Basement Return Question

[zhewie]

Hi,

My house is a bungalow with a fully finished walk out basement.

I am planning on replacing my furnace including a new return drop. Currently there is a basement return attached to the existing drop (please see attached pic). I don't know what to do with it:

One contractor felt that this return was likely sucking in a lot of the return air. He suggested reducing the size of the return duct to 6 inches before reattaching to the return drop. I question a 6 inch return duct for a basement of about 1200 square feet.

Another contractor suggested using something like a louvered cover to control the air flow through the basement register (on the other side of the wall). I might add that I can hear the beast of a motor for this furnace running sitting in the basement. I can't imagine the whistling that may occur!

The third option which I contemplated was to have them move the return for the basement. I could probably place a return register on a wall underneath the stairs to the basement--> this return would then travel up towards the ceiling of the basement and attach to the main return trunk from upstairs. I do not know how large this return register should be as the current basement return register is about 8 x 14 inches.

Here is the picture:


or
http://ca.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/zhe...e2.jpg&.src=ph

Thanks in advance for your feedback!

Links updated. I'll look for another server to host.

[Edited by zhewie on 10-15-2006 at 01:53 PM]

[beenthere]

Your links don't work.