Well, heat pumps must be understood in the same manner. Essentially, heat pumps are devices that, uh, PUMP HEAT! They do this either mechanically (such as, a fan or blower), or a chemical (such as freon or refrigerant). Heat pumps can be used to pump cool air into a building, as well. There are types of furnaces that are heat pumps, as well as other units for swimming pools, air conditioners, water heaters, etc. This website has everything you need to know about heat pumps, including heat pump prices and a very good explanation of how they work, what they do, and the development of technology involved with them.

Listen, if you are planning a renovation or building a home, get informed about your heating system before you install it! I’m sure my house is just an aberration (I hope so), and the screwy heating system isn’t all that common. The heating and cooling systems in your house are going to be there a good long time. Make sure they’re done correctly, and make sure you get the best bang for your buck, too. Check out the website for information and on getting the best price of heat pumps.

The Mystery of the Heat Pump, Solved!

Original eloquence at New York Renovator.com. This content is copyrighted, so no stealing! Don't make me angry, you don't want to see me when I'm angry!

Answer: no.

I want to address this issue again. If you have a forced air furnace, realize that there is an exchange of air going on with it– cold air to hot air. Your furnace needs to take in cold air, heat it up, and blow it out through your heater vents as heated air. If you cover your cold air return vents, you are starving your furnace, creating an air vacuum in your home (leading to an uncomfortable atmosphere), and perhaps filling your home with trace amounts of carbon monoxide.

Do not cover your cold air return vents.

I did a post about this when I renovated my living room, and re-did some of the furnace ducting to the room. I had done some studying and talked with my furnace guy. You can read the post here. You can also read my recent post about changing your furnace filters– it’s an easy chore, easier then changing water filters anyway! Not changing dirty filters can damage your furnace and wind up costing you more money on your heating bills, too.

Now, my home has cold air return vents, but not enough. Not only do you need vents, you need a proper amount for proper air exchange. My house, at about 1680 square feet, only has two small cold air return vents– for the entire house! That is far too few. My Furnace Guy said that for every heater vent (and size) in a room, there should be a cold air return vent. Bedrooms almost never have them, and this explains why bedrooms are so cold in the winter– there is no full air exchange but rather a vacuum of air. The heated air really has nowhere to go, since there is no air flow; and the room air remains stagnant and chilly. So ideally, every room should have a cold air return vent (or at least larger ones in key areas of the home). I know! This sounds awful, because with duct work, you have to rip out walls and work with metal. It’s NOT fun. However, the next time you have a wall open or if you decide to build an addition to your home, keep these things in mind. Your furnace will appreciate it, and it will show in the heating bills.

And in the meantime, keep all those cold air return vents uncovered!

Photos courtesy of Americanhvacparts and Office of Energy Efficiency of Canada.

The Furnace Cold Air Return Vents

Original eloquence at New York Renovator.com. This content is copyrighted, so no stealing! Don't make me angry, you don't want to see me when I'm angry!

One of the nicest things you can do for your furnace is changing the filter regularly. But how often does one change the filters? I’ve done a little research, and the answer is: it depends. Haha! Seriously, it does depend on your furnace, your house, and your lifestyle. If you have a lot of pets and a huge drafty dusty home like I do, you should change your furnace filters every month. If you use your furnace irregularly, have no pets, and have a smaller home, every other month or every three months are fine. Most furnaces come with recommendations in the manual; always check that first.

The main purpose of the furnace filter is to protect your furnace’s delicate moving parts from dust and dirt. And some filters come with extra benefits, such as capturing very small particles of dander, dust, and allergens. I only use those now. You should see how quickly they fill up with gunk!

I read a review at Consumer Reports a while ago, and they did a test on furnace filters. The “cheapo” brands (the ones I always got) were horribly non-effective in filtering dust and allergens from the furnace system. The filter that got the highest grades were those by the manufacturer 3M. Those are the only ones I purchase now; they’re called Filtrete Micro Allergen Reduction Furnace Filter. They are, obviously, more expensive than the cheapo ones, but at least they do the job! And we change them every month (well, try to). So I am always looking for deals. I used to get them from my local Big Box stores, but have recently found the filters I use at Buy.com. They come in a pack of 6 and the shipping is very inexpensive. Sometimes you can snag some when there’s a good sale; however, at this time of year, sometimes things are out of stock. Don’t ever wait to order seasonal stuff like this!

