On Mon, 09 Jul 2007 06:47:46 -0700, DerbyDad03
wrote:

I have two answers for this, one on topic and one somewhat off topic,
that should follow within 12 hours.

(stolen without permission) from http://ludwig-associates.com/. Jerry

in western New York

Democrat and Chronicle
Column # 27-07
July 7, 2007

There are two basic reasons why your HVAC system does not have
basement returns.One, in our climate, the systems are designed
primarily for heating. This is normally true whether or not one adds
central cooling. Thus, circulating air on the first and second floors
is the primary focus of the system's design.

Despite his first sentence, and that this is a common way of thinking,
this is not a reason why it doesn't have them. What he says is that
even though houses have heating and air conditioning, heating is the
primary goal in laying out the ducts, so they didn't consider air
connditioning. That's not a reason, that's a failure. Or it's a
reason why the failure is not so bad. But it's not a *reason* they
don't include those ducts.

However, the second and most important reason why there are not cold
air returns in the basement is one of safety.

The ONLY cold air return is my house is in my basement. The basement
has two rooms and the return is on the other side of the wall from the
furnace, and the door is 3/4 of the way along the wall from the
furnace, so it's almost as far as it can be, but it's still in the
basement.

Because most heating
systems rely on natural fuels to provide heat, keeping returns away
from potential hazards in the basement is an important design
criteria.

I guess I'm at risk.
...
Finally, the basement can be damp and musty, even on a good day.

Maybe a basement can be, but my basement is almost never damp or
musty, even on a humid day. Even the day after the drain has backed
up. Let alone a normal day.

Spreading this tainted air around the house can create indoor moisture
and odor issues during winter months.

24 years, and I've only had an odor for 6 weeks at the end of last
winter, and only from one vent. For this I should give up 24 years of
cooling?

Supply registers are often used to supply the basement with warm
circulating air during winter months and I usually recommend that the
warm air registers be kept open during the winter months. Finished
basement rooms are often supplied with warm air registers, although
often some type of auxiliary heat may be necessary to keep the rooms
at a comfortable temperature.

Even with a warm air register? Basements don't get as warm in the
summer or as cold in the winter.

My advice is to allow the basement to remain cool during the summer
while using the air conditioning system as necessary to keep the main
floors comfortable.

Will he pay for it?