air return vent ?

[oscarMadison]

ok, I'm going to have my AC (20+ years) replaced in the future.  My house is basically a rectangle, the old section.  It basically is split in four rooms.  

Kitchen/dining area         -  Bedroom
----------------------------------- joist in basement
Living room (large return) -  Bedroom

In the past my furnace / AC guy has said that when I replace it I should add returns to the two bedrooms.  My question is the bedroom on the kitchen side will have to go under the joist.  Will this be a problem with air flow?

[blackhat]

Maybe.  Depending on the layout, I might joist line 2 adjacent joist bays and cut wall mounted returns into the common wall between the bedrooms. Common practise to use the joist bays as return air chases.

[Duane N]

When I replaced my central a/c-heating system I added returns in the common areas of my home not in the bedrooms.  Hallways and one in the den/living room area (above the fireplace).  All 4 bedroom doors in my home are undercut so I get adequate return from them by having a return in the hallway central to all 4 bedrooms.

Nevermind..I just re-read you question and it sounds as if you ductwork runs in the basement.  I would put returns in areas that aren't heavy traffic areas.

[Robert Adams]

Most houses just have have a single return under the unit if it's an upflow or attic mounted. More returns are always a good thing and will increase overall comfort in the house. Even if it's a little restricted any return is better than none at all.

[fixtureman]

Most houses just have have a single return under the unit if it's an upflow or attic mounted. More returns are always a good thing and will increase overall comfort in the house. Even if it's a little restricted any return is better than none at all.

Maybe that is standard for Texas but not for northern states

[toolmiser]

My HVAC person told me that lack of returns was the most common reason for uneven heating/cooling.  They pretty much wanted a return for every supply.  We have a two story house that we did substantial work to the first floor, and had the hvac person in for a looksee because the house never heated or cooled evenly.  We let him add the extra returns, and clean up some other items, and the house is pretty balanced now.  They were not much of a fan of flex vent-said it reduced air flow a lot.

[oscarMadison]

My HVAC person told me that lack of returns was the most common reason for uneven heating/cooling.  They pretty much wanted a return for every supply.  We have a two story house that we did substantial work to the first floor, and had the hvac person in for a looksee because the house never heated or cooled evenly.  ...

my house heats and cools pretty evenly, but the air return is pretty close to center of the house and I leave the two bedroom doors open at least some.

[Snipe Hunter]

Can you cut any of the bottom of those open doors? Another 1" off the bottom of a door is about the same volume than a typical 10"x5"
wall return

[oscarMadison]

yep, that would work too, didn't think about that.

[blackhat]

Are you adding returns for more even airflow or to provide for the larger airflow requirements of a new higher efficiency furnace?