…Cold air returns?
We’re retrofitting the bungalow for A/C and we need cold air returns, obviously. To save money, the HVAC guys were suggesting some of the placements near the ceiling IN THE MIDDLE OF (or worse, slightly off center) long sweeps of beautiful bungalow wall.
What on earth?
Design-wise, this sounds like a bad idea to me. Of course I want these things to work well. But I don’t want my eye to wander down some (finally!) nicely stripped molding and plaster and BAM! A cold air return.
Where do you stash these things so they are less noticeable? Anyone have any in their own house and feel quite proud of a clever “hide”?
p.s. And why don’t house design books ever discuss this? All the “necessities” for HVAC, electricity and plumbing with some elegant ways to incorporate them into the design or hide them? I never see that. Do the people in these house books not have heat? Or A/C? etc? Maybe not.
Replies
I'm not a heat 'n air guy, so I defer to them on return placement. But an architect did have me build this return cover. It's poplar and was painted. Go with the flow<G>
Don't worry, we can fix that later!
Edited 5/15/2004 7:45 pm ET by bucksnort billy
In the floor.
hmmm..
i've seen some stuff stashed inside cold air returns....never thought of stashing the return itself...
I'd suggest in a closet behind all the clothes *G* that's were they were in the recent house model...
dopes.
Edited 5/15/2004 11:53 pm ET by CAG
If we get the word on where the stash is stashed do we unstash the stash???
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming.... WOW!!! What a Ride!
You could do something like install a dropped cornice trim, and put the return behind that (spread out into a wide slot). A drapery valance could also be used (except that that's an inconvenient place for the return, duct-wise).
I don't have any ideas for hiding the vent up high, but if you put the vent low you can "hide" it by putting it in a louvered door. The door is a dummy door to nowhere, but doesn't look so out of place.
Rich Beckman
Another day, another tool.
Here's some places: inside closets; inside built-in cabinets, for instance a vanity; in hallways, where you only get a glancing view; in the toe-kick of kitchen cabinets; or behind doors which will stand open most of the time. For some of these locations, you may need to use louvers or some other way to assure that the air flow is not blocked.
The thermal loop says that hot air rises and cold air drops so if the system is AC dominant then high returns would be most appropriate.
If we look at the delivery it would also have high delivery points.