Hvac Floor Vents Vs Ceiling Vents

My furnace guy tells me that here in oklahoma floor vents are no longer allowed in new homes.

Hvac floor vents vs ceiling vents.

Floor wall and ceiling registers each have their own strengths and weaknesses that make them suited for different situations. Based upon your geographic location will heating or cooling needs prevail. What is the difference between supply registers and return registers. This isnt the main concern however.

The reason why many homes have ceiling vents is because it is cheaper and easier to install when the house is being built. Comfort control is more immediate and continuous. The physics reverse when it comes to air conditioning. If theyre in the floor youll want your return in the ceiling.

Floor vents on the other hand favor heating of the house. Cool air entering through ceiling ducts quickly descends to the lower portion of the room where people are located. The reason they put the vents by windows is to keep the windows from sweating and keep them clear. They all use ceiling vents.

As a general rule ceiling mounted vents offer better cooling potential while floor vents offer superior heat delivery. As a side note to the person who suggested hot water heat because it is not as dry. Ceiling ducts for cooling. For heating vents in the floor would be better.

Since installing the ducts on the floor of the 2nd floor means destroying the ceiling of the 1st floor the best idea would be to put the vents in the ceiling. If the registers are in the ceiling you will want your return low. Supply registers are the vents that deliver warm or cool air from your central heating cooling system to each room. As for pros and cons of either.

In climates where heating is the predominant hvac function floor ducts are usually preferable. It almost falls right in place into a blue print of a house. The ideal register placement for each room depends on a variety of factors including energy efficiency ease and cost of installation appearance and of course comfort. In the natural pattern of air flow cool air sinks and hot air rises so best practices must consider the primary role of your system.

Superior delivery of cooled air because hot air rises and cool air sinks ceiling vents are the delivery system of choice for cooled air particularly in hot humid climates with a predisposition for cooling. For cooling ceiling would be better. Ceiling ducts are more visible than floor ducts and harder to camouflage. The heater still runs the bill sky high but no good heat in exchange.

Unfortunately several of these vents are rusting underground. Since heat dispersed from ceiling ducts reaches the upper air first the hvac system has to work harder to push the heat lower into a room. Either type of register ceiling or floor can be used for this as long as the need for the area or room is matched. They can be camouflaged with decorative vent covers that match carpeting tile or hardwood flooring.