HVAC ceiling vent extenders?
 

I've got forced-air heating/cooling in an older home (1940) that was
installed about 10 years ago. All vents (delivery and return) are in the
ceiling. The system works well in the summertime when cooling, but in
the wintertime, all the warm air stays near the ceiling, leaving the floor
area about 10-15 degrees cooler. I do not have floor insulation, but I
have been told that my problem is due mainly to heat stacking and that I
need to get the heat to the floor area where it will rise naturally to
make the room a consistent temperature.

I prefer not to use ceiling fans as I have no central ceiling outlet for
one in the living room, and because I believe they would look ugly in the
dining room and bedrooms. (I don't fancy the idea of lying in bed looking
up into a spinning propeller.) Also, I prefer a more passive approach.

I am thinking of something along the lines of a sock (for lack of a better
word) that essentially moves the outlet of the ceiling vent to roughly
floor level or maybe 1 foot above floor level, something that I can
install in the winter (or even only during cold spells) and remove in the
summer. The sock could be made of some flexible material that is
reasonably air-tight that holds its shape so that air flow is not
constricted. The ceiling vents in the rooms with the worst heat stacking
problem are next to walls, so the sock could be trained down the adjacent
wall and could be made of a color that matches the wall.

Is this a practical idea?
Does anyone make such an accessory?

--
Bill Bushnell

HVAC ceiling vent extenders?
 

"Bill Bushnell" wrote in message
...
I've got forced-air heating/cooling in an older home (1940) that was
installed about 10 years ago. All vents (delivery and return) are in the
ceiling. The system works well in the summertime when cooling, but in
the wintertime, all the warm air stays near the ceiling, leaving the floor
area about 10-15 degrees cooler. I do not have floor insulation, but I
have been told that my problem is due mainly to heat stacking and that I
need to get the heat to the floor area where it will rise naturally to
make the room a consistent temperature.

Sheesh...its a common problem and its due to bad duct and layout
design...thats all.
BTW...the air at your ceiling in the summer is 10-15 degrees warmer too...


I prefer not to use ceiling fans as I have no central ceiling outlet for
one in the living room, and because I believe they would look ugly in the
dining room and bedrooms. (I don't fancy the idea of lying in bed looking
up into a spinning propeller.) Also, I prefer a more passive approach.

I am thinking of something along the lines of a sock (for lack of a better
word) that essentially moves the outlet of the ceiling vent to roughly
floor level or maybe 1 foot above floor level, something that I can
install in the winter (or even only during cold spells) and remove in the
summer. The sock could be made of some flexible material that is
reasonably air-tight that holds its shape so that air flow is not
constricted. The ceiling vents in the rooms with the worst heat stacking
problem are next to walls, so the sock could be trained down the adjacent
wall and could be made of a color that matches the wall.

Is this a practical idea?

No..

Does anyone make such an accessory?

No.

Proper duct layout, design, velocity, and such make for a nicer home....and
it starts at the installers level.


--
Bill Bushnell

HVAC ceiling vent extenders?
 

Bill Bushnell wrote in message ...

I prefer not to use ceiling fans as I have no central ceiling outlet for
one in the living room, and because I believe they would look ugly in the
dining room and bedrooms. (I don't fancy the idea of lying in bed looking
up into a spinning propeller.) Also, I prefer a more passive approach.

Suggest you reconsider ceiling fans. Some of them are works of art.

Another thing you can consider is a destratifier
(http://www.airstrata.com). I bought one on eBay this year and hung it
above a staircase. It's too obtrusive for a bedroom, IMHO.

Mike