Got ducts?
July 12, 2011 12:50 PM Subscribe
House: The Sequel has baseboard heating. It also used to have a whole-house humidifier (removed when I installed a new boiler). Possibly because of the humidifier, the house appears to have at least three ducts w/grilles, two on the first and one on the (compact) second floor. Here's the question: could those ducts be repurposed for central A/C? (Obviously, it might be necessary to run additional ductwork off the extant ducts.) My Google-fu is failing me, perhaps because it's currently eighty-six degrees in my office.
AC ducts need insulation. Do these existing ducts have any?
For proper distribution you need spacing based on the room configuration and square footage. Also you'll frequently find AC ducts placed near windows or outside walls - it's where the unconditioned air impacts mostly.
Do you have a location for routing return air?
Maybe it is the heat talking to you because you can do a good reality check by speaking with a well-regarded local installer
How about a window unit until you can sort it out?
posted by mightshould at 6:56 PM on July 12, 2011
For proper distribution you need spacing based on the room configuration and square footage. Also you'll frequently find AC ducts placed near windows or outside walls - it's where the unconditioned air impacts mostly.
Do you have a location for routing return air?
Maybe it is the heat talking to you because you can do a good reality check by speaking with a well-regarded local installer
How about a window unit until you can sort it out?
posted by mightshould at 6:56 PM on July 12, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
A pro HVAC installer will want to do calculations to determine duct sizing and location.
Flow rates are fairly important especially when it comes to return air. If your existing ducts are big enough, they may be able to use them for the return air and run new AC ducts to each room.
posted by davey_darling at 12:54 PM on July 12, 2011