Lame Heating Design

[StevenT]

I inspected a house today that although it had a place to put a filter, there was no filter there... just a big open hole.

The strange part was there was no return. Unit was on first level, in tenants apt, cooling 2nd, 3rd floors.

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[Rob Amaral]

The return is the big-open hole AND the louvered-doors to the closet. I see stuff like this a lot in some condos. As long as they have a proper filter installed so that it is not bypassed and as long as they keep louvered doors there, 'it works'... Not great.. but it works... Would I suggest someone design a system this way? Nope...

[StevenT]

Rob,

What you describe was in the next closet, louvered doors and all, conditioning the space it is located in.

What I am saying is this was located in a first floor apt, cooling a 2nd, 3rd floor apt... the air returning through the louvered doors is not from the space the unit is cooling/heating.

There were no return vents at all in the upstairs apt. The only air being returned is what can escape out under the front door of the upstairs apt, down the stairs and escape back in under the front door of the apt below. I don't see too much hot air doing that.

I

[msteger]

I see this type of install on mobile homes (filter sits inside the door). Not great, but it works. This is the only return.

[Jim Katen]

Originally posted by StevenT

Rob,

What you describe was in the next closet, louvered doors and all, conditioning the space it is located in.

What I am saying is this was located in a first floor apt, cooling a 2nd, 3rd floor apt... the air returning through the louvered doors is not from the space the unit is cooling/heating.

There were no return vents at all in the upstairs apt. The only air being returned is what can escape out under the front door of the upstairs apt, down the stairs and escape back in under the front door of the apt below. I don't see too much hot air doing that.

It's not just lame, it's wrong.

IRC G2442.7 Return-air limitation. Return air from one dwelling unit shall not be discharged into another dwelling unit.

When the furnace is running, the lower apartment is depressurized and the upper appartments are pressurized. This could cause all manner of problems in each of the three units.

Besides, when the downstairs tenants boil cabbage, the upstairs tenants have to smell it.

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[StevenT]

Originally posted by Jim Katen

It's not just lame, it's wrong.

IRC G2442.7 Return-air limitation. Return air from one dwelling unit shall not be discharged into another dwelling unit.

When the furnace is running, the lower apartment is depressurized and the upper appartments are pressurized. This could cause all manner of problems in each of the three units.

Besides, when the downstairs tenants boil cabbage, the upstairs tenants have to smell it.

- Jim Katen, Oregon

BINGO!

Hey Jim,

Nice to see you around. I hope you are well.

No doubt, this is beyond lame and is as wrong as wrong can be.

Thank you for the code reference.