I want to finish my basement and I have a heating / cooling question?
Question:There is no heating/cooling vents down but there is ventilation running through the joists with floor vents to the main floor off them, can I cut into those and put registers in the ceiling off those or do I have to run new ventilation for the basement?
Answers:
You can only put the registers in if there is duct work connected to it...You're probably going to have to run the new ventilation through the basement.
I think I would call a heating/cooling guy in for a FREE estimate;) You're furnace might not be big enough to "carry the load" and cause you to lose heat upstairs. We had electric heating put in, and the guy had to put in all the duct work~upstairs & down~but out basement still stays about 10* cooler than the upstairs. Fine in the summer, but NOT in the winter...so I would be careful about cutting into anything without a pro opinion.
Good Luck!
Either one but realize your furnace is rated for a certain cubic foot house, increasing the heating load will impact the whole system. You need to take measurements and constult with a heating specialist. Could be the furnace is already the right size and adding another run or so won't be a problem.
Realize putting too many vents in a single run will impact the rooms that were originally on the run.
You should be able to cut into the supply ductwork that feeds the upstairs registers. You need to make sure you balance the system to not have all the air go to the basement. Also consider that heat rises so the upper fllors will get heat rising from the basement through the floors. Cooling on the other hand works differently in that your cool air from the ac will probably have a tough time getting to the upper floor and the basement will stay cool.
You can also install fans in the ductwork to give the air a boost to get to the other areas.
Air follows the path of least resistance and is sized off of static pressure. If you cut a hole in a supply run you are robbing the room it supplies of alott of air volume.
I dont think you would need much heat and probably hardly any air. Depending on where you are, I would consider electric baseboards that you can shut off if you d not spend much time in the basement or running a seperate supply pipe off of the plenum or duct if you spend a lott of time in the basement.
You can, but remember this simple rule...Most of the air is going to go to whereever it comes to first.
Yes.If this idea is not what you expected then just close the new vents and go to plan B. I think your idea will work just fine
It would be best to put in new runs for the basement, you just need to make sure your unit can handle the extra area. You will also need a return air supply for the basement so you will have fresh air down there. Good luck!!
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