There are various components and parts of a heating and cooling system that work together to make sure you achieve optimum comfort in your home. Starting from the thermostat, heat exchanger, blowers, to the overall ductwork; the list of your furnace’s parts is endless. This article provides details on how to install return air duct in wall.
During the cooling and heating of your house, you’ll realize that your system’s ductwork plays a very key role in maintaining desired temperatures in your house. A furnace contains air supply ducts and returns air ducts that are responsible for circulating air into the heating system and out all over your rooms. A missing return or supply air duct on your system will introduce cold spots in some of your rooms due to improper heating. Therefore, we should be keen when installing your return ducts to ensure they are perfectly installed. Now, let’s find out how to install return air duct in wall.
What is an Air Return Duct?
The return air duct performs the task of carrying impure air from your house’s surroundings into your air handler or furnace where it’s circulated, heated, and then supplied all through the room via supply duct, through the supply vents.
The whole furnace is a complete heating and cooling circulatory system. Without the air return duct, the cycle will be incomplete thus making the furnace inefficient.
The return air duct acts as a host for the system’s filter since it intakes the incoming impure air from in and around your house. Lack of a return air duct will not only decrease your system’s efficiency but also sky strikes your energy bills rapidly.
Incoming air through the vents to the returning ductwork is filtered first before being sent to the heat exchangers. Typically, you’d be recommended to have a return duct in every room.
Things have however changed since some modern furnaces might come along with only a single return or maybe two. Considering the size of your house, you’ll eventually determine the structure of your ductwork and the whole heating and cooling system.
Where Should You Install Your Return Ducts?
Houses or apartments that contain several compartments or rooms are at the best position to enjoy this centralized air conditioning system. Meanwhile, you are advised to install the air return ducts near the thermostat. Note that return ducts are not a recommendation for the bathroom or kitchen.
Why Should You Install a Return Air Duct?
Homeowners should consider having an air return duct to enhance proper air circulation in and around the house. Return air ducts also help you save on energy costs since it recirculates the exhausted air in one’s house.
To heat or cool the air in your home, you just have to keep the device on and running. Every homeowner should remember to keep a maintenance schedule to lengthen the life cycle of this device.
How to Install Return Air Duct in Wall – Step By Step
1. Locating where to place the ducts
Before beginning your return air ductwork, you’ll first of all have to determine specific spots and positions where you’re going to install them. Using the appropriate equipment, bore a hole on the lower section of your drywall where you’re planning to install your return duct.
If you’re about to create new return registers on your existing house, watch your cutting keenly to avoid tampering with any electrical wiring across your walls. You can consider creating a tiny hole to check inside your wall before going on with the installation. Take your time to create the desired number of air holes required in certain rooms across the house.
2. Add panning
Go down to your basement and locate any holes you’d have created from your ground floor and start installing air panning. You’ll have to start with the farthest hole at the back going to the furnace. Make sure the pan fits starting from the farthest hole.
Connect the panning from the basement to the ground floor then create some holes in the panning which will be used as the air passage to the return air duct.
3. Enclosing the new duct network
Attach the square air ducts to cover up all the created holes you created in the panning before. On the top of the return air ducts, creating a hole aligning to the ones you created in the panning. You’re advised to insulate the ducts with a duct wrap to prevent heat loss or gain during air passage in the duct.
4. Installing new return air duct in the wall
Create a hole at the bottom of the return air duct just adjacent to the furnace. Hereby, you’ll attach the duct that runs down towards the furnace. Connect the bottom of your return duct to the filter rack then attach it to your furnace. Make adjustments by trimming the duct where necessary to make it fit.
5. Attaching a new Air-filter
Install your new HVAC filter to the filter rack. Using high-quality silicone caulk, barricade all the seams and joints of your return duct to enhance efficient energy performance.
6. Attaching register covers
Introduce all the air return registers above the holes created upstairs. The air return network is now functional and complete.
Balancing the Air Return Duct
If you want to fully experience the efficiency of your return duct, you’ll have to attach dampers on both the return and supply vents. You can perform this task even after installing your return ducts as long as the ducts can still be accessed.
However, you can still cut down your duct cover to allow some inflow of air. These specific rooms will have the ability to suck in more air thus using more suction power compared to the rest of the system.
How to Install Return Air Duct in Wall – Conclusion
Before we draw the curtains, we believe that you’ve learned and mastered how to install a return air duct in the wall. This network helps homeowners maintain good air quality, filtering, and good air pressure as well. Remember to read through the steps keenly to make sure you don’t commit any mistakes in between.
