Duct returns take air from within a room and deliver it back to the heating and cooling equipment where it is filtered and reconditioned. They are usually categorized as either central or multiple-room design.
Multiple-room duct return systems:
- Take air from each room, particularly those that tend to be cut off from the rest of the house
- Allow airflow returned from every room even with the doors closed
- Minimize pressure imbalances
- Improve your privacy
- Operate quietly
Central duct return systems:
- Are comprised of large grilles that are installed in central areas of your home, like stairways or hallways
- Require grilles to be located near the air handler
- Often feature a central return grille located on each floor
- Require the installation of jumper ducts, or short ducts routed through the ceiling, to minimize noise transfer
No matter which type of design you choose, the goal of good duct return design should be to ensure that you have proper airflow, efficient heating and cooling, and economical duct installation, while allowing you to close doors to ensure privacy and comfort.
If your duct return system leaks, it cannot distribute the air through your home properly. As a result, some rooms will be too hot, while others are too cold. In addition, an unbalanced system may force the conditioned air outside your home, and pull unconditioned air inside. This mistake can increase energy costs and can draw humidity and contaminants like dust and mold into your home.
Low airflow rates are a byproduct of undersized duct returns, or designs that have several bends. This causes your entire system to operate inefficiently and can lead to high air pressure, which increases noise.
At Around the Clock Air Conditioning and Heating, we know how to design or repair your duct returns so that all rooms in your home are the right temperature. We can perform a heat gain and loss calculation for each room and determine where you may be losing airflow or energy. If you live in or around Los Angeles or San Fernando Valley, contact us today to schedule an appointment.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about duct returns and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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