Install a return air vent in your dropdown ceiling to help with air circulation through your home.
A is placed into a room to draw air from the room and return it to the home's heating and air conditioning system for reheating or cooling before being sent back through the system again. In most rooms, the vent is either in the floor or the wall, but if you're dealing with a room where such placement can be difficult, a basement for example, you can place the vent in a dropdown ceiling instead. The space above the ceiling is usually sufficient for running the ducting through to connect to your vent and the ceiling panel strong enough for vent placement .after a few modifications.
Instructions
1. Locate the air filter on your furnace. The filter covers the return duct in your furnace. Follow the ducting to the room containing your dropdown ceiling, as this is the duct you'll need to attach your new return vent into.
2. Find a section of the duct that's near the location in the ceiling where you wish to place your vent. Place a starter collar onto the side of the duct and trace around the collar onto the duct surface with a grease pencil.
3. Set the tip of a flat-head screwdriver against the duct inside the traced line you've just placed. Hit the head of the screwdriver with a hammer to poke the screwdriver through the surface of the duct. Pull the screwdriver free and then insert the blade of the sheet metal sheers. Cut through the metal along the marked line to make room for the installation of the starter collar in the side of the vent. You'll need to use straight shears for cutting straight lines in the duct and right or left cutting shears to make curved cuts in the same direction for which the shear is made.
4. Slip the starter collar into the hole you've just cut, and then bend the small tabs on the edge of the collar over the side of the hole and into the interior of the duct. Screw three hex-head sheet metal screws through the collar and into the body of the duct using a drill with hex driver bits. Space the screws out evenly around the collar to secure it to the duct body.
5. Connect flexible duct to the starter collar by pushing an end of the duct over the collar and then wrapping the connection joint with metal duct tape. Wrap a piece of duct strapping around the connected area, placing the end of the strap through the strap loop. Tighten it in place by pulling the end of the strapping with a pair of pliers.
6. Run the length of flexible duct to the drop ceiling panel that you're placing the return vent into from the starter collar. Secure the duct to the ceiling joists using duct strapping. Wrap the strap around the ductwork every 5 feet and then use sheet metal screws to attach the straps to the joists. Maintain as straight a path as possible to keep the efficiency of the airflow through the ducting as high as possible. Cut the duct as needed when you reach the ceiling tile with scissors to get through the plastic and insulation, and then with wire cutters for the layer of wire that reinforces the duct.
7. Wrap metal duct tape over any joints in the duct.
8. Place a return air vent onto the part of the ceiling panel exposed to the room, and then press lightly to imprint the rim of the bottom of the vent onto the panel. Cut out the impression with a utility knife. Place the rim on the bottom of the vent through the hole until the ledge around the surface of the vent is against the bottom of the panel. Screw the vent onto the panel using drywall screws to secure it into place.
9. Connect the ductwork that you extended to the panel location to the vent using three of the sheet metal screws around the vent collar. Cover the connection with the metal duct tape, and then place a strip of metal duct tape over the joint. Return the panel to the ceiling grid.
Tags: return vent, starter collar, duct tape, metal duct, metal duct tape