effieciency of heat ducts in floor versus ceiling

Brad White_30

I favor alternating in a given room, meaning if I supply low along the perimeter I return high at the interior. Cross flow and all that.

In a room with a lot of glass, supply low below the glass (or put in a radiant floor a decision you will not regret :) )

NC I see as having a wide range of climates. The mountains get a tad chilly and summers anywhere just plain muggy so there are more particulars. But for AC comfort it is all in humidity control so do not over-size. Distribution is not as critical generally for cooling if common sense is used. (Keeping supplies and returns remote from one another).

In a two-story space, if large enough, I would supply some air low, some air high and all return high given a choice. In winter the high return destratifies. In summer any warm air off the ceiling will increase system efficiency (higher temperature difference at the coil).

Returns I never put in the floor. Housekeepers of all stripes see it as a floor-sweep. Like magic the dust disappears!

If in a wall in a room with high supply, I would locate them above the baseboard trim at least 6 inches above the floor. If in a room with low supply outlets, mount the returns high, wall or ceiling is fine.

As an added bonus I like to use filter-back grilles. This first stage keeps the ductwork cleaner and prolongs the unit filter life. Just remember they can be large to compensate for filter area so you may want them out of primary views.

arauch

location of heat and ac ducts

We are building in nc and are debating where to locate our heat/ac ducts. We have 9' ceilings most places with an area with a 2 story ceiiing. We also have pets. The question is for effieciency and cleanliness, what is the best place to locate these ducts? thanks, ar

S Ebels

My personal opinion

For matters of efficiency, cleanability, air inflitration and a host of other reasons, air ducts should always be within the conditioned space of a structure. It's just common sense.