Attaching Sheet Metal To Floor Joist Cold Air Return

This cold air return isn t a traditional metal vent.

Attaching sheet metal to floor joist cold air return.

It is currently using two floor joists which is panned by some sheet metal. I want to have the return in side the joists not panned on the bottom of the joists. All the duct work for heat uses 5 and 6 inch pipes which is fine and makes no noise. All my cold air returns use the space between the joists with sheet metal screwed against the joists.

Panned joist return ducts are almost always terribly leaky. Just because is uses the floor and 2 floor joists and a sheet of metal for the walls of the duct it is still a duct. Occasionally i see panned returns where the hvac company actually tried to seal it up. How to make a floor return out of duct board.

First building codes in many areas require that the cold air return line gets external insulation and therefore you will need to leave a gap for the insulation around the duct return line. Those junctions between wood and metal are difficult to seal and the thermal expansion and contraction of the wood will often cause sealing materials to fail. Wondering if it is worth it to take that out and run a pipe or what we could use to seal up the spots between the metal and metal and the metal and wood joist. My cold air return runs through the center of my basement which is two joist with sheet metal between.

Panned floor joist are a commonly utilized as return ducts by nailing gypsum board foil insulation osb flooring panels or sheet metal to the joists. A cold air return duct connects to a floor or wall return register and circulates air from each room back to a furnace for reheating. Running a metal cold air return duct between studs requires knowledge of both hvac systems and the components involved in framing. Some builders create pan joists by attaching a solid panning sheet material to the bottom of a floor joist to create a return air pathway.

I m looking to replace a cold air return about 13 feet long. These sheets of metal make constant noise when we walk on the floor above the return duct. You can run a. I need as much room as possible between the joists for a sound proofing project i m working on.

I have a new house and have a question. The cold air return in our basement is between the joists with a metal sheet covering it. On its own some building cavities such as floor joists can make acceptable duct chases to contain an insulated air sealed metal or flex supply or return duct.