New Construction HVAC Air Supply Vent Design

last year

Hello! I just received the first draft for my HVAC plans for a new home build in South Florida and wanted to get some input on the placement of the air supply and return vents for the large living room/dining room that is mainly floor to ceiling windows.

Does this vent layout look appropriate for a room this size with this amount of sunlight coming in from all directions? Any input would be greatly apprecited. Thanks in advance!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (6)

PRO
Mark Bischak, Architect
last year
I must defer judgement to the person that laid out the ductwork and knows more pertinent information about the project and its location than provided.
klem1
last year
There is a saying old as time that go's something like this "Anyone that act's as their own lawyer has a fool for a client". The same could be said of anyone acting as their own GC and cruising the web for help with sub-contractors. If you don't have a trusted support group,get out of general contracting now. If you are paying a GC then second guessing his subs based on advice from the web,you need to stay out of his hair or hire a different GC.
Related Discussions
new construction - help with hvac quote
Q
Comments (8)
moonsoon first and foremost, as said in my previous post, you need a load calculation in writing broken out by each zone. I believe 10.5 tons is grossly oversized. EACs refer to electronic air cleaners which I believe the GAPA is Carrier's model. You need some type of air cleaner for both systems. EACs are not a cure for asthmatics but may help. Don't know about the GAPA model but most require regular cleaning/maintenance and do produce a small amount of ozone. I would not have one personally. I have a 5" pleated media filter that I change once a year. I lean toward the KISS system(keep it simple stupid!). No offense intended. The "return" air recirculates your inside air. It has to be sized to be in balance with your "supply" air. For example, if you have a 4 ton blower, your ductwork system should be sized accordingly-1600 CFMs both supply air and return air. One large return such as listed in your original post with such a large space will give poor airflow/exchange and most likely will be noisy. That was the reason for my suggestion for another return. And definitely don't place it in a living area-they should be centrally located in your home normally in an inside hallway. again I know that electric rate is not correct but I will not beat a dead horse. I do think a homeowner should have an apprx idea of their utility rates. what are the tier electric rates? I don't have a strong opinion on UV lights. Most homes don't have them and I would think they would be better indicated for areas with high relative humidity or to focus on specific problems with your evap coil. You do want Carrier's tin plated coil not the copper models. as far as ductwork, metal main trunk lines that are insulated with flex for supply and returns would be my choice. check with county building office and see what code is for new construction. IMO
...See More
New Construction HVAC.. Hi/Lo vs Ceiling/Floor Vents
Q
Comments (10)
Mike - The house is located in NJ in a climate zone labeled 4. The house is 2800 square feet plus a 1400 square foot unfinished basement. The house will have two HVAC systems.. The first system will run the first floor and is sized to handle the future finished basement.. The other system will be dedicated to second floor... The reason for the hi/lo as per the project manager is that the hot air should come in lower in the room so that it will rise and warm the room.. And then putting the cold air supply higher it will blow out and across the room and then get lower to cool the room.. He also mentioned that by doing this you avoid having a "draft" feel because ceiling vents will blow down onto you vs the wall vents that blow out above your head.. Theoretically what he is saying does make sense, however the placement of these vents sounds very unsightly, and again, not something I have ever seen before.. I have only ever seen floor or ceiling vents.. My thing is that the way he was saying that this setup is more money just doesn't make sense.. I would think that this is the cheapest route since you are running the duct work to the same wall cavity.. This would be compared to running floor and ceiling vents.. Unless I am mistaken that you only get one or the other.. I was under impression that HVAC utilized both floor (heat)and ceiling vents(cooling), however I was reading online and it looks now like you either do floor OR ceiling vents.. With that being said, perhaps the project manager is speaking correctly.. As for system setup goes, they are putting the second floor HVAC system in the attic.. At this point in the build and large part my fault and architect, is that there was never a section put in to have everything run from the basement.. I thought it was weird that many house plans online had an area that was blacked out or had an "X" and my plans did not.. Not being fully knowledgeable on the subject I didn't think anything of it.. Now I realize it was just that putting the system in the attic around here is just common practice so unless its specified differently you just go that route..
...See More
HVAC new construction ... your preliminary design input, please
Q
Comments (7)
Used to own a passive solar home (trombe wall, wedge opening onto southern exposure, deciduous trees for summer shade). What I learned: • Solar gain doesn't mean a thing when it's cooler than 55°. • Tree shade doesn't keep you cool with temps above 80°. • Heat pumps are a miserable source of heat, blowing air that feels downright chilly, and frequently turning over to expensive electric "auxiliary" heat. (My kids were so delighted when we moved to a house with natural gas; they would stand on the floor grates in the winter and marvel at the warmth.) Buy the oil tank...you'll appreciate the warmth. • Dependence on opening window treatments for heat results in faded floors and furniture, and blinding light.
...See More
New Construction HVAC Cost Estimate-Any Input?
Q
Comments (8)
What major city are you near? This will give us an idea of what the winter and summer outdoor design temperatures are for your location. Does the 5000 sq. feet include the basement? If it does what are the areas of the first and second floors? Basements require little for heating, and nothing for cooling if they are mostly below ground. Get a copy of the load calculation. New construction has no history for HVAC so it is very important that a load calculation with the proper software is done. You have above average insulation so I am skeptical you need 180K BTU of heating, and 8 tons of cooling. Adding more insulation is a good idea, but you may hit the point of diminishing returns. Do you know the gas and electric rates? The return on investment on more insulation may be a long time. It may make more financial sense to put the extra money to more efficient equipment.
...See More
mike_home
last year
It is hard to tell from this one drawing how the supplies and returns are connected. Is the main supply located in the attic? Are the supply vents 4 feet X 1 inch? If so then why so many and so narrow? I am not used to seeing these type of vents. Is this typical for new builds in Florida?

Are the fours vents at the top supplies or returns? The supplies should be near the big south facing window, and supplies on the east and west wall, with the returns on the north wall.

The 90 degree turn in the main duct needs to be rounded. If it is built as drawn there will be increased air turbulence and noise. If the duct work is in the attic then is should have R-8 insulation.
PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
last year
IMO we cannot answer this ever . As for the sun IMO you needto control it and my go to are solar shades that control heat and UV rays but allow you to keep the view but the HVAC pro is who understands the climate and your home not a bunch of strangers on the internet .
3onthetree
last year
It looks like you have (4) supply registers between the dining table and living seating. That is the sole conditioned air, being pulled into the (4) return registers along the back (South) wall across the living room. Full windows on the West, (2) sliders on the South, (1) slider on the East Dining, and can't tell the Living East wall. It appears to be a reflected ceiling plan and some sort of concrete construction.

The HVAC does not appear that it will provide adequate comfort for this space.
PRO
Charles Ross Homes
last year
The supplies are slot diffusers which are common in commercial construction and contemporary style homes.

If you'd like to evaluate whether the design is appropriate for the task, I suggest you ask your HVAC designer to review with you the room-by-room cooling loads, duct design (manual D) and the manual T results (air distribution.)

New Construction HVAC Air Supply Vent Design

Comments (6)

Mark Bischak, Architect

klem1

Related Discussions

mike_home

Patricia Colwell Consulting

3onthetree

Charles Ross Homes

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US