I have disassebled a Lennox updraft furnace to accomidate my heat exchanger for my central boiler. We have a rudd 92% and the computer always seems to have issues, so I decided to go with a simple design. We plan to get it done next week but will not have return air hooked in until later. Does anyone see a reason that the return air duct should be hooked up right away? We figure we will just put a filter over the furnace intake in the meantime...
Furnace retrofit?
- Thread starter rackmup
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Iska3
Addicted to ArboristSite
I have just about the same set up in my basement and also have one in the garage. I run the one in the garage w/o an air return hooked up to anything. I put a filter on the one side and let it go. The one in the house has a mock air return that allows better circulation throughout the house. It's nothng but a box added to the side with a slot for the filter and flex pipe ran up to my cold air vents and a vest that takes some of the air from my basement. My heat comes out the top and goes into the heat ducts. I found the two old furnaces on GL for free..
coyotencuttin
ArboristSite Member
You have the return already in the basement but haven't hooked it up yet correct ? As long as the return is there its ok. It's still pulling most of the air from the upstairs . What happens is it will try to pull the air from the easiest path. If you have an open chimney or gaps around doors/windows in your basement it will try to pull it's return air from the path of least resistance. Can you do this , yes. Should you do this all winter? I wouldn't
agree with the previous post.
Unlike A/C you don't need return air to be comfortable. But the furnace needs it to be comfortable. Just make sure like previously stated doors are open because it will take the path least resistant. Just make sure you use a filter to block dust/dirt. I'm an HVAC tech I can't stand homeowners who think their filters are not worth the money!
I have a heat pump, with a wood stove down in the basement. I installed a central return in the basement for the heating season and closed down all my return air to the 1st and 2nd floor, so all the heat is taken out of the basement from the wood stove. Like I said before with heat, return air in the space being heated isn't needed to be comfortable.
Unlike A/C you don't need return air to be comfortable. But the furnace needs it to be comfortable. Just make sure like previously stated doors are open because it will take the path least resistant. Just make sure you use a filter to block dust/dirt. I'm an HVAC tech I can't stand homeowners who think their filters are not worth the money!
I have a heat pump, with a wood stove down in the basement. I installed a central return in the basement for the heating season and closed down all my return air to the 1st and 2nd floor, so all the heat is taken out of the basement from the wood stove. Like I said before with heat, return air in the space being heated isn't needed to be comfortable.
Thanks for the input. We plan to use the existing return from the modern furnace and we change filters every month just like clock work...
I may have to have an HVAC pro come in and make sure we get the return box/filter box size right.
I may have to have an HVAC pro come in and make sure we get the return box/filter box size right.
Iska3
Addicted to ArboristSite
I thought the same thing. That might be true with a wood stove in the basement but with a heat exchanger in the furnace, you'll pull all the cold air from any crack and even from the water heater vents to make up the air going upstairs. Once I connected the cold air returns to the upper floors, my rooms were much warmer, even heat in all the rooms and I used less wood in my Central Boiler because I reheat the warm air from the upper floors. With the cold air returns connected, my fan runs less.
Thanks for info and the pic Iska. It has been a big help...