It’s important to change your filters regularly. Leaving filthy filters in your furnace can cause the furnace to overheat and shut down; installing insufficient filters can cause dust and dirt to pass into your furnace motor, clogging up the works and reducing the efficiency of the furnace (which means more expensive heating bills). Be sure to change your filters regularly! And if you’re looking for some good prices and great service, check out Buy.com’s inventory.

Change Your Furnace Filters Regularly

Original eloquence at New York Renovator.com. This content is copyrighted, so no stealing! Don't make me angry, you don't want to see me when I'm angry!

Well, I got a question from a guy named Barry who lives in Vermont (a climate just like New York State).

In my old Vermont house, with an oil furnace, I’ve got two vents clearly, forcefully, blowing cold air out into the house. Because of this, it seems impossible that they are cold air *return* vents. How can I confirm that they aren’t? Second question: can the furnace itself have the only cold air return vent?

I wanted to post his question and my answer in a separate post, because I think it may do others some good, searching for more information about cold air return vents. Here’s my response:

Hi Barry. Well, I’m not a furnace expert, but what I’d do if it was me is this:

1.) Make sure your ducting system is set up right. If you look at your furnace (you’ll see all sorts of ducts leading everywhere), you’ll see an “in” large duct and an “out” large duct, with many smaller ducts branching off of those. That’s for most forced-air furnaces, anyway. Check and make sure you know where the ducting system branches off into, and become familiar with your furnace system.

2.) My hot air return vents ALWAYS blow out cold air for the final three or four minutes right before the furnace stops. This is because the furnace fan keeps spinning for a little while after the gas heating flames go out– this is natural, to ensure that all the hot air has fully pushed through into the room. It’s the normal part of the cycle.

3.) Maybe your hot air vents blow out cold air because they are either too far from the furnace (like a third floor) or you don’t have enough cold air return vents and the furnace is just blowing whatever air it can find (and in an old home in a Vermont winter, that would be cold air).

I hope those tips help.

When I first paid attention to my furnace system, I was baffled that cold air blew out of my heater vents. After asking my Furnace Guy, he informed me about the natural cycle of a furnace air system. I suspect this may be Barry’s thought, too. Some furnaces will blow and blow cold air for quite a few minutes before shutting off and completing the cycle.

So I hope this helps anyone who is searching for furnace answers.

Furnace Blowing Cold Air?

Original eloquence at New York Renovator.com. This content is copyrighted, so no stealing! Don't make me angry, you don't want to see me when I'm angry!

Answer: no.

I want to address this issue again. If you have a forced air furnace, realize that there is an exchange of air going on with it– cold air to hot air. Your furnace needs to take in cold air, heat it up, and blow it out through your heater vents as heated air. If you cover your cold air return vents, you are starving your furnace, creating an air vacuum in your home (leading to an uncomfortable atmosphere), and perhaps filling your home with trace amounts of carbon monoxide.

Do not cover your cold air return vents.

I did a post about this when I renovated my living room, and re-did some of the furnace ducting to the room. I had done some studying and talked with my furnace guy. You can read the post here.

Now, my home has cold air return vents, but not enough. Not only do you need vents, you need a proper amount for proper air exchange. My house, at about 1680 square feet, only has two small cold air return vents– for the entire house! That is far too few. My Furnace Guy said that for every heater vent (and size) in a room, there should be a cold air return vent. Bedrooms almost never have them, and this explains why bedrooms are so cold in the winter– there is no full air exchange but rather a vacuum of air. The heated air really has nowhere to go, since there is no air flow; and the room air remains stagnant and chilly. So ideally, every room should have a cold air return vent (or at least larger ones in key areas of the home). I know, I know! Replacing and rebuilding your home’s ducting system is not as easy as replacing all the kitchen sinks! With ductwork, you have to rip out walls and work with metal. It’s NOT fun. However, the next time you have a wall open or if you decide to build an addition to your home, keep these things in mind. Your furnace will appreciate it, and it will show in the heating bills.

And in the meantime, keep those cold air return vents uncovered!

Photos courtesy of Americanhvacparts and Office of Energy Efficiency of Canada.

About Cold Air Return Vents

Original eloquence at New York Renovator.com. This content is copyrighted, so no stealing! Don't make me angry, you don't want to see me when I'm angry!