Cold Air Return In Floor Or Wall
Unlike supply vents return vents do not need to be cased in metal.
Cold air return in floor or wall. It differs from a register because it does not have a damper to control airflow. Heat rises to the top the cold air return is then pulling the coldest air in the room to the furnace this negative air pressure brings the hot air down and gives the room a more consistent temp. Because your body is in this path way you get the benefit of either hot air or cold air being drawn across your skin providing you comfort. By putting the cold air return on the floor it will vacuum up the cold air on the floor and draw down the warm air from the ceiling.
The problem comes when you use both heating and air conditioning. In most homes the builders will use the wall cavity as a cold air return. If the supply ducts are in the floor then the return air should be located up high. If you have this type of air return system in your home then you can have a vent at the ceiling and at the floor.
Homes will either have multiple small grilles throughout or a single large grille installed in either ceilings or walls. So turn the cold air return 90 degrees through the wall so that it actually draws the air from the room next to the furnace room or from the hallway of the basement. The function of a grille is to pull air from a room to return it to the heating or cooling system. The supply vents should be in the floor and the cold air return grilles are high on wall.
If you are in the far north or in the southern us the answer is simple. If you could see the air come out of the floor registers you d see it be pulled across and up through the room. 2 1 4 x 10 overall size 3 1 2 x 12 cast iron grill without damper zm ir 210 3 0 out of 5 stars 1. I feel he put in the minimum return air vents.
A cold air return is for cold air other wise it would be called just a return. He installed the return air vents in the wall cavity but they are only 1 inch above the floor. And at the floor. In a heating climate the return duct goes near the floor to draw off the cold air and heat it up.
However in one location there is a heat duct within 5 feet of the return air vent both at the floor. He claims that this method pulls the heat down from the ceiling and warms the room. Supply air from furnaces and air conditioners should be on outside walls. That means the space between two wall studs.
This pulls the air across your body. Ceiling or wall grate for return air intake or heat vents. In the picture you can see the cold air return close to the ceiling. In an air conditioning climate the return duct goes near the ceiling to draw off the hot air and cool it down.