Floor Registers

I am thinking of cutting holes in my first floor and putting in registers, does anyone have pictures and sizes of theirs they could share for ideas before I go cutting an original hardwood floor ? This is one of those one shot deals so I really dont want to jack it up.

I get decent temps using an IR thermometor on the first floor above the stove that is in the basement and I am thinking I could cut in a grille in the basement door for the cold air return ?

Most probably put in whatever will fit between the joists, like a 4x10 or 6x9, 12x12, etc.. or something. Its all personal preference and what is available at your local hardware store. If you could duct it to your stove somehow, that would really increase the heat upstairs.

Yes, the grate in your basement door would probably help with the cold air return too.

I have two supply holes per large room, 1 for smaller rooms.
1 large return per large room, 1 smaller return for smaller rooms.

The supply on the outer cold walls and close to doors/windows, the return close to inner walls.


Dining return by ValterBorges, on Flickr


Dining return no cover by ValterBorges, on Flickr


Entry supply by ValterBorges, on Flickr


Kitchen Return by ValterBorges, on Flickr

I just put a cold air return at the bottom of the first floor steps yesterday. Last night I noticed for the first time that the cold draft I have been feeling disappeared. I used a 2" X 12" inch return. Try and use as large of a grate that will fit between the joists for the hot air to go up. Depending on your layout and how many floors you want to heat you may need to put one in the floor/ceiling of the upstairs to get the air to go up and circulate. Don't go overboard though. Heat naturally rises, but you will notice a difference.

Follow WNY's advice. Then consider that the outside walls and associated corners are usually the most isolated from air flow. Use your IR thermometer to find the most likely locations for a new cold air return. If you place cold air returns near those locations they will act as cold air returns into the basement and pull the warm air to that location. How is the warm air making its way to the first floor now? It would be sacrilege to build a heat collector around a Glendwood to duct the warm air upstairs

OK, I'll be the code nerd. These openings in the floor violate fire code in most areas. They should have registers with fire dampers. Fire dampers are spring loaded and have a link that burns/melts rapidly and slam shut. Just sayin'.

I have 4 in my house Keith. They were already there when I bought the place but seem to in the right places for sure. Between them and the two staircases, the "flow" is pretty good in here considering how many "add-ons" were done to the house over the years. My downstairs stays about 5 or so degrees hotter then my upstairs floor, which is just the opposite of how it acts with the steam furnace on. I like it cause I prefer to sleep in slightly cooler climes. No ducting on the stoves at all, just the natural convection of the "house system". Mine are all the type with flaps to open or close and are about 10"x12" maybe?

I have cut in vents and it made a big difference. I also cut in a vent at the bottom of the basement door and placed a box fan on the steps to pull the cold air down the stairs. I went to a local antique store and found floor vents that fit the house better then the ones at box stores.

i have 3 in all.. first and largest is from late 1800's cast iron and ornate...yard sale 20 bucks!

other was early 1900's and flea market also 20 bucks... come to find out 1st one worth 800!! second 140!

third is home depot black "looks old" type...

made huge difference in upstairs... used incense to watch air flow...




Tuttle & Bailey N.Y. Pat. 1872

bottom of 16x18

WNY, I currently have no option of ducting the heat from the stove to the registers so I am looking at natural covection. I do plan to have a better suited stove for that next year though.

ValterBorges, on a large room you have 2 hot air supply registers and a return for a total of 3 registers ?
I have not thought of doing a cold air return in each room, do you think it works better doing it this way instead of a couple of hot air supplies and a centrally located return ?

JohnnyV, I can feel the cold air rolling down my stairs, wonder if its the same situation you described with your draft ?

VigIIPeaBurner, right now both the heat and cold air return is the basement door being open, dont worry Im not building a heat collector around the stove . Eventually the Glenwood will get a complete refurb and be moved upstairs, then I can get a stoker style for the basement and duct the heat to the registers I install.

Coalkirk, thanks for the headsup.

SteveZee, thats what I am trying to achieve, do you have a centrally located cold air return or does each room have its individual return like ValterBorges is describing ?

Offcoursey, What you have done sounds like it is along the lines of what I am thinking, If you put a box fan on the steps pulling air to the basement I am guessing you have to move it everytime you go down the steps ? Did you find that the natural convection was not enough ?


I bought a couple 4x12 registers but maybe I should get larger, I could easily fit 12x 12's. I am thinking the 2 registers for the heat should be smaller when added together then the size of the return ?

http://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet ... -g-Co-,-Wa

I believe they were sold to hart & cooley which is still going and in the grille biz...

tuttle and bailey made warm air registers for a werry long time they know air flo
http://www.airsysco.com/corporate/index ... eandbailey

ValterBorges, thanks for the pictures, yours look like a really good match to the surrounding floor.

PoconoEagle, thanks for posting the pictures of the very nice looking registers or grates maybe in this case. Smokin deal at the garage sale and then to find out the real value, wow $800.00 !

I will check out the links you provided, I have seen a few cast iron round registers on ebay but not sure if I like the round yet. I could definately do the square or rectangular ones.

The stairs are open on the one side and the fan is blowing out of the side of the stairs. I have rigged up a 6' round duct to the from of the stove, no fan. The duct is about 6' long and goes to a cast round floor vent for the floor above. That is the only heat vent, the other vents(5 of them) are along outside walls for returns. The basement is unfinished and the stove does not need to look pretty. Before the vents were in, the basement would be 80*, now it is holding about 70 so there is much more heat getting upstairs.

coalkirk wrote:OK, I'll be the code nerd. These openings in the floor violate fire code in most areas. They should have registers with fire dampers. Fire dampers are spring loaded and have a link that burns/melts rapidly and slam shut. Just sayin'.

Do you have some photos showing these registers with fire dampers?
Thanks.

By putting in the register at the bottom of the steps you should notice a difference right of the bat. This is always a place where cold air from upstairs rushes. I placed another register last night at the other corner of the living room by the front door (under the thermostat for the oil furnace). Last night was the first time the living room (at the far end of a "broken up" old house) that the thermostat was between 64 and 65 without the oil running. I am not burning the stove to hot yet (425-450) but this gives me hope that when I do I might not need to use the oil as much.