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heygreene
Joined: 26 Dec 2007
Posts: 1
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 Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2007 10:06 pm Post subject: Closing off heat in one room of the house |
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Hi all, my first time posting here. I have a large room in the front of my house that is not used and so I do not want to heat it this winter. I taped up my registers (they would not close off at all) and hung a heavy curtain in between the doorways to the other rooms I DO want to heat. The problem is, there is a return duct in the unheated room and so every time the heat kicks on, it sucks the curtain into the room that is unheated, thus making my little heat barrier even more inefficient than it was to begin with!
My questions are this:
1. Is it okay to shut off all registers in one room?
2. Would it hurt if I taped over or closed off the return duct only in that one room?
3. Will any of this do any good (the room is SOMEWHAT cooler than the heated ones currently)?
Thanks in advance. |
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jholmes
Joined: 23 Mar 2006
Posts: 80
Location: Eagan, MN
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| Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 2:49 am Post subject: Re: Closing off heat in one room of the house |
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I'm not a HVAC guy, but this is what I know:
| Quote: | | 1. Is it okay to shut off all registers in one room? |
It sure is. However, you need to make sure it stays warm enough to keep any pipes from freezing (50-55 deg.), or winterize that room if you plan on keeping it colder.
| Quote: | | 2. Would it hurt if I taped over or closed off the return duct only in that one room? |
No. Though you need some return air to the furnace...I'm assuming you have more than on return in your house.
| Quote: | | 3. Will any of this do any good (the room is SOMEWHAT cooler than the heated ones currently)? |
Yep. Several energy companies recommend turning down the heat in unoccupied rooms. You'll also reduce your Carbon Footprint...if your into that stuff.
The insulating curtain is a good idea, I use it to separate my sunroom from the rest of the house in the winter. Though it doesn't get very cold were I am (rarely below freezing). I would seal the doorway off as much as possible, because any drafts you may have coming from the cold room will result in the tendency to keep the rest of the house a little warm to keep things comfortable. That's why 2 stage furnaces are so good, because they have DC motors that keep the air circulating constantly, and you don't feel cold drafts.
Happy Heating! |
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Rdavis5755
Joined: 03 Dec 2008
Posts: 1
Location: North Carolina
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| Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 3:48 pm Post subject: |
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As a HVAC Tech I can answer these questions.
1. Is it okay to shut off all registers in one room?
It will not hurt the system to do this, but this will cuase that room to be much colder or hotter then the rest of the house.
2. Would it hurt if I taped over or closed off the return duct only in that one room? With out further info I would have to say yes. These systems are designed to have so much air flow. If it doesn't have the correct air flow it will cuase your not to work in the way it was designed
3. Will any of this do any good (the room is SOMEWHAT cooler than the heated ones currently)?
If you have no way to shut off that room from the rest of your house it will do you no good to close the vent. Also even if you close off that room, becuase inner walls of a house are not insulated, cold will leak into the rest of the house throught the walls and it might make your system run more often to keep your house warm |
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