Table of Contents
- 1 What is the purpose of the supply duct?
- 2 What is the purpose of return air ducts?
- 3 What does return air mean?
- 4 What is a return register?
- 5 Where should supply and return vents be?
- 6 Do return vents have filters?
- 7 What is the purpose of a return duct in air conditioning?
- 8 What is the difference between supply air and return air?
What is the purpose of the supply duct?
Ducts are conduits or passages used in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) to deliver and remove air. The needed airflows include, for example, supply air, return air, and exhaust air. Ducts commonly also deliver ventilation air as part of the supply air.
What is the purpose of return air ducts?
Return air ducts draw air out of each room through a separate air vent and convey it back to the central unit to be reheated or cooled. The entire air distribution system is a closed loop, continuously recirculating the same volume of air throughout the house.
How can you tell the difference between supply and return ductwork?
Supply vents are usually found high up on the walls in your home, or on the ceiling. Return Vents: These air vents suck air from the rooms in your home back into your HVAC system. They are typically larger in size than supply vents and you will not feel air blowing out of them.
Do HVAC systems need return ducts?
Your return vents are an indispensable part of the HVAC system in your house. They function to keep your interior pressurized as well as the interior air clean as they feed air to the air handler. You need to understand how many return vents you have and also where they lie.
What does return air mean?
The air that has circulated through a building as supply air and has been returned to the HVAC system for additional conditioning or release from the building, in order to reduce the energy that would be consumed by using only fresh air as a source.
What is a return register?
What is a Return Register? Often referred to as high/low vents, ducts, and grilles, return registers are pairs of registers located near the ceiling and floor of rooms throughout your home. They contain slatted openings. You can recognize these registers because they are usually bigger than a supply vent.
What is supply air?
Supply Air. Supply Air. Supply air containing at least the minimum volume of outside air is filtered and conditioned to the required temperature and humidity. It is then delivered by the AHU to an underfloor plenum, traveling through a shorter distance of ductwork than for ceiling-based systems.
Do air return vents need filters?
Your AC system should have a proper fitting filter on the return side. By placing a good fitting, high quality filter on the return vent, you will remove particles from the air before they can enter the AC system. A good filter will keep your air handling unit, coils, and ducts clean.
Where should supply and return vents be?
For optimal comfort, supply registers need to be installed on outer walls and under windows, whereas return registers are ideally located on inside walls.
Do return vents have filters?
Return vent filters act as the first layer of protection to prevent air pollutants and other nasty particulates from getting into the air you breathe. Installed at the return vent in your home, they pre-filter dust and other particles.
Why does HVAC need a return?
The air that the return air vents pull in needs to be equal to the air blown out of the system to keep an equilibrium of effort on the HVAC system. Without this balance, the HVAC will endure unnecessary stress that could cause wear at a faster rate.
What is the purpose of cold air return vents?
The return registers draw stale air into the ductwork, where it’s pulled through the filter to capture dust and debris and then delivered back to the HVAC equipment for reconditioning. However, the most important function of the cold air return registers is ensuring ample airflow through the HVAC system.
What is the purpose of a return duct in air conditioning?
Since the supply is blowing air into a room, a return duct or return air plenum is needed to balance the air pressure in the conditioned space. Fresh air supply. This duct may be included to bring outside air into the air conditioning system of an otherwise sealed building.
What is the difference between supply air and return air?
Supply air brings conditioned air from an air handler or plenum to registers that allow the air to flow into the conditioned space. Return air is a duct to take air back to the air handler/heating/cooling coils or furnace to reheat or cool the air.
What is the supply air duct?
The ducting is done over every room. Essential air supply for each room is calculated and the duct is designed as such. This is the SUPPLY air duct. It supplies air to rooms. At the end of the duct grills or registers or diffusers are used.
How does my HVAC system work?
Nearly all HVAC systems are closed systems that rely on air circulation. The air is circulated over a gas burner heat exchanger for heating or an evaporative radiator for cooling. In all cases you have forced air into the home for the supply side and a return duct to allow the air back as it is blown by a fan.