Repositioning the A/C return vent from kitchen area

[remagenman]

I have a HVAC return vent a few feet away from the stove, in the ceiling which makes my whole house stink of whatever is being cooked, coffee being brewed, etc.

It's driving me nuts because I have serious heightened sense of smell.

I have another return vent further away near the bedrooms.

So, has anyone repositioned their return vent (major pita, I know) or can I just block it off and use only the one further away?

Thanks.

ps, whats with all the Korean spam just now on this forum?

 

[kbs2244]

It sounds like you have a >zoned" system.
If so, you need an on site inspection.

 

[niget2002]

Have you tried one of the more expensive Filtrete filters that trap more particulates? We had the same setup in our last house, but I never noticed the food smell in the other rooms from the vents.

https://www.filtrete.com/3M/en_US/f...n/?N=4315+7568680+3294529207+3294857497&rt=r3

 

[Jim_No_Garage]

We need a bit more information, preferably including a floor plan of the kitchen and surrounding rooms. If the vent is on an interior partition wall you might be able to open it up on the backside and seal off the kitchen side.

Jim

 

[ard]

Likely you cant just block the one return....


It is the 'ease' of relocating is 100% dependent on the 'space' behind, under or over the living space.... Where is the current return? Is there a crawl space? is it in the ceiling? wall? floor? etc etc

You need to size the return(s) based on the air handler performance curves...so many CFM coverts to duct sizes and grill sq inches. If you have one single blower, and two returns, they may have simply combined in a Y (from both return vents) to then go to the one air handler. Run the numbers, size the new returns... figure out where you can fit it...start cutting!

But until all that is known, it is hard to say if it can be done and what size you need

 

[Milton Shaw]

You might try a "cold plasma generator" from Topproductinnovations in your HVAC system. They are unbelievable devices that kill odors, bacteria, mold, etc as your HVAC system circulates the air. They run about $400 wholesale and need to be installed and wired in. They really do what they advertise and don't have any serviceable parts and last 10 -15 years. I have put two and my house and noticed a difference in one day. A friend with a wife with allergies installed one in his system and let it run without telling his wife. Two months later his wife noticed that she was not having allergy attacks at home any more and he explained what he had done. I don't have any connection to the company other than as a very satisfied customer. ASRAM, the agency that sets the rules on HVAC in commercial businesses, likes them so much they don't require 20% make up air in commercial installations. That's a 20% savings or more in cost of equipment and monthly utility bills for the life of the building.

 

[larry4406]

You might try a "cold plasma generator" from Topproductinnovations in your HVAC system. They are unbelievable devices that kill odors, bacteria, mold, etc as your HVAC system circulates the air. They run about $400 wholesale and need to be installed and wired in. They really do what they advertise and don't have any serviceable parts and last 10 -15 years. I have put two and my house and noticed a difference in one day. A friend with a wife with allergies installed one in his system and let it run without telling his wife. Two months later his wife noticed that she was not having allergy attacks at home any more and he explained what he had done. I don't have any connection to the company other than as a very satisfied customer. ASRAM, the agency that sets the rules on HVAC in commercial businesses, likes them so much they don't require 20% make up air in commercial installations. That's a 20% savings or more in cost of equipment and monthly utility bills for the life of the building.

Interesting... I had not heard of these.
http://www.topproductinnovations.com/Cleaning-Air-Naturally.html
https://storage.googleapis.com/sos-...es/Phenomenal-Aire-Series-R-IOM-Rev092316.pdf
https://www.rightnowair.net/products/phenomenal-aire-cold-plasma-generators/

 

[cedgo]

Not an HVAC guy, but no returns in the kitchen or bathroom.

 

[3onthetree]

If you look at the International Residential Code M1602.2, return air should be:
- 10 feet away from combustion appliances or draft hoods
- not pulled from kitchens.

When you block it off, you will have to get that CFM from somewhere else. Usually, you can provide more CFM available opening for returns than the air handler can pull, if you have to guess on the size, so keep it at least the same size if not bigger.