Hey everyone,
Have a friend that just had a house built – standard McMansionesque….anyhow I noticed the return ducts were just fashioned out of the studbays as I have seen on older houses. I always thought that the practice was rather suspect and i know it has been discussed before, but are there codes that prohibit it now????? Or is it just at the local level???
Please inform Thanks!!
E
Replies
Do a search on my name, I asked a similar question. Basicly, it can be any non-flamable material as long as it is properly sealed.
Rebuilding my home in Cypress, CA
Also a CRX fanatic!
If your hair looks funny, it's because God likes to scratch his nuts. You nut, you.
Those systems are engineered to work efficiently in the stud bays. In my thirty years in MI, I never saw it done any other way and I worked in some very high end homes.
If it works, it doesn't need fixing.
Bob's next test date: 12/10/07
The acceptability of using unlined stud/joist cavities as return plenums does vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Check your local codes. Some allow unlined cavities to be used, some require the cavity to be lined (usually with light guage sheet metal) and some do not allow cavities to be used as plemuns.
The practice is common, and if done properly, is perfectly acceptable. As with any construction practice, the key phrase being "if done properly". Selecting and/or sealing the cavity used to eliminate the possiblity of inducing envelop inleakage is critical.