move cold air return or add extra hot air

CamL

I'm trying to figure a best first step for adding comfort to a developed basement where BOTH the hot air vents and cold air return are located in the ceiling.

I believe I have 3 options, and a combination may be needed. But possibly not, so I want to try one step see if the results are good enough.

1) Add a new vent off the furnace and bring it into the room, it could be located up high or down at the foot of the wall. Either way it adds heat.

2) Move the cold air return to the ground - requires some construction and taking down unfinished drywall.

3) Third option is to change the cold air return to a location further away from the existing ceiling hot air vents, return would still be located up high though.


My gut says it would be best to add the new vent (option 1), and likely close off the cold air return for now. But when I asked the guy at the home improvement store he was the opposite, and choose to focus on the cold air return being moved to the floor first. Basically I have two vents to heat most of my basement

sgthvac

Move the return air to low to the floor and farther away from the supply. the return is pulling all the heat back to the furnace fefore it heats the room. Don't know if you need to add more supply you didn't mention dimensions of room or size of supply duct. If you post back with more info we can help determine if you need more supply.

CamL

Thanks,
The room dimentions for the TV room/rec room in basement are 20 ft by 12 ft (it is wider than 12 feet in some places by a few feet). there are 2 vents, both 5".


I can move the cold air return lower, but it will still be close to hot air (8 ft away and down the wall) or I can create a new return at ceiling height but at a location further away from heat source. I wish I could move much further away and at ground level