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Finishing Basement, How to run a heat duct?

57K views 6 replies 5 participants last post by  James_2007 
#1 ·
I just started finishing my basement and am curious on how to put a heat duct in the walls. Can I simply cut in a hole into the base vent and extend normal vent bought at home depot to the spot I want? Or is there a limit of how many vents a setup can take?

My house is a 3 bedroom ranch and in the basement there are already 2 heat vents in the ceiling that I am going to extend and move into the walls. These should be no problem. Its just the one new one I am unsure on how to do.

Thanks for any information.
 
#2 ·
usually the furnace is sized to include the basement but not always as to running new ducts you have to tie into the main truck with a saddle connection then run flexible or metal ducting and support the air opening with blocks to screw the finish grate to. Also code requires you have a return in a wall as well if one doesn't exist. DO you have 2 fresh air ducts for combustion air for the furnace, code requuires 1 within 12 inhces of the floor and 1 witihin 12 inches of the ceiling providing fresh air.
 
#3 ·
As stated - their are requirements per the design of your existing heating system. Your system was sized for the needs of your home. It may, or may not be sized to also heat your basement area as you desire.
You should look into this. There are also requirements as to the size of a return and the size of the feed vent as to the area to be heated. Look into all these points first. If you tap into a system that is not designed to heat that much space, you will have a poorly heated house....(with a system running inefficiently and not even properly heating your home...)
 
#4 · (Edited)
I did the same

all you need to do is run it, and cover up the ceiling exhasusted... You are the first person I heard willing to take the extra to do the right thing... you should bring it down to the lower to ground level at the wall... as this is the whole point, heat coming from lower rather than upper... it will make your heat more efficient and will defintely worth the effort to do it... I cut my heat supply using angle grinder , straight cut on to form and square/rectangle, then screw in the supply trunk from HD.... many people disagree to use angle grinder though as it looks a bit dangers, peole like to use those tin cutter, I prefer the convenience and effortless of angle grinder ...

and yes, you need to do somthing to your return air trunk also, right now you it probably at the ceiling with small opening... you need to bring it down to the lower level at an opened area and increase its opening... as once your basement become livable space, you need more air... you then cover up the ceiling return air...


this is the proper way of doing it as I gone through reading books, discussed with the inspector before implementing...etc.

many people choose do nothing which is leave the heat exhaused vent and return vent at the ceiling, which is what the builder provided... which is not fullfilling the code in Toronto here... as when the builder build the house.. it gives you the minimum requirement for the need which basement is not a living space yet...
 
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