Scenario:
When added, an efficient basement return grille would take air through the wall straight into the return box, and I already plan to insulate the furnace room with sound-absorbant Rockwool to reduce through-wall noise from said room. However, I have concerns about blower noise exiting the new return grille since it'll basically be a short, straight run to the return box.
Is it sane to use round duct and add a S-curve to the mix knowing that air flows well around curves while sound ... doesn't? Or, perhaps, is there a sound deadening technology I should be looking at for the new return, itself?
Finally, I have extra round duct on hand and it'd save me money to use it: is there a good way to come off the new return grill and go straight to round duct? I'm aware of square-to-round transitions, but I'm not sure that'd apply here....
Please advise and, as I'm a relative HVAC n00b, please feel free to provide course correction if you think I'm off course.
Thanks in advance to anyone who can assist!
- I am the third owner of the house
- House has a centrally located 16x30x1 return grille
- House originally had 2 ton HVAC; in 2009 the current owner upsized it to 3tons to add heat to the basement
- No return was added to the basement.
- I'm planning to add a 16x30x1 return grille to the basement in a reasonably central hallway (furnace is on the other side of one wall of said hallway).
- I want this size specifically for filter parity with the existing return grille on the main floor (so that I only have to stock one filter size) ... and, as I understand it, one can't really have too much return air.
When added, an efficient basement return grille would take air through the wall straight into the return box, and I already plan to insulate the furnace room with sound-absorbant Rockwool to reduce through-wall noise from said room. However, I have concerns about blower noise exiting the new return grille since it'll basically be a short, straight run to the return box.
Is it sane to use round duct and add a S-curve to the mix knowing that air flows well around curves while sound ... doesn't? Or, perhaps, is there a sound deadening technology I should be looking at for the new return, itself?
Finally, I have extra round duct on hand and it'd save me money to use it: is there a good way to come off the new return grill and go straight to round duct? I'm aware of square-to-round transitions, but I'm not sure that'd apply here....
Please advise and, as I'm a relative HVAC n00b, please feel free to provide course correction if you think I'm off course.
Thanks in advance to anyone who can assist!
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