|
| I have an oil-fired forced air furnace in the basement of a 2 floor, 2100 square foot house. I have about 16 floor vents to deliver heat, and 2 first floor returns, one 14x14, the other 8x14. Both feed into standard 8x16 return ducts. The furnace has a 20x20 filter.
My question is, do the two cold air returns deliver enough air to the furnace? This week, I covered up a 6x12 vent that had been cut into one of the basement return ducts. At some point the basement was heated. But I'm not sure if the return vent was to aid heat circulation in the basement, or to deliver more air to the furnace. (I figured I would be better off pulling cool air out of the house, not the cellar.) Does the furnace need more air than the two 1st floor returns deliver? The other question: with a stairwell bringing cooled 2nd floor air to the 14x14 1st floor return, will I gain anything from a 2nd floor return, if I were to add one? Thanks for staying with me this far! I appreciate the answers. |
Follow-Up Postings:
|
| The return air requirments are determined by the size of the furnace. How big is your furnace? Does the basement have a supply vent? Then is a good idea to have the return vent in order to balance the air pressure in the basement. The additional return air is a benefit. It is difficult to determine the added benefit of adding a second floor return. Are you seeing uneven temperature in the second floor rooms? |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Heating & Air Conditioning Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.