Most people have air conditioning and in modern homes there will be a hot air return vent located near the ceiling just above the cold air return vent which will always be at floor level. You will also only find these hot air return vents on the second floor of two story homes since hot air always rises and at the ceiling level in one story homes. In the spring you may have closed the bottom cold air return vents which forces the air return to the furnace to be drawn from the ceiling were the air is hottest. This improves the cooling effectiveness of your system and provides a more comfortable environment in your home.
Cold air as you may know falls to the lowest levels while hot air rises. By closing the bottom vent you are forcing the hot air to be drawn into the return system to be cooled by the air conditioner. Opening the cold air vent in the fall allows the cold air to be drawn to the furnace and heated.
Adjusting Cold Air Return Vents
Our cold air return vents actually have a lever that allows us to open or close the vent depending on the time of the year. It is a small lever that you can push up or down depending on what you want to do. Some homes may not come with these kinds of vents so home owners may need to place a magnetic cover over the vent to prevent air from entering. Make sure that you are covering the cold air vent at the floor level and not the one at the ceiling. You would only do this in the spring when you are about to turn on the air conditioning. If you do not have a hot air return vent at the ceiling level, then do not cover your cold air return vent. The furnace will not receive sufficient air to circulate.
Winter Time – Open Your Cold Air Return Vents
Once winter arrives, you want to have the cold air at floor level drawn into the air return system. It is time to open these vents if they are closed. Allow the cold air to return to the furnace to be heated. Since cold air is so heavy, it will automatically flow to the lowest level into cold air return vents.
Why Should we Open and Close These Vents
There are a couple of reasons. The most straightforward reason is that you want the air to flow in an optimum way. It should either cool or heat your home as fast as possible so that you are comfortable. Another reason, is the cost of energy as it increases. Consumers want to save as much money as possible by reducing their energy foot print. Using your homes air circulation system efficiently, you can actually save money. They can reduce their annual costs to heat and cool their home.
In the winter time also utilize the suns rays to heat your home in the day time. Close the blinds in the evening to provide that extra layer of insulation around your windows. The reverse would be done in the summer time. Consumers should prevent the suns rays from coming into the home and overheating the house.
It Only Takes a few Minutes
This is a simple thing to do and it only takes a few minutes twice a year to do. The motivation of our site is to help home owners save money. It leaves more money in your pocket for other needs.
If you have thoughts about this, please leave us a constructive comment. Our readers will appreciate it.
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View Comments (5)
One plumber says to adjust vents for the season and another says keep them all open. Who is right?
They are both right. It depends on what is in the rooms and whether there is any concern that cold temperatures will harm the contents of the room. For example, if there are water pipes in the walls of the room, keep the vents open so that the room is heated and kept at a reasonable temperature. It just makes sense. If the room or area is damp, keep the heat on to avoid mold growth even in low temps. If the structure could be damaged in some manner, keep the heat on and the vents open.
Does every room in the house need a cold air vent?
every room does not need a cold air vent, but there needs to be a clear air path from the room to a cold air vent. if you close the door to the room without a cold air vent in it, the room will not receive much air circulation from the furnace.
i always close vents in unused rooms every winter. good pint about making sure that there are no water pipes in that room, otherwise they could freeze.