Help in placing one last cold air return..

grantiman

Installing a new heating system only. A retired friend I know that use to be in the heating business drew me a diagram of where I should cut my floor for heat registers and cold air returns. Some of his placements wouldn't work because of joist, electric, drain pipes, and furniture issues so I had to change a few of my heat registers and return air runs. I need to put a 6x12 cold air floor return in the living room, the only spot I have that will work is on my living room /closet bedroom wall. The blk squares in the picture shows where "I can" put a cold air return, the blue arrow shows my heat register which would be 9 feet away if I put the return near the inside corner. I could also put a return at the end of my wall which would be 9 feet away from my other cold air return in the hallway. Does it matter which end of the wall I install it?

Jamie Hall

Not that much. Try to have the returns as far from the supplies as you can…

grantiman

I need one return in the living room, I can either put it towards the inside corner which is 9 feet away from a heating register, or put it at the end of the wall witch is 13 feet away from the heating register. If I put it at the end of the wall, I also have another 6x28 return in the hallway 10 feet away from the living room, would there be a problem with 2 returns being that close?

EBEBRATT-Ed

No problem put it near the other return in the hallway

grantiman

When you say put it near to the other hallway return, do you mean put it on the end of my living room wall where the black square is?

mattmia2

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1843144#Comment_1843144

yes.

you want the returns as far from the supplies as possible so the supply doesn't short circuit in to the return but circulates around the room. 2 returns near each other isn't an issue. returns just need to not be separated from a supply by a door or something like that.

grantiman

Because of furniture issues in the living room I had to switch a couple return vents. They wanted two 6x14 returns in the living room and one 6x14 in the hallway, I had to switch them around. Now I'll have one 6x14 in the living room and two 6x14 returns in the hallway, is this going to be a problem with only one return drawing enough air from the living room?

mattmia2

Should be fine if the spaces are open to each other. You could cut the return in to the wall at the baseboard too. It is more work but it doesn't take up floor space.

EdTheHeaterMan

As it looks to me, that living room and hall does not have a door to separate them. Since the living room communicates with the hall ,then you can do what you need to do. The supply air from the living room register(s) will make its way to all three of the returns regardless of the location.

grantiman

I didn't think I could cut the return into the wall, it would look a lot nicer. How would you get a 6x14 cut in the floor when it's in a 2x4 wall?

mattmia2

You would cut in to 2 stud bays and connect the 2 bays together underneath the joists. Might need to support the bottom of the stud in the middle somehow or head it off to the adjacent studs. i'm not so sure about the framing part of it and most of the stuff i have seen was pretty half **** framing wise.

You might only need one stud bay if you cut the full width. You need an equivalent area, the height and width aren't important as long as it is the same area.