Closing Return Air Vents In Summer

The belief is that closing a vent will simply push the air onward to other parts of the home improving energy efficiency.

Closing return air vents in summer.

In the summer you want the cold air to remain and the hot air to be drawn out through the return registers. By closing the floor registers and opening the ceiling registers you force the hot air out while keeping the cold air in the room. Look at the nearest air vent in your room. In general it is usually ok to close vents in a basement.

Homeowners typically close vents in an attempt to redirect air away from unused spaces. Closing air vents is a popular strategy for adjusting air flow in the home but it s not necessarily a good one. Keeping the foundation vents open during the summer is a no brainer if you live in a climate with warm humid days and frequent summer storms. It most likely has adjustable fins that allow you to direct the flow of air in the room and you can use the adjusting level to shut off a vent almost entirely.

Your furnace fan is moving cool air in the summer months. Hot air moves into the room at a lower rate leading to colder rooms or longer furnace on cycles. When we close vents we are actually restricting air flow. We think that by closing vents we are able to force the air to go where we want which is up.

The popular notion has always been to shut off vents in rooms that you use infrequently. If you reduce the number of exit points for the cool air your furnace fan can no longer move as much air. What are the benefits. Closing them off is like holding a pillow over someones face.

But will closing vents in unused rooms help cool your house better. This process includes closing off your vents and doors but it also involves installing a sump pump a vapor barrier and bringing in a dehumidifier. It is on the main floor that you probably do not want to close any vents. On balance this idea sounds like it has some merit if that is the air that is blocked from one room or rooms because of closed vents simply skips over to a room or rooms with open vents.

We mentioned that one drawback to closing vents is a problem with heat exchange. These adjustments also work to reduce energy costs as well as your energy footprint. A cold air return is how your furnace and air conditioner gets the air supply to heat or cool the air in your home. After all there s something more to be said for wasting energy and a lot of it.

When airflow is reduced the air is not refreshed quickly enough for proper heat exchange to take place.