I have an 8″ flexible HVAC duct that comes up beneath a kitchen cabinet, with a register on the toe kick in front of the cabinet. The duct is just attached to a short fitting that ends flush with the sub-floor.
Are there any special duct fittings that can direct the air flow forward toward the toe kick, or is the flat horizontal termination sufficient? If there is a special fitting, what is it called?
Thanks!
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Replies
It just needs to be boxed in so that the air doesn't spread out too far in the wrong direction. If the undercabinet area is sealed reasonably well, that's enough, otherwise you can craft a box from plywood or sheetmeta. Or visit a home center and see if there's anything that looks good.
8" is pretty big with a lot of air flow so you'll want to avoid anything that will add to the whistleing, which primarily means sharp corners. If you can cut the toe kick and round over the edge with a router all the better.
Definitely do a good job of sealing any joints to keep the air going where you want. Caulking with a pastry bag can reach into tight areas that are otherwise unreachable.
If it wasn't 8" I'd suggest lining the underside of the cabinet with a bit of ridgid foam or insulation board to keep the heat and cold from effecting the contents, but you probably need all the room you can get.
Many toe kick vents are pretty restrictive, so try to pick a model that has the largest clear area, both to keep a good volume of airflow and to avoid those high velocity whistles.
If you just can't get enough airflow from under one cabinet, consider opening up a few channels to surrounding cabinets to allow additional vents.
The vents with the most flow for toe kicks are sometimes simply made as a series of slots or holes that extend from side to side in the wood. Decrative wire mesh is available to keep out toys and whatnot.
Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.
Thanks for the suggestions. I was thinking of cutting channels to put in another vent under a neighboring cabinet. Hopefully it won't whistle!
Go to your HVAC supplier, you can get a piece that goes from 8" round to 3 1/4" x 10" in a 90` shape, it's what they use in a wall, when going from the 8" and transitioning to the wall register, I'm sorry I can't think of the proper term for the fitting, but you should have no trouble finding one at a supply house, probably not available at the big box stores. Good Luck!
Geoff
Yeah, I can't think of it either, though I just put five of them in my attic, handling the awkward eave vents. Anyway it's a stock item. Both Menards and HD here had them.
People never lie so much as before an election, during a war, or after a hunt. --Otto von Bismarck
Darn, I shoulda taken some more pictures!! - lol
I just finished this window bench (delivered it yesterday) and one of the problems I had to deal with redirecting the HVAC flow since it sits over a floor register.
Since the floor register was ~14" off-center, I boxed in part of the space in the toe-kick area and lined it with foam sheet insulation. Then, I cut a new registar opening centered in the toe-kick and installed a new register. The actual floor opening is to the right of the new register.
Very nice work, Dave!
Someday I hope I'll be able to post pics of my DIY arts & crafts/Tahoe style remodel. Right now it's all bare studs, pipes and wiring. I completed the wiring for both stairways, the dining room, laundry room, and the home theater, but I still have to finish the kitchen plumbing before continuing with the wiring there.
I did end up hiring a plumber to do the gas lines and the island drain/vent, for about $3700. Still seemed like a lot, but about half of the first bid I got. He ran the calculations on all our appliances and determined that a second "home run" gas line was needed all the way back to the meter to handle the added BTUs. None of the other bidders went to that effort. There was a minor problem when I objected to his worker's sloppy routing of the new gas line right across the middle of my finished garage ceiling. The owner came out and insisted that the guy do it right, but he walked off the job instead. The owner came out on a Saturday and finished the job properly, so I'm pretty happy with him even for the $$.