# Moving HVAC ducts/registers & reverse flow ?'s



## beenthere (Oct 11, 2008)

You might want to reconsider capping off that one supply. It might be better to relocate it also. On the hotter days you may need it.

A supply duct can run through/inside a joist bay. 

A joist bay itself can't not be used as a supply duct.

If the returns in in the outside walls. Then you don't want to reverse air flow. As that will make your outside walls colder yet in the winter, and hotter in the summer. Outside walls should be washed with conditioned air. If the duct is in the wall, it can't do that.


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## cbrc5eric (Mar 15, 2010)

Thanks for the reply- I might not described it well so Here are some pics of what I'm working with. 

Here is the room (blurry cell phone cam) it started with









I tore down the walls- you can now see the HVAC ducting still sticking out of the floor. These are both supply ducts. I plan to move at least one of them to the closet wall that the wood scrap pile is laying on.










Shot looking in from the front door:









This is one of the existing return ducts (pardon the dust and the sheetrock sheets). It too is metal- BUT it's a return duct, NOT a supply duct, yet it is right underneath the window. Odd part is, in my kitchen there is a supply duct right under the window under the outside wall. I'd like to set it up so this register you see can be (hopefully) changed to supply. Yes, I realize I'll have to insulate it etc because it's in an outside wall.











Now- onto the basement.
Here is the underside of those 2 ducts seen in the previous pictures. I want to just move at least the one duct over 2 joist bays and then access that closet.










Here is the top of the furnace etc. Essentially the rearview of the above picture.










Here is the "finished" part of the basement that's outdated and past it's useful life :lol: . Pardon the PA system but I throw dance parties down there :lol: This is shot from the center of the room facing outwards. You can see how there is a very low section from the existing HVAC ducting right above my head. I am hoping to move this ducting towards the far wall- so the low section is on the wall- NOT in the middle of the room :willy:


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## beenthere (Oct 11, 2008)

My set up is very similar to yours. With the exception being that my returns on/at the outside walls. Are floor returns.

if you do convert the system over to supplies on the outside walls. Make them floor supplies. So the air rises up and washes the walls. If you leave it as sidewall supplies. You won't be happy with how quickly you feel cold after the heat shuts off. Or how quickly you feel warm or hot when the A/C shuts off if you have central A/C.

Your duct work ran inside the joist bays like that are fine. No code violations, or safety issues with it.


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