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Default Recapture Cooler Basement Air? (AC Question)

When the AC is being used, my basement tends to get about 5 degrees
cooler than the first floor. The basement is used for laundry, storage
and my workshop, so it doesn't need to be that cold.

Here's my idea: Cut a hole in my return trunk, near the floor, to
recapture the cooler air and send it back upstairs. I'd install a
filter and design it so it could be easily sealed up in the winter.

So, if this isn't a ridiculously bad idea, how would I go about
determining the correct size for the opening?

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Default Recapture Cooler Basement Air? (AC Question)


"DerbyDad03" wrote in message
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When the AC is being used, my basement tends to get about 5 degrees
cooler than the first floor. The basement is used for laundry, storage
and my workshop, so it doesn't need to be that cold.

Here's my idea: Cut a hole in my return trunk, near the floor, to
recapture the cooler air and send it back upstairs. I'd install a
filter and design it so it could be easily sealed up in the winter.

So, if this isn't a ridiculously bad idea, how would I go about
determining the correct size for the opening?



Seems to me that it would make more sense to insulate all of your ductwork
leading to the upstairs so that you're not wasting any of that cool air on
the basement.

Tom G.


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Default Recapture Cooler Basement Air? (AC Question)

On Mon, 18 Jun 2007 07:35:09 -0700, DerbyDad03 wrote:

When the AC is being used, my basement tends to get about 5 degrees
cooler than the first floor. The basement is used for laundry, storage
and my workshop, so it doesn't need to be that cold.

Here's my idea: Cut a hole in my return trunk, near the floor, to
recapture the cooler air and send it back upstairs. I'd install a filter
and design it so it could be easily sealed up in the winter.

So, if this isn't a ridiculously bad idea, how would I go about
determining the correct size for the opening?


Sorry to inform you, yes it is a rediculously bad idea


Getting air out of a room is just as important as getting it in when you
want to control the temperature. If you cut the return, you will stop air
from leaving the rooms upstairs. That will mean less air will enter those
rooms. Perhaps that air is cooler now, but I am willing to bet the
reduced quantity is going to hurt you big time.

I doubt your A/C has problem cooling the warmer air it sucks in from the
returns now. If it does you need some work.

I closed all my basement vents.

what you can do is run the fan only. the air coming out will still tend
to be cooler. but it raises the household humidity.
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Default Recapture Cooler Basement Air? (AC Question)

On 18 Jun, 11:44, "dnoyeB" wrote:
On Mon, 18 Jun 2007 07:35:09 -0700, DerbyDad03 wrote:
When the AC is being used, my basement tends to get about 5 degrees
cooler than the first floor. The basement is used for laundry, storage
and my workshop, so it doesn't need to be that cold.


Here's my idea: Cut a hole in my return trunk, near the floor, to
recapture the cooler air and send it back upstairs. I'd install a filter
and design it so it could be easily sealed up in the winter.


So, if this isn't a ridiculously bad idea, how would I go about
determining the correct size for the opening?


Sorry to inform you, yes it is a rediculously bad idea

Getting air out of a room is just as important as getting it in when you
want to control the temperature. If you cut the return, you will stop air
from leaving the rooms upstairs. That will mean less air will enter those
rooms. Perhaps that air is cooler now, but I am willing to bet the
reduced quantity is going to hurt you big time.

I doubt your A/C has problem cooling the warmer air it sucks in from the
returns now. If it does you need some work.

I closed all my basement vents.

what you can do is run the fan only. the air coming out will still tend
to be cooler. but it raises the household humidity.


Thanks for the response.

All of my basement vents are closed and I've sealed all the seams on
the furnace/blower unit. I haven't attempted to seal all of the duct
work and insulating all of it would be a major undertaking. I'm not
sure I could do either without dismantling the whole system. A lot of
the ductwork is right up against the floorboards/joists, so there is
not a lot of room for insulation or even room to wrap the seams with
tape.

I have an "chute" where the main stack runs from the basement to the
attic, with an plumbing access panel on the second floor landing. What
if I dropped a length of 4" PVC down this chute and rigged up a fan to
draw the air up from the basement to the second floor? It would drift
back down to the first floor via the stairs.

One last question about something you said:

-- I doubt your A/C has problem cooling the warmer air it sucks in
from the
-- returns now. If it does you need some work.

How would I know? This is my first full season with AC and I really
don't know how to tell if it's working correctly. It seems to take a
very long time to cool the house down, especially compared to how fast
the same system warms the house in the winter.

Anything I can check? Return air temp vs. output air temp?

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Default Recapture Cooler Basement Air? (AC Question)

I open the door that contains the furnace filter this grabs the cool air
from downstairs and pushes it upstairs, most days we don't even need to run
the air just the furnace blower.


"DerbyDad03" wrote in message
ps.com...
When the AC is being used, my basement tends to get about 5 degrees
cooler than the first floor. The basement is used for laundry, storage
and my workshop, so it doesn't need to be that cold.

