Which air return vents should be open?

Changing With The Seasons

In the same way that hot air rises, cold air stays lower. So when you're trying to heat your home, your lower return vents should be open to collect the cold air and your upper return vents should be closed to keep the heat from escaping.

Which return vent should be open in summer?

Open High Returns in the Summer

Therefore, opening the right return vents in the summer and winter significantly improves the distribution of air by your forced-air system. You'll also enjoy more even heating and cooling throughout your home. In the summer, open your high returns and close the low ones.

Do return vents need to be open?

Because hot air rises and cold air falls, you need to adjust your return vents with the seasons. In the summer, your lower vents should be closed and your upper vents should be open. In the winter, your upper vents should be closed and your lower vents should be open.

Should cold air return vents be up or down?

Adjust Return Registers for Winter

It's important to remember that hot air rises and cold air falls. 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.

What vents should be open in the winter?

The upper return vents should be closed while the lower return vents should be open. Cold air is heavier than hot air, thus, it settles at the bottom. The open vents at the bottom will heat the air effectively when the upper vents are closed. Less warm air will escape from the eaves and cracks in the attic or walls.

Air Flow: Supply and Return in your Home

Should I close upstairs vents in winter?

If you have a top/bottom return vent setup, close the top vents in the winter months. Closing the top vents will make your system draw in air from the bottom vents that are at the low point in the room where cold air settles.

Why is my bedroom hotter than the rest of the house in winter?

First, check for these common problems: Dirty air filter—A dirty filter restricts airflow, not letting your home get enough cool air. Closed vents—Closed vents in rooms can cause them to be hotter than other rooms. Open windows—Your conditioned air can flow out of open windows, leaving uneven temperatures in your home.

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.

Why is there two air vents in my room?

If your home has central heating and cooling, you'll notice two types of vents on your walls. Supply vents: These are the vents that blow air into each room. The conditioned air goes from your air conditioner or furnace, travels through the ductwork and exits out the supply vents.

Should crawl space vents be open or closed in the summer?

Vote: open and close crawlspace vents seasonally

Building codes generally require working vents in the crawlspace to allow outside air to circulate under the floor in the summer to prevent moisture buildup that, among mildew and mold, encourages wood rot.

Is it OK to block return vents?

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.

Should return vents have filters?

In general, it is recommended to have an air filter in every return vent (as long as you choose the one of the right size and thickness). The filters will improve the air quality in your house and will protect the HVAC equipment from dust, pollen, pet dander, and hair.

How do I even out the heat in my house?

How do you balance upstairs and downstairs temperature?

Keep the air moving by turning on the fan setting of your home's thermostat. Turn the fan from “auto” to “on”. The fan will circulate the air continually throughout the home and can help even out temperatures between floors.

Why is my upstairs hot and downstairs cold?

You Have Poor Attic Insulation, Leaking Air Ducts or Blocked Soffit Vents. Poor attic insulation, leaking air ducts and blocked soffit vents can also cause your home to have hot upstairs and cold downstairs. To check if your attic has sufficient insulation or not, look out for attic floor joists.

How many return air vents should a house 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.

Why does my house have so many return vents?

Your return vents are an indispensable part of the HVAC system in your house. They function to keep your interior pressurized as well as the interior air clean as they feed air to the air handler.

How do you use return air vents?

The best location of the return vents depends on whether the system is heating or cooling the air. If it's cooling, the return vents should be near the ceiling, where the warm air collects, but if it's heating, the return vents should draw cool air from the floors.

Why are cold air returns near the ceiling?

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.

Why is cold air coming out of my return vent?

So why is cold air coming out of your vents? It is most likely a leaky duct system—but you should have your home's heating efficiency checked out by an HVAC professional.

What will blocking a cold air return do?

In the heating cycle, blocked cold air returns can cause the heat exchanger inside the blower compartment to store too much heat and eventually crack. If the cracks are too large, the furnace can emit carbon monoxide into your home's air.

Why is one side of my house colder?

If one room in your house is colder than the rest, the first things to inspect are the heating vents, ductwork and thermostat readings. Inspections of this sort should be performed at least once yearly.

Why is my room so dusty?

“The bedroom, for example, has a tendency to generate dust from the bedding fibers, dust mites, and skin cells. If a room has carpet and other upholstered furniture, dust levels increase even more.”

Does closing doors keep house warmer?

Contrary to common belief, closing off a room can actually make your heating less efficient. When interior doors are kept shut, the pressure in the room increases because the flow of air is now blocked.