Is it ok to seal off the vents where the heat isnt needed all that much?
When we had our central AC repaired, I asked the guy if this was a good
idea, he said it wasnt but I dont remember the reason.
With propane going up we will go broke heating our 4 bedroom house this
winter. If its ok to seal off the vents in the back of the house we
would save a ton of money .
We do close the vents but heat still escapes from them. I saw some
magnetic vents that would probably work. Thanks

On Aug 18, 2:28 pm, (L C) wrote:
Is it ok to seal off the vents where the heat isnt needed all that much?
When we had our central AC repaired, I asked the guy if this was a good
idea, he said it wasnt but I dont remember the reason.
With propane going up we will go broke heating our 4 bedroom house this
winter. If its ok to seal off the vents in the back of the house we
would save a ton of money .
We do close the vents but heat still escapes from them. I saw some
magnetic vents that would probably work. Thanks

Sure you can. And it can be as simple as cardboard and duct tape. A
few things to consider though:

1. Leave enough vents open that you are not impairing the operation
of the furnace blower. If you are closing off more than, say, 25% of
the vents, you might want to consult an HVAC person.

2. Make sure you will not allow parts of the house to freeze, paying
special attention to areas with plumbing.

3. Make sure you don't close off vents in the vicinity of the
thermostat. That would just make the furnace run MORE.

4. There may be controls built into the ductwork that allow for
shutting off particular areas - if so, that might be a better way to
do it rather than covering up vents. If you can, look at the ductwork
to see if there is anything that looks like a handle you can turn.

-- H

On Aug 20, 8:33*am, Blattus Slafaly
wrote:
Heathcliff wrote:
On Aug 18, 2:28 pm, (L C) wrote:
Is it ok to seal off the vents where the heat isnt needed all that much?
When we had our central AC repaired, I asked the guy if this was a good
idea, he said it wasnt but I dont remember the reason.
With propane going up we will go broke heating our 4 bedroom house this
winter. If its ok to seal off the vents in the back of the house we
would save a ton of money .
We do close the vents but heat still escapes from them. I saw some
magnetic vents that would probably work. Thanks

Sure you can. *And it can be as simple as cardboard and duct tape. *A
few things to consider though:

1. *Leave enough vents open that you are not impairing the operation
of the furnace blower. *If you are closing off more than, say, 25% of
the vents, you might want to consult an HVAC person.

2. *Make sure you will not allow parts of the house to freeze, paying
special attention to areas with plumbing.

3. *Make sure you don't close off vents in the vicinity of the
thermostat. *That would just make the furnace run MORE.

4. *There may be controls built into the ductwork that allow for
shutting off particular areas - if so, that might be a better way to
do it rather than covering up vents. *If you can, look at the ductwork
to see if there is anything that looks like a handle you can turn.

-- H

* If your inside walls are not insulated and have spaces under the doors
all you are making are some big drafts into your house from the closed
rooms. This would make your furnace run more.


How is that going to make the furnace run MORE? Say I block off the
vents and return to a bedroom that has two outside walls, two inside
walls, and one door. Let's say the door has a half inch gap under
it. What physics explain the furnace using more energy, instead of
less?





--
Blattus Slafaly *? 3 * * *7/8- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

On Aug 18, 3:28*pm, (L C) wrote:
Is it ok to seal off the vents where the heat isnt needed all that much?
When we had our central AC repaired, I asked the guy if this was a good
idea, he said it wasnt but I dont remember the reason.
With propane going up we will go broke heating our 4 bedroom house this
winter. If its ok to seal off the vents in the back of the house we
would save a ton of money .
We do close the vents but heat still escapes from them. I saw some
magnetic vents that would probably work. Thanks

I haven't had any heat turned on upstairs in my house in 10 years. I
have an open stairway and I cut a small vent in the far end of the
hallway to allow air to circulate (before the vent, I had a heat
inversion and it was too cold upstairs). Now, the upstairs is
pleasantly cool for sleeping, the downstairs is nice, and their aren't
any noticable drafts.

On Aug 18, 2:28*pm, (L C) wrote:
Is it ok to seal off the vents where the heat isnt needed all that much?
When we had our central AC repaired, I asked the guy if this was a good
idea, he said it wasnt but I dont remember the reason.
With propane going up we will go broke heating our 4 bedroom house this
winter. If its ok to seal off the vents in the back of the house we
would save a ton of money .
We do close the vents but heat still escapes from them. I saw some
magnetic vents that would probably work. Thanks

You will need to measure the air temp just above the furnace, there is
an acceptable amount of temp rise before you overheat and shorten the
life of the furnace.

On Aug 18, 3:28*pm, (L C) wrote:
Is it ok to seal off the vents where the heat isnt needed all that much?
When we had our central AC repaired, I asked the guy if this was a good
idea, he said it wasnt but I dont remember the reason.
With propane going up we will go broke heating our 4 bedroom house this
winter. If its ok to seal off the vents in the back of the house we
would save a ton of money .
We do close the vents but heat still escapes from them. I saw some
magnetic vents that would probably work. Thanks


There is not easy answer to that one, other than it depends.

Blocking off too many vents will cause a higher than designed load
on the fan. That can damage the fan motor. It also can cause other
problems like over cooling of the A/C coils which can then freeze over
and do damage. The same sort of thing can happen when it the heat is
on and it could shout down due to getting too hot.

In the typical home blocking off one vent is not very likely to
cause a problem, but there is some point where it will cause
problems. Maybe two maybe 10 maybe one. No one here can give you a
definitive answer for your home situation.

BTW it likely will reduce efficiency, even if it is a single vent.
It may do that even though it may reduce cost.