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May 30

Curious About Air Returns

So, we recently were getting quotes on a central air system and one company told us we have too few air returns and would need more ductwork. We live somewhere that has cold winters and hot summers, our furnace has no problems with the returns we have, so I was curious why the a.c. might.
I'm not looking for advice for my specific situation, I know the internet can't give that, I'm just curious why it would matter so much more for one side of the system, I think it's fairly intriguing, but can't find any clear good info online. Thanks:-)2600:1008:B00A:C2B9:2081:C1C8:A7D6:A246 (talk) 20:02, 30 May 2018 (UTC)[reply]

One difference is that hot air rises, and cold air sinks. In some houses this makes a difference with desirable air flows. HiLo48 (talk) 00:40, 31 May 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Another difference is that a bigger furnace or AC can overcome poor ductwork (at a cost in efficiency). However, an oversize AC is more costly than an oversize furnace, so the tradeoff of upgrading ducts will make more sense for the AC. -Arch dude (talk) 02:57, 31 May 2018 (UTC)[reply]