Jim Baird Posted March 9, 2017 Report Share Posted March 9, 2017 Always fun looking at the older systems, no? See photo of "pullchain operated" return register, baseboard mounted and really dust-choked. Wondering why an occupant would want to control return this way. Typical room had return and supply, both baseboard mounted, opposing each other across the width. Click to Enlarge 47.94 KB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Posted March 9, 2017 Report Share Posted March 9, 2017 You can influence air flow at either location though I agree the supply is the best end to do that. I've never seen those before. Marc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BADAIR Posted March 9, 2017 Report Share Posted March 9, 2017 many moons ago on a distant planet design criteria was minimal therefore many owners "wanted to control" the amount of returned/conditioned air taken/delivered to each room...deception rules now with all of the manual rs, j, s, d , t, b, zr, ansi/acaa many sys are on auto-snafu & the levered grills deceive no better Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Amaral Posted March 11, 2017 Report Share Posted March 11, 2017 Exact same pull-chain in my house growing up... circa 1950... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Baird Posted March 11, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 11, 2017 This house was built 1950. Outside is a small UST, making me think the air distribution system once served an oil furnace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Kogel Posted March 12, 2017 Report Share Posted March 12, 2017 That grill was probably designed to go on the heating duct, but wound up where it is for unknown reasons. We have seen some oddball heating systems, eh? I recall a house with no ducts, just grills open to the crawlspace, and an electric furnace blasting heat straight down. As I recall, the realtor blackballed me for questioning the design efficiency. [8D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Baird Posted March 12, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2017 Same house had a finished attic level served by a split system whose fan/coil unit was completely walled off, no service access. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghentjr Posted March 12, 2017 Report Share Posted March 12, 2017 That grill was probably designed to go on the heating duct, but wound up where it is for unknown reasons. We have seen some oddball heating systems, eh? I recall a house with no ducts, just grills open to the crawlspace, and an electric furnace blasting heat straight down. As I recall, the realtor blackballed me for questioning the design efficiency. [8D] I may be wrong (at my age it is not unusual, just ask my wife) but I think a bunch of houses like that were built for military housing and one of these "crawlspace plenums" killed some folks when an exterminator treated the crawl for termites. But not sure about the placement of the furnace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Hockstein Posted March 13, 2017 Report Share Posted March 13, 2017 I have seen some people install high-low returns. There are returns at the ceiling that are opened for the summer central air conditioning season and low returns that are closed. They are reversed during the heating season. The logic seems reasonable. Never studied the results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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