Return Air Duct Attic

My 1948 ranch house has supply ducts in the crawlspace return ducts in the attic.

Return air duct attic.

This pulls the air across your body. To maintain balanced air pressure and air movement your duct system needs return vents for air in the room to be pulled back into the hvac system. The 1 800 square foot brick ranch in climate zone 4 dates from the 1960s but the previous owner installed both a furnace and ductwork in the attic just four years ago. If the supply ducts are in the floor then the return air should be located up high.

While none of these spaces makes an acceptable air pathway on its own some building cavities such as floor joists can make acceptable duct chases to contain an insulated air sealed metal or flex supply or return duct. I ve replaced the supply ducts and have insulated and encapsulated my crawlspace according to the best methods presented on this site. Ted has more than a few cobwebs in his attic. That s right your heating and air system is nothing more than a big circulation unit.

The unconditioned space also houses his hvac system. Return ducts in my attic. A return duct is the part of the system that carries the air back to the furnace or air handler where it will then be circulated back out through the supply vents. The takeoff rotates to make it easier to fit the duct into place.

Not providing enough returns is a common ductwork design flaw that leads to comfort complaints. At 21c i d guess you have a lot of leaks on the return side. A return air temp b outside air temp c airflow across evaporator coil d return air leaks from attic if you measure supply and return temperatures at the grille and at the air handler you can get an good idea of where your biggest losses are occurring. In the summer the return duct removes warm air from inside and transports it to the outside to be conditioned.

I have a couple questions. The damper control indicator will show you whether the damper is open or closed. Return air openings for heating ventilation and air conditioning systems shall comply with all of the following. The return air vent openings need to be on the opposite side of the room so the conditioned air is pulled across the room.

Without the return duct the air in the home would not be able to properly circulate. I ve read a bunch of articles here and on bsc s site concerning ducts in the attic. The ducts through which the air travels are part of a sealed system that usually is located in the attic for structures with slabs or under the floors on structures that are raised off the ground. Openings shall not be located less than 10 feet 3048 mm measured in any direction from an open combustion chamber or draft hood of another appliance located in the same room or space.

Air handler platforms used as return air plenums can draw air from vented attics and crawlspaces through other connected framing cavities.