps to lower humidity and dry the room. Park a big hunk of upholstery -- or your prized Persian carpet -- over the vent, and you might relegate that piece and other furnishings in the room to landfill status. Advertisement.
Do vents need to be blocked?
The short answer to this question is "No ." Vents are there to provide for a necessary free flow of air. Block that flow, and your home will run sub-optimally, and you could even cause damage to your HVAC system.
Placing furniture in front of wall vent
Hello. I have a heating and cooling register on a wall in a room with limited wall space for furniture. I would like to place a solid buffet on the wall which would block the vent.
Comments (5)
Is it a register, or a cold air return? (ie, does air come out, or get drawn in?)
