Interesting cold air return modification by previous homeowner

[ForcedFire]

Hi, I just signed up today.

My mother has owned this house for about 6 years and it came with a new-ish furnace installed.

I was noticing that several of the cold air returns were not working.

The house is from around the 1920s with the returns built into the joists, they are not sealed anywhere. The back of the house is an addition done in the 1940s.

The basement is mostly unfinished and has drop ceilings in part.

I found one of the cold air returns looked like someone had bashed down the sheet metal with a broom handle or something? Fixed that up, now it works great.

I still could not get anything from the back rooms. There were some floor to ceiling closet style armoirs jammed right up to the drop ceiling where the "connection" (I use the term lightly) to the back rooms cold air returns are. I just dismantled the armoir and got the ceiling popped open.

Yeah I think this is the problem! There is a phone cable running in there. Could someone have really been crazy enough to hammer in the cold air returns to run a phone line??????





Mmmm, nice wad of labrador retriever hair fell out on me. That's my mother's dog so it has been pulling air from somewhere, just not the kitchen or living room.


Nathan

[TwincamDave]

I have seen worse and kitchens shouldn't have returns in them.

[ForcedFire]

I have seen worse and kitchens shouldn't have returns in them.

That connection is the part that leads to the kitchen. Should we have someone seal it off?