Loud cold air return

[elizilla]

In the room I am using as my home office, there is a cold air return duct in the floor. It's very close to directly above the furnace, and it's really loud when the AC comes on. I suspect it will be loud when the heat is on, next winter, too. Anyone have any idea what might be done about something like this?

Comments

[pi3832.livejournal.com]

Sound insulation on the outside of the return duct may help.

Unfortunately, to get good access to that duct, you'd need to cut a hole in the ceiling of the closet for the cave-room. Though, if you went ahead and did that, you could also run some Cat-6 cable down from the router into the basement. Indeed, you could turn that closet into a server room, like you had in Ypsi. (I doubt D would miss the space, since I believe her plan is to make the whole room a closet, anyway.)

Though, I wonder if you can't eliminate that fresh-air return entirely. Assuming you never (or very rarely) close the door between the office and the front room, I'm guessing it's not entirely necessary. (Ryder is out of the home-HVAC business, but he may still have some insights.)

Hell, maybe you should try just blocking it off. Go to Home Depot or Lowes and get a piece of rigid foam board. (It's usually by the insulation, and is sold in 4'x8' sheets.) I use the stuff like plywood that you can cut with a utility knife. (Though, a serrated knife works better.) Anyway, just lift off the grate, cut a piece or two of the foam board to fit in the duct snugly, stick them in and drop the grate back on.

[a smith (from livejournal.com)]

I strongly recommend that you do *not* block off the return. Relocating it can be an option - by cutting an access in it elsewhere - like a different room, but you usually can't just block it off.

[pi3832.livejournal.com]

There's already a return in almost every other room. That's why I expect that blocking that one wouldn't really matter.

[a smith (from livejournal.com)]

ohhhh. ok. that's an unusual configuration... but it is, after all, Michigan. :)

[pi3832.livejournal.com]

It's more about all the renovations/improvements that have been done to the house, and that they seem to have been done right (at least, AFAICT). Which is why there are plenty of fresh-air returns. And they're actual ducts, not just voids between studs in a wall.

[(Anonymous)]

Move to another room? You have a whole house now.

Noise cancelling headphones?

Stuff a dead body down the vent? Start with wise acres on internet blog comment sections.

-B