Air conditioners can be a godsend in the hot, sweaty summer months. They remove excess heat leaving your rooms cool and relaxing. They also eliminate the excess moisture, leaving your indoor air healthy and safe.
However, all this is only possible if the unit is installed correctly. More importantly, you must properly maintain the unit. Otherwise, you can forget about the cool and relaxing afternoons.
Ensuring sufficient vent clearance is one of the most crucial AC installation and maintenance steps, without which an adequate and reliable air conditioning system becomes impossible.
Both the return and supply vents must have enough space in front and on the sides for maximum air movement to ensure proper system breathing.
This guide focuses on what you need to know about the cold air return vents clearance. How much clearance do you need around the cold air return vents, what are the consequences of disregarding the clearance requirements, and how can you ensure maximum airflow around the vent? Read on to find out.
How Much Clearance Needed for Air Return Vents?
How much space should you leave in front of an air return? All your vents need at least six inches of clearance from all furniture, drapes, and other household items to ensure proper system breathing.
Of course, you’re encouraged to seek more clearance to enjoy even better AC airflow. However, closing down the space can significantly impact indoor air quality and AC performance.
What is AC Return Air Vents?
Air conditioner air return vents are a set of air ducts that draw stale return air from your rooms back into your HVAC system for reconditioning.
Return air is the warm air in your rooms that needs to be cooled to lower indoor temperatures in the summer. All central air systems have cold air return vents and are incomplete without at least one return air vent.
Where are Return Air Vents Located?
AC air return vents are typically located on the floor or the ceiling. Floor vents work better as cold air returns are heavy and thus usually settle around the floor. However, ceiling-installed return air vents are more common because they’re more practical.
If you ever get confused between air return vents and supply vents, a few differences can help you differentiate the two. For instance, unlike supply vents, air return vents don’t have louvers.
Return vents are also larger. If you’re still lost, turn on the HVAC system and put a piece of paper by the vent. If it’s sucked onto the grille, you’re looking at an AC air return vent.
However, if the paper is blown away, you’re at the supply vent. The two are usually installed several feet apart.
What’s the Ideal Size of a Return Air Vent?
A typical return vent is 16 x 20 inches, including the grille. The size is considered the most ideal for handling 1,500 CFM airflow.
However, some return air ducts are bigger or slightly smaller. It comes down to several factors, including the HVAC system brand, size, and installation location.
No, an air return cannot be too big, except in extreme cases where a closed room is temporarily under negative air pressure. For instance, many floor-installed return air vents are (4-6) by (10-12) inches.
Why Do Return Vents Need Clearance?
Return vents need clearance to draw room air into the AC with little trouble. Remember that the cool air has to come from somewhere. In modern air conditioners, the same air from your room goes through the HVAC system and comes out on the supply end as cooled air.
You need plenty of clearance around the return vents to pull as much air into the AC as possible per hour. Otherwise, the volume of cool air coming out at the supply end per hour will be lower.
Dangers of Blocked AC Return Air Vents
You’re probably wondering how dangerous it is to block return air vents or provide less than sufficient clearance. The three main dangers are;
1. It can cause the evaporator coils to freeze
An air conditioner’s evaporator coils contain freezing-cold refrigerant that facilitates the air conditioning process by absorbing heat from the hot return air.
As such, if no warm air is coming along (due to blocked vents), the coils may freeze and even burst, damaging the HVAC system.
2. It makes the AC system use more energy
The air conditioner is designed to attempt to draw as much stale air even if the airflow is restricted thanks to blocked return air vents. However, the fan must work twice as hard, using even more energy. So, be prepared for higher energy bills.
3. It causes faster AC wear and tear and reduced HVAC system life
The two scenarios above are perfect examples of how a blocked return vent can accelerate appliance wear and ultimately shorten the equipment’s life. The fan blades will feel the heat, and so will the motor. Frozen evaporator coils can also necessitate premature replacement.
How Much Clearance Is Needed for Air Return Vents?
Ideally, you should try to provide as much clearance as possible to enable unrestricted airflow into the air return vent. However, since space is at a premium, especially on the floor, your first job is to maintain minimal clearance requirements.
How Much Clearance do you Need In Front of the Return Air Vents?
The minimum clearance required in front of air conditioner return vents is six inches. However, some AC brands demand at least 12 inches in front of the air conditioner.
