![]() Since our heating and cooling system has the filter built-in to the air handler, the frame I made only needed to encase the opening and hold the metal screen. Directions on How to Make a Decorative Air Return Vent Cover: If you put “Kreg Jig” in the search box on her website, you’ll come up with all sorts of projects that you can make with it. If you’re unfamiliar with the Kreg Jig, here’s the link to a video from the super cute and talented, Ana White. The kit comes with an instructional DVD to help you get started. You can also order it on by clicking this link if you can’t find it in the stores.Ĥ. There were three different types of screens, but I the quatrefoil pattern was my favorite. Here’s the item number to help you find what you need. Decorative metal radiator screen found at Lowes. I used the same primed finger joint boards that I used for our gallery shelves.ģ. (affiliate links are included for your convenience)ġ. Supplies to make a decorative air return vent cover: To see where I was inspired for this project, head on over to my original hallway design board. ![]() With a few tools and some supplies from the local home improvement store, you can make a decorative air vent cover for about $40.00. I checked out the price on vent covers and quickly realized I didn’t want to spend $500.00 for a custom cover like ones I’ve seen on the internet. ![]() Over the past five years, I’ve been slowly getting rid of anything that screams 1980’s and adding little touches to give our home vintage-classic charm.Ĭlick here to see the rest of the board and batten hallway You don't want the system to circulate air from those places.The phrase, “it’s all in the details”, comes to mind when I think of what sets a basic-builder’s home apart from homes built back in the early to mid 1900’s. It is a big deal for those of us with furnaces in our crawlspaces or attics. If you've got your system in an interior utility closet, it's not such a big deal. even distribution of air among rooms) sealing return ductwork is important for indoor air quality. Sealing supply ductwork is important for energy savings and comfort (i.e. So if that's what your inspector meant by "sealing," then yes. You should also seal the connections around vents, caulk around return grilles, etc. You should always seal your ductwork, including the plenums, with mastic tape (Hardcast 1402 is top notch cheapo hardware store foil tape falls off) or actual mastic. Does the vent open into your living space or just pull air from the utility closet? If you're saying that there's a return vent on the plenum itself, that seems weird to me. Is it a metal box into which all the return air enters before being pulled into the furnace? If so, that's your plenum. The boxey thing is probably your return plenum. I've since sealed up my attic and built a "duct" around the upstairs return using Hardcast 1402 mastic tape and insulated flexible foam. The return was sucking attic air through that gap. It was sucking air not only from inside the wall, but also from the attic! There was a toilet vent pipe inside the same wall cavity that ran all the way into my attic through a big hole. The return on the second floor was actually just a hole in the bottom of a hall closet with a louvered door. This was the case in my house, and it's apparently pretty common. You want the duct to only be pulling air from the living space, not from inside your walls where there's fiberglass and so forth. After the hole is there, use a shop vac to suck the dust and metal shavings out of the ductwork before it gets to the air handler/furnace or hits a filter.Ĭheck to see if your returns actually have ductwork right behind them or if the duct just opens into a wall cavity. ![]() You just cut into your wall somewhere along the trunk line. This is actually pretty easy if you've got a central return/trunk line with metal ductwork. Adding a return reduces static pressure, makes the system quieter, and can help your equipment last longer. Since you're working on it anyway, consider adding a return to your system. It's better to get new "high velocity" or "high flow" grilles. Painting old registers and grilles is not a good idea since many old ones already have grille fins that are relatively close together compared to what's out there nowadays. I'm not an HVAC pro myself, but I'm comfortable saying I know more than the average person.įor starters, don't do anything to reduce airflow. I write educational materials and marketing communication stuff for an HVAC and home performance company.
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