Hi Ren, I'm hoping you could help me with a problem I'm having in two of our bedrooms. In the summer these rooms are extremely hot and extremely cold in the winter. They share a common wall which is also where the cold air return is located. I've been told the reason for the problem is that the return is not drawing. Our house is 2 years old and I've had the original installer come over and have a look. He said that I need to close the vents on the main floor to force more air into the rooms. He also said that the draw was weak (can't hold a tissue against the grate). Can you tell me if adjusting the dampers on the pipes in the basement will help or do I need to cut into the wall to make sure the return is not blocked?
Answer:
Tuning the ducts in the basement may very well help but you may also have to introduce a booster fan to the ducts supplying the rooms in question. Most big box stores have the pop-in fans that you can put in yourself and that should do the trick.
