A/C ceiling vent question

[missingchild]

I have a 4X10 air conditioning vent in my dining room ceiling. It's adjacent to an outside wall, about a foot from a corner.

I want to replace it with one that has a lever to allow me to close it.

There are several types of registers- the one currently there has the slats all in one direction and it's directing the air flow towards the wall.

Was this installed incorrectly?

And- am I better off getting one that vents to the side along the wall, or out into the room? (I assume it would make no sense to get one that vents along the wall to both sides)

[mike]

to an outside wall, about a foot from a corner.

all in one direction and it's directing the air flow towards the wall.

into the room? (I assume it would make no sense to get one that vents along the wall to both sides)

Consider that when you close the vent, you force more cold air out the leaks. Lots of variables, but watch for condensation/mold.

[missingchild]

No leaks and there are plenty of other vents that can handle it. But I plan= to close it in the winter. Since the duct runs through an uninsulated atti= c and down an outside wall, in the winter some cold air drops through the d= uct into the room. That's the reason I want to be able to close the vent.

[mike]

close it in the winter.

Since the duct runs through an uninsulated attic and down an outside wall, in the winter some cold air

drops through the duct into the room. That's the reason I want to be able to close the vent.

My bad...I was confused by I have a 4X10 air conditioning vent in my dining room ceiling. It's adjacent to an outside wall, about a foot from a corner.

I have some "vent cover" stuff that looks like a huge sheet of refrigerator magnet. Works great on the floor vents. Not sure if the magnetic material is strong enough to hang on the ceiling vent.

[missingchild]

Tried it, didn't stay.

[trader4]

I would get a register that directs the air out, into the room. Putting cold or heated air onto an outside wall is a losing proposition.

[HeyBub]

Remove the vent.

Take vent to big-box store. Say: "Gimme one this size with adjustble louvers."

Install new vent.

[missingchild]

HD didn't have one just like it that's adjustable, they have ones that blow in different directions and I don't see the point of blowing the air to the sides.

As far as why to blow it at the wall, it'd be less drafty than having a vent blow right at the dining room table.

[hrhofmann]

ow in different directions and I don't see the point of blowing the air to = the sides.

ent blow right at the dining room table.

You blow the air toward the outside wall because that is where the outside wall is either heating or cooling the rest of the room. If the room is a corner room, then you have to decide which wall has the most heat loss/heat gain and direct air toward that wall. No sense blowing air toward the walls that are inside walls because they are already at the desired temperature, assuming heating/cooling of the adjacent rooms.

[missingchild]

Right, the equivalent of putting the radiators on outside walls.

Then the remaining question is- do I blow it back AT the wall (the register is on the ceiling, against the wall) or sideways along the wall?

[trader4]

blow in different directions and I don't see the point of blowing the air t= o the sides.

vent blow right at the dining room table.

I thought the cold or hot air coming from the register is what's cooling or heating the room, not the wall. It's not very smart to be putting the hottest air onto the outside wall. You're just going to heat that wall area that it's blowing on HIGHER than room temperature so that more of the heat will be lost through the wall to the outside. What's going to lose less heat? Having the wall at 70 or having it at 80?

=A0If

[trader4]

er is on the ceiling, against the wall) or sideways along the wall?

It's not the equivalent. Radiators or registers are put along outside walls because those AREAS, near outside walls, need the most heat. The intent however is not to heat the wall itself, rather the air near the wall. With a radiator you don't have choice in where the air is directed. With a register, you do. And heating the wall above room temperature just means you're going to lose more heat out that wall. I've seen a lot of registers and I've never seen one where the air was directed at a wall and not into the room.

[Stormin Mormon]

I thought radiators were on outside walls, because it was easier to install. Maybe you're right, and I never realized?

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

.

It's not the equivalent. Radiators or registers are put along outside walls because those AREAS, near outside walls, need the most heat. The intent however is not to heat the wall itself, rather the air near the wall. With a radiator you don't have choice in where the air is directed. With a register, you do. And heating the wall above room temperature just means you're going to lose more heat out that wall. I've seen a lot of registers and I've never seen one where the air was directed at a wall and not into the room.

[missingchild]

If you put radiators on inside walls it'd be cold near the window/outside w= all. The only exception is kitchens where it's often impossible, due to cab= inets, etc., to put a radiator on the outside wall. And in my kitchen it's = a couple of degrees colder near the window for that reason.

But with a forced-air A/C system... there's more air circulation as it's su= pposed to blow into the room and then (eventually) out the doorway, up the = stairs and into the return.

So now we have three different answers- blow at the wall, blow sideways alo= ng the wall, or blow into the room. And this is the only room with a 4X10 r= egister on an outside wall, the others are square registers, not on outside= walls, that blow in all directions...

[krw]

Heat loss is only at the outside walls (and ceiling and less so the floor, of course). In a multi-story building the only loss is at the periphery so it's the only place that needs heat. Large buildings with forced air heat will use the core for returns and heat the outside so the air is circulated and the heat goes where it's lost.

Many large buildings run AC year around because the heat generated in the core, though normal activity exceeds that lost through the periphery.

[mike]

in different directions and I don't see the point of blowing the air to the sides.

blow right at the dining room table.

Life is a tradeoff. If you want the most efficient heat, put on a coat. If you want the most uniform room temperature, put the heating vents under the windows.

[trader4]

t blow in different directions and I don't see the point of blowing the air= to the sides.

a vent blow right at the dining room table.

The point I was making was not about where to put the heating vents. I agree that putting the vents along outside walls, windows, etc gives the most uniform temperature.

The point was that if you have a vent near an exterior wall, there will be better heating of the room and less heat loss from the wall to the outside, if you direct the air coming out of it away from the exterior wall. You want hot air near the outside wall, because that's going to be the coldest area of the room. But directing the air at the wall so that the wall temp is higher than the room is a losing proposition.

[missingchild]

Okay, in my case we're talking about A/C, so the best alternative would be = to just drop the cold air along the wall, but not at the wall. If we direct= the air away from the wall into the room then the people at the window wil= l have the cold air pass over them (especially since it's a dining room, wh= ere people are sitting down and thus only up to 4 feet off the floor).