Here's my idea: Cut a hole in my return trunk, near the floor, to
recapture the cooler air and send it back upstairs. I'd install a
filter and design it so it could be easily sealed up in the winter.

So, if this isn't a ridiculously bad idea, how would I go about
determining the correct size for the opening?





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Default Recapture Cooler Basement Air? (AC Question)

DerbyDad03 writes:

So, if this isn't a ridiculously bad idea, ...


Bad idea. You're confusing temperature with heat.
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Default Recapture Cooler Basement Air? (AC Question)

On 18 Jun, 14:56, Richard J Kinch wrote:
DerbyDad03 writes:
So, if this isn't a ridiculously bad idea, ...


Bad idea. You're confusing temperature with heat.


Thanks for the detailed explanation. You've cleared it up completely.

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Default Recapture Cooler Basement Air? (AC Question)

On 18 Jun, 13:44, "HotRdd" wrote:
-- I open the door that contains the furnace filter this grabs the
cool air
-- from downstairs and pushes it upstairs, most days we don't even
need to run
-- the air just the furnace blower.

Thanks, but there is no door on this unit. I know what you mean
though...my old furnace had a door on the compartment that housed the
blower and filter.

On my new unit, the filter just slips into a slot in the ductwork just
before the blower. If any basement air is going to be sucked into the
system via the filter opening, it's already happening.

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Default Recapture Cooler Basement Air? (AC Question)

On Mon, 18 Jun 2007 07:35:09 -0700, DerbyDad03
wrote:

When the AC is being used, my basement tends to get about 5 degrees
cooler than the first floor. The basement is used for laundry, storage
and my workshop, so it doesn't need to be that cold.

Here's my idea: Cut a hole in my return trunk, near the floor, to
recapture the cooler air and send it back upstairs. I'd install a
filter and design it so it could be easily sealed up in the winter.

So, if this isn't a ridiculously bad idea, how would I go about
determining the correct size for the opening?


I like the idea.

Just provide both a supply and return to the basement and your other
rooms should be cooler. By supply, I mean to allow the supply to the
nearest room to enter the basement before being sucked back to the
evaporator.


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Default Recapture Cooler Basement Air? (AC Question)

On Mon, 18 Jun 2007 12:06:07 -0700, DerbyDad03 wrote:



Thanks, but there is no door on this unit. I know what you mean
though...my old furnace had a door on the compartment that housed the
blower and filter.

On my new unit, the filter just slips into a slot in the ductwork just
before the blower. If any basement air is going to be sucked into the
system via the filter opening, it's already happening.


Do you have a humidifier on this furnace?


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Default Recapture Cooler Basement Air? (AC Question)

On 19 Jun, 07:54, "dnoyeB" wrote:
On Mon, 18 Jun 2007 12:06:07 -0700, DerbyDad03 wrote:
Thanks, but there is no door on this unit. I know what you mean
though...my old furnace had a door on the compartment that housed the
blower and filter.


On my new unit, the filter just slips into a slot in the ductwork just
before the blower. If any basement air is going to be sucked into the
system via the filter opening, it's already happening.


Do you have a humidifier on this furnace?


No, I do not. Why do you ask?

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Default Recapture Cooler Basement Air? (AC Question)

On 18 Jun, 18:33, HomerS wrote:
On Mon, 18 Jun 2007 07:35:09 -0700, DerbyDad03
wrote:

When the AC is being used, my basement tends to get about 5 degrees
cooler than the first floor. The basement is used for laundry, storage
and my workshop, so it doesn't need to be that cold.


Here's my idea: Cut a hole in my return trunk, near the floor, to
recapture the cooler air and send it back upstairs. I'd install a
filter and design it so it could be easily sealed up in the winter.


So, if this isn't a ridiculously bad idea, how would I go about
determining the correct size for the opening?


-- I like the idea.
--
-- Just provide both a supply and return to the basement and your
other
-- rooms should be cooler. By supply, I mean to allow the supply to
the
-- nearest room to enter the basement before being sucked back to the
-- evaporator.

This is an interesting response. Now that you mentioned this, I
realized that there is no cold air return in the basement other than
whatever gets sucked in via any openings the ductwork and the slot
around the filter. I haven't used a smoke puffer to check for leaks in
the system, but I assume there are many.

I have closed the 2 outlets in the basement, but now I'm wondering if
I should open them *and* cut a return opening in the return trunk.
Wouldn't this make the basement just like any other room that has a
supply and a return? Would this help to balance the system?

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Default Recapture Cooler Basement Air? (AC Question)

On Tue, 19 Jun 2007 05:55:24 -0700, DerbyDad03 wrote:


Do you have a humidifier on this furnace?


No, I do not. Why do you ask?


You could have opened the door and let the air in there.
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