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HVAC. question

1K views 4 replies 4 participants last post by  Brubst 
#1 · (Edited)
My husband and I recently had new steps installed in our 100 year old home. Our only return vent was located at the bottom of our old steps. When they placed the new steps, the return vent was covered over. My husband removed the ductwork down in the basement but left a huge gaping hole in the furnace which is now sucking air from our basement and acting as our return. Our basement has stone walls, is damp, has mold/mildew, has never been radon tested etc. I'm not familiar with how the HVAC system works, so my question is this. Is the air that is being sucked in from the basement, then being circulated throughout the house through our heating and AC ducts? I am concerned about health issues.
 
#3 ·
Open returns in unfinished and even finished basements are a bad idea. Not only are your concerns merited they are also right on the money.

Yes the air in your basement is being circulated through your home along with the mold, mildew etc. down there. That there may be Radon in the home is a problem with or without an open return. The other problem that can happen is that open returns where you have a fuel burning appliance or two can actually, under the right conditions, pull the products of combustion back into the home. In some areas open returns are against codes, in other areas that it is not against code, if should be.

Single (central) returns in homes pulling from the living space are infinitely better than pulling from the basement. Individual returns to every room are better.

You should fix this the best way that you can.
 
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#4 ·
Yep, your adding humidity to the rest of the house from your basement. Not a good thing in the summer time. Doesn't help the heating bill in the winter either.

If there is mold down there, you are probably circulating some of it through the rest of the house.

Have your husband run a new return.
 
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