return vent clearance for bookshele unit
I will be starting a built-in bookcase wall unit, in a den, that will wrap around on 3 walls. 1 short wall(entry into den)40″wide – shelving just above doorway(open entryway). the second wall will contain shelving from floor to ceiling spanning entire wall. 3rd wall will have just two full spanning uppers, & 2 small 2’shleves suspended.
i would like to keep the top 2 shelves at an equal & consistent elevation. Now to my question. On the wall where there will be a floor to ceiling shelving unit spanning the entire wall, there is a return vent located approx. 4″inches down from drywall ceiling.
What is the recommended minimum allowable clearance for the vent? shelves will be 8 to 10 inches deep, containing all books.
if the retturn wall vent is approx. 7-1/2″inches wide X 15-1/2″inches ht., located on a partition wall approx. 87″inches up from the floor.
is it acceptable to change or lower the height location of a return vent in the wall? (ex. from 87″ht. to 70″inch ht……?)
what do u recommned for open space clearance around the finished openings of the wall return vent?
Replies
I've run into this problem a few times and have never found a "simple" solution. Blocking off any HVAC supply or return is a bad idea and you may need to "educate" your customer about the necessity for unobstructed air flow.
If the customer just insists on having books (or whatever) in that location, then the register should be moved - or the customer should understand that obstructing the airflow can cause problems with heating/cooling in that room as well as other parts of the house.
I have no ability to visualize based on written descriptions, so I may be totally off base. That said, what about extending the return out to the front of the bookshelf, and dressing it up with wood around it and a wood grille? If you wanted to get really fancy, paint book bindings onto the wood grill for that fancy-I-can't-spell-French fool the eye look?
I was thinking the same thing as Bryan, why not just incorporate it into the new built in. I would take of the existing grill and box it out to what you want for the rest of the shelving then either buy a grill and put that on or make a grill on the built in with a router.
People put a supply under kitchen cabinets all the time and just cut a grill into the toe kick/ front. The one thing to make sure is that you have enough air flow, don't make too small a grill so the air flow is reduced.
Lowering the return is a far better alternative than patially or completey blocking it.
If you were to place solid objects directly in front of the return, but the perimeter of the space around the grille remains unblocked, place them no closer than 2".