Question for the HVAC guys
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grizzlydave
Member
Whenever i do a residential install they get high and low returns , especially if its a 2 story home with only 1 f/a system
Birdhunter1
Veteran Member
Yes you can run your return duct through the ceiling, not the most ideal place for them but I am guessing your house is going to be built on a slab of concrete?
If so I suggest being very particular that all your radiant heat lines are tied to the wire in exact intervals throughout the house, and I would also lay them out in a fashion that a room maybe has 3 different loops of tubing rather than fed by one room. reason being if it ever leaks in concrete it is pretty much disabled, but if that one loop feeds a part of 4 or rooms you won't readily notice the difference, but if it only feeds one room you will know it is not getting heat.
If so I suggest being very particular that all your radiant heat lines are tied to the wire in exact intervals throughout the house, and I would also lay them out in a fashion that a room maybe has 3 different loops of tubing rather than fed by one room. reason being if it ever leaks in concrete it is pretty much disabled, but if that one loop feeds a part of 4 or rooms you won't readily notice the difference, but if it only feeds one room you will know it is not getting heat.
I was thinking of the return duct up high on the wall. The duct would go down the wall to the crawl space, not thru the ceiling.
I was thinking this would make use of hot air at the ceiling to feed the air handler in the winter.
Not sure how that would affect the AC in the summer?
grizzlydave
Member
AS WIERD AS IT SOUNDS YOU WOULD WANT TO PULL HOT AIR FROM THE CEILING IN THE SUMMER ALSO ! THIS WILL GIVE YOU A MORE EVEN TEMP THOUGHOUT THE ROOMS ! I LIKE TO INSTALL ONE REGISTER 1 FOOT ABOVE THE FLOOR AND ONE 6 INCHES BELOW THE CEILING BOTH WITH DAMPERS SO YOU CAN SHUT OFF THE LOW REGISTER IN THE SUMMER AND THE HIGH ONE IN THE WINTER .
Birdhunter1
Veteran Member
Sorry I must have read your original post wrong, yes it is advisable to draw the warm air off your ceiling in the summer as Dave stated it will draw the warm air off your ceiling and give you a more even temperature throughout your house. I have never done one like he talked about to draw the cooler air in the winter but it sounds like a good idea. We just never wanted to justify cluttering someones house up with registers everywhere on walls. The way we did them at the top of the wall (typically a 6" tall opening either 1 or 2 stud spaces wide depending on room size) and I have never heard a complaint. My parents house was done this way in the 70's, I worked for the same guy 20 years later and that is where I cut my teeth in the HVAC world.
So a crawlspace with radiant heat flooring. I was assuming concrete, however I do believe they make a clamp kit that you attach the piping to the floor, I assume you are thinking of using pex pipe? I have never done one in anything besides concrete but I would think maybe install your radiant piping, do all your plumbing and electric, and last when everything is done hire a person to come in and spray foam the entire underneath of the floor in the joist spaces. That would beat the heck out of cutting and installing fiberglass or anything else. The stuff works well.
hizoot
Gold Member
I too prefer ceiling mount filter grills. But more importantly, is location. If the home is small...less than 1800sq.ft,then try and centralize as best you can. actually,its best to always centralize,but add another in the master suite if its a larger home. If the duct is in a unconditioned attic,limit the ductwork as best you can.....the longer the air travels thru the hot/cold attic, the more heatgain/loss you'll experience. Insulation is the best energy saving dollars you can spend.....Much more so than going up in SEER rating. Put the money in insulation instead.
Randy(I prefer icyonene (sp?) spray foam.)
Air-Tech Service
Randy(I prefer icyonene (sp?) spray foam.)
Air-Tech Service
Thanks for the ideas guys.
Grizzlydave, I'm assuming you mean a register, high and low, on the same duct in the wall?
Birdhunter1, I'm adding an extra plate at the bottom of the walls and putting pex right on the floor, then fill the 1.5" bottom plate with gyp crete.
Hizoot, The house is about 1800 sf. The main great room looks like your typical tall "A" frame running N to S with high cathedral ceilings and two small bedrooms with loft overhead at the north end of the room. Off of each side ( east & west ) will be "wings". One will be the master bedroom, the other kit/dinning/utility etc.
Would a centralized return tend to favor the great room?
Grizzlydave, I'm assuming you mean a register, high and low, on the same duct in the wall?
Birdhunter1, I'm adding an extra plate at the bottom of the walls and putting pex right on the floor, then fill the 1.5" bottom plate with gyp crete.
Hizoot, The house is about 1800 sf. The main great room looks like your typical tall "A" frame running N to S with high cathedral ceilings and two small bedrooms with loft overhead at the north end of the room. Off of each side ( east & west ) will be "wings". One will be the master bedroom, the other kit/dinning/utility etc.
Would a centralized return tend to favor the great room?
grizzlydave
Member
yes 2 registers in the same duct , from the sounds of it you could put 1 set in the master and 1 set in the great room . If the lay-out works you can pan off 1 joist for both . i would have to agree with hizoot insulation will beat anything else as far as savings , plus the new high seer units are a pain in the back side when they go down , you almost have to be a electrical engineer to figure them out
