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No heat from vents : Duct work problems ?

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No heat from vents : Duct work problems ? subr0021 04-01-2008
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Posted by Heathcliff on April 1, 2008, 3:43 pm
On Apr 1, 1:09 pm, subr0...@gmail.com wrote:
> Hello,
> I noticed that, when the central heat is on in our house, two vents
> (in two bedrooms) don't seem to have any air flow out of them (they
> are the only vents in the room, so I don't think they are intake
> vents) . So these rooms feel cold. Other vents in the house seem to
> work and hot air comes out from them. But nothing from these two
> vents...
>
> I would appreciate any assistance to help me understand what I have at
> my hands -
>
> 1) If this seems like a duct work problem, how are such issues
> fixed ? Is it very expensive ?
> 2) Can duct work get dis-connected within the walls ? If so, does
> someone have to tear open the walls to fix it ?
>
> Thanks much.

Ducts are pretty simple and generally not much goes wrong with them.
The first thing to check is whether the vent itself is turned off
(closed). Sometimes they have a lever or something that lets you open
and close it. If you can see through the vent grate into the 'dark
beyond' then it's open. You can also compare its appearance to other
vents that work. If the vents are open, there may be a baffle in the
ductwork that is closed. This would probably be located someplace
where the ductwork is exposed, like the basement. The main strategy
there is first try to figure out which duct(s) leads to the rooms in
question. By the way, are the two non-working vents on opposite sides
of the same wall? In that case it may be one duct that serves both
vents. Anyway if you can find the right duct(s) in the basement, look
for levers or handle-like things sticking out from the ductwork. If
you find one then try switching the position and see what happens. If
that doesn't pan out, maybe it's time to call the heating and cooling
company. Very unlikely that it would involve tearing up walls. -- H

Posted by DerbyDad03 on April 1, 2008, 4:06 pm
On Apr 1, 2:09=A0pm, subr0...@gmail.com wrote:
> Hello,
> =A0 =A0I noticed that, when the central heat is on in our house, two vents=

> (in two bedrooms) don't seem to have any air flow out of them (they
> are the only vents in the room, so I don't think they are intake
> vents) . So these rooms feel cold. Other vents in the house seem to
> work and hot air comes out from them. But nothing from these two
> vents...
>
> I would appreciate any assistance to help me understand what I have at
> my hands -
>
> 1) If this seems like a duct work problem, how are such issues
> fixed =A0? Is it very expensive ?
> 2) Can duct work get dis-connected within the walls ? If so, does
> someone have to tear open the walls to fix it ?
>
> Thanks much.

Go down in the basement and look for damper handles on the ductwork.
You should have dampers in each duct so you can control the amount of
air to each vent. Perhaps you have one or two dampers that are closed.
The handles should have some resistance to them as you feel the damper
turning inside the duct.

A while back I spent an afternoon mapping the ductwork in my house. I
simply turned the blower on high, closed all the dampers in the
basement and then opened them one at a time, walking through the
house, feeling the air at each vent. I then went back to the basement
and used a Sharpie to mark the room location on the ductwork next to
each damper handle. I found that in some cases, one damper closed off
more then one vent.

It really helped me balance the output better by closing off rooms
where I wanted it warmer/cooler and half-closing dampers for areas the
didn't need as much heat/cool.

Remember that hot air rises and cool air falls, so the vents should be
re-balanced when you switch from heat to AC.

Posted by on April 1, 2008, 4:49 pm
> On Apr 1, 2:09=A0pm, subr0...@gmail.com wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > Hello,
> > =A0 =A0I noticed that, when the central heat is on in our house, two ven=
ts
> > (in two bedrooms) don't seem to have any air flow out of them (they
> > are the only vents in the room, so I don't think they are intake
> > vents) . So these rooms feel cold. Other vents in the house seem to
> > work and hot air comes out from them. But nothing from these two
> > vents...
>
> > I would appreciate any assistance to help me understand what I have at
> > my hands -
>
> > 1) If this seems like a duct work problem, how are such issues
> > fixed =A0? Is it very expensive ?
> > 2) Can duct work get dis-connected within the walls ? If so, does
> > someone have to tear open the walls to fix it ?
>
> > Thanks much.
>
> Go down in the basement and look for damper handles on the ductwork.
> You should have dampers in each duct so you can control the amount of
> air to each vent. Perhaps you have one or two dampers that are closed.
> The handles should have some resistance to them as you feel the damper
> turning inside the duct.
>
> A while back I spent an afternoon mapping the ductwork in my house. =A0I
> simply turned the blower on high, closed all the dampers in the
> basement and then opened them one at a time, walking through the
> house, feeling the air at each vent. =A0I then went back to the basement
> and used a Sharpie to mark the room location on the ductwork next to
> each damper handle. I found that in some cases, one damper closed off
> more then one vent.
>
> It really helped me balance the output better by closing off rooms
> where I wanted it warmer/cooler and half-closing dampers for areas the
> didn't need as much heat/cool.
>
> Remember that hot air rises and cool air falls, so the vents should be
> re-balanced when you switch from heat to AC.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Thanks Everyone for your suggestions. Much appreciated. I will try
looking for the dampers in the basement and hopefully I find the right
one.

Posted by S. Barker on April 1, 2008, 7:56 pm
they may have dampers in those runs and they may be shut.

s


> Hello,
> I noticed that, when the central heat is on in our house, two vents
> (in two bedrooms) don't seem to have any air flow out of them (they
> are the only vents in the room, so I don't think they are intake
> vents) . So these rooms feel cold. Other vents in the house seem to
> work and hot air comes out from them. But nothing from these two
> vents...
>
> I would appreciate any assistance to help me understand what I have at
> my hands -
>
> 1) If this seems like a duct work problem, how are such issues
> fixed ? Is it very expensive ?
> 2) Can duct work get dis-connected within the walls ? If so, does
> someone have to tear open the walls to fix it ?
>
> Thanks much.



Posted by Bob on April 2, 2008, 12:41 pm
subr0021@gmail.com wrote:
> Hello,
> I noticed that, when the central heat is on in our house, two vents
> (in two bedrooms) don't seem to have any air flow out of them (they
> are the only vents in the room, so I don't think they are intake
> vents) . So these rooms feel cold. Other vents in the house seem to
> work and hot air comes out from them. But nothing from these two
> vents...

Do you have flexible ductwork in the attic? It's not unheard of for a
"Y" joint to come loose there.

Page 2 of 2       << first < 1 2
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