What Is The Purpose of a Cold Air Return?
What Do Cold Air Returns Do Anyways?
Well, they do pretty much exactly what they say; they return cold air back to your furnace to be heated and then distributed throughout your home.
You will find cold air returns near the floor of your rooms as cold air falls.
The returns at the top of your rooms are hot air returns, since warm air rises. Amazing stuff, I know.
These vents are essentially the “lungs” of your HVAC system.
It “breathes in” via the return air vents, and “breathes out” via the supply vents.
Cold Air Return Tips
- Be sure to keep the area around your cold air return vents clear and clean so that air can recirculate properly.
- Blocking these vents can hinder your furnace or air conditioner from properly heating or cooling your home resulting in an air conditioner repair being needed.
- If some of your rooms feel “stuffy” you may need to add another return air vent in the room so that the hot and cold air can properly recirculate back to the furnace or air conditioner.
- A professional HVAC company can diagnose this issue for you.
Ideally you want a cold air return register in every major room in your home. This would not include bathrooms and closets, but bedrooms, living rooms, etc. Older homes might only have just one or two on each floor.
Cold air returns are located on interior walls in a home, typically close to the floor or low on the wall. You want to make sure that cold air return vents are not blocked or covered by furniture so that your home can get proper air circulation.
The cold air from the returning vents is cycled back into the furnace where it is heated and cycled back into the house.
Do you have questions about your heating system? Sears Heating & Cooling can help. We provide expert furnace repair and installation services. Contact us today to speak with one of our highly trained technicians!
