EcoRenovator - View Single Post - Vent-Miser 91668 Programmable Enery Saving Vent

Xringer · 08-05-13, 08:21 AM

The target home has a very poorly installed system.
Very little cooling makes it to the two second floor bedrooms. (these are add-on rooms).
It looks like the old system was replaced with a newer R410A system,
around the time of the second floor and Great Room additions.

Before the house was purchased, I inspected it and reported
the central cooling and heating system was about 80% nonfunctional,
and appeared to have been installed by highly untrained chimps.
Of course that part of the report was ignored.

The 'new' system had been installed without any Return! So it worked very poorly.
The return intake was on the very bottom of the indoor unit.
There was no bottom plate in this unit. It was wide open.

The floor underneath the unit was a mess, since the system was
working like a shop vac, cleaning the floor in the equipment room.
The area in front of the unit was so cramped, there wasn't room
to remove the washable plastic 'filter' (a simple screen).
So, it had never been removed and cleaned.
Air came in via plastic screen filter 1/3" off the basement floor.
The center of the filter was drooping down touching the floor.
The filter had to be bent in the middle to remove it.

The unit had been installed on 4 'blocks', to lift it off the floor and allow air
to flow underneath it (and be pulled up thru the filter).
But, those 'blocks' were just the shipping foam from the shipping carton.
They had compressed, so the small in-take path was now down 1/4"w x 16" long.

The system was mess. A quick make-shift Return worked.
Operation improved greatly by opening the equipment room door and the basement stairs door.

It was improved even more by the addition of an actual Return input. (Left side input, using a real filter).
The system is now working..

The main problem now, is a lack of cool AC air flow upstairs in the Master BR.
The duct is so long, lossy and leaky (inside the walls, inaccessible), the cool air flow in the MBR is very weak.

~~~

I think more air could be pushed upstairs, via manipulation of some
of the Return paths from other rooms.
By closing two of the downstairs bedroom doors, and maybe one upstairs,
cutting off their returns.. The rest of the rooms will see more cool air,
since those closed rooms will just pressurize and not be hogging AC air..

The two main hi-output vents are in the LR where the Tstat is located, those would never be touched.

So, it seems like the timer operated vents won't be needed, if the owner can
remember to shut some bedroom doors downstairs before bedtime..

I've been thinking those timer vents could be hacked, so they only cut the air flow down by half or 3/4..
Or, just shut the door..

08-05-13, 08:21 AM	#4
Xringer Lex Parsimoniae Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Woburn, MA Posts: 4,918 Thanks: 114 Thanked 250 Times in 230 Posts	The target home has a very poorly installed system. Very little cooling makes it to the two second floor bedrooms. (these are add-on rooms). It looks like the old system was replaced with a newer R410A system, around the time of the second floor and Great Room additions. Before the house was purchased, I inspected it and reported the central cooling and heating system was about 80% nonfunctional, and appeared to have been installed by highly untrained chimps. Of course that part of the report was ignored. The 'new' system had been installed without any Return! So it worked very poorly. The return intake was on the very bottom of the indoor unit. There was no bottom plate in this unit. It was wide open. The floor underneath the unit was a mess, since the system was working like a shop vac, cleaning the floor in the equipment room. The area in front of the unit was so cramped, there wasn't room to remove the washable plastic 'filter' (a simple screen). So, it had never been removed and cleaned. Air came in via plastic screen filter 1/3" off the basement floor. The center of the filter was drooping down touching the floor. The filter had to be bent in the middle to remove it. The unit had been installed on 4 'blocks', to lift it off the floor and allow air to flow underneath it (and be pulled up thru the filter). But, those 'blocks' were just the shipping foam from the shipping carton. They had compressed, so the small in-take path was now down 1/4"w x 16" long. The system was mess. A quick make-shift Return worked. Operation improved greatly by opening the equipment room door and the basement stairs door. It was improved even more by the addition of an actual Return input. (Left side input, using a real filter). The system is now working.. The main problem now, is a lack of cool AC air flow upstairs in the Master BR. The duct is so long, lossy and leaky (inside the walls, inaccessible), the cool air flow in the MBR is very weak. ~~~ I think more air could be pushed upstairs, via manipulation of some of the Return paths from other rooms. By closing two of the downstairs bedroom doors, and maybe one upstairs, cutting off their returns.. The rest of the rooms will see more cool air, since those closed rooms will just pressurize and not be hogging AC air.. The two main hi-output vents are in the LR where the Tstat is located, those would never be touched. So, it seems like the timer operated vents won't be needed, if the owner can remember to shut some bedroom doors downstairs before bedtime.. I've been thinking those timer vents could be hacked, so they only cut the air flow down by half or 3/4.. Or, just shut the door.. __________________ My hobby is installing & trying to repair mini-splits EPA 608 Type 1 Technician Certification ~ 5 lbs or less..