This applies to both floor-installed and ceiling-mounted return vents. So, if you have cabinets right below your ceiling vents, leave at least 12 inches between the top of the cabinet and the vent grille.
And if you intend to place a sofa in front of a wall-installed vent, ensure it’s at least 12 inches away from the wall.
How Much Clearance do you Need on Each Side of the Return Air Vents?
The minimum clearance required on the sides (left and right) of an AC air return vent is 12 inches. You may come across a few brands saying six inches of clearance is sufficient.
However, that’s rarely the case, especially for big air conditioners with large return air vents. In fact, you may need 20 inches of clearance on the sides for optimal airflow.
How Much Clearance do you need above and below the return air vents?
You need at least six inches of clearance above and below the return air vents. This requirement is especially important during wall vent installation. You need to install the vent at least six inches from the floor.
Tips to Ensure Maximum Clearance Around the Return Air Vent
If you’re wondering how to leave enough clearance around your AC return vents while maximizing space utilization, we’ve got a few ideas for you;
- Consider ladder shelving: Ladder shelves are open at the back, the front, and the sides to promote maximum airflow. You can install the shelving system onto the wall or opt for a freestanding shelf.
- Louvered vent shutters: A louvered vent shutter is like an art frame on the wall or ceiling. However, instead of framing a piece of artwork, they frame a louver system that allows air to freely flow into and out of the vent behind the frame.
- Blend it into the decor with wainscoting: Wainscoting is an only-school indoor décor technique used to complement indoor décor. However, it can also offer a unique way to conceal your wall-installed return air vents without blocking airflow.
- Paint your vent grilles: If you don’t want the vent grille sticking out like a sore thumb, painting is an excellent way to hide it into the décor. Make sure it matches the rest of the surface. For instance, painting a ceiling vent white makes it “disappear” into a white ceiling without blocking airflow.
- Rethink your furniture styles: Finally, you may also consider customized furniture to blend the vent grille into your décor while promoting maximum airflow. For instance, custom-built cabinets and chairs are functional while ensuring maximum airflow.
Return Air Vent Maintenance
Ensuring maximum clearance is only the first step to ensuring maximum airflow into your air conditioner. To continually draw maximum return air, you must also keep the vents clean and free of debris and dust. This calls for optimal maintenance.
Benefits of Vent Maintenance
Maintaining your vents is beneficial in two main ways;
- Ensures optimal AC performance: Clean, debris-free return vents draw maximum air to ensure optimal air conditioning.
- Boost air conditioning efficiency: unimpeded airflow into your AC means you need less power to keep your AC running.
- Ensure maximum appliance life: Cleaning and dusting your AC vents regularly guards against rusting, corrosion, and damages that may shorten appliance life.
How to Maintain your Return Air Vents
An easy way to go about AC vent maintenance is to divide the maintenance tasks into monthly and annual responsibilities.
Things to do monthly;
- Change the dirty air filter: The air filter is often located right behind the return vent in smaller air conditioners. The clogged air filters can also cause cold air return blockages to cause a buildup of air pressure and insufficient airflow that can damage your system. The cumulative stress and strain associated with cold air return blockages can cause parts to wear out faster. Make sure to change it at least once every month.
- Clean the vents: Turn off the air conditioner, cover the furniture, and vacuum your vents thoroughly. Then use a microfiber duster to clear out whatever is still left in the vents. Never clean AC air vents with water or cleaning products.
Things to do annually;
- Clean the vent covers: Turn off the AC, detach/remove the vent covers, and wash them with hot soapy water in the sink.
- Remove oil from the vent covers: Rub the covers with alcohol to remove grease and oil stains on the vent covers.
How Much Clearance Needed For Air Return? FAQs
Do you need AC Return air vents in every room?
No, it’s not mandatory. In fact, some homes have just one air return vent. However, you may need multiple return vents, possibly even one in every room, depending on your AC’s CFM value.
What’s the purpose of the return air grille?
Standard air conditioner vent grilles protect the vent while also serving as pre-filters. As pre-filters, they trap large particles and even keep away pets and human hands and feet out of the vent.
Can you put furniture in front of a return vent?
Yes, you can put furniture in front of return air vents as long as you don’t block airflow into the air conditioner. In short, just make sure to adhere to recommended clearance requirements.
Is it okay to cover a return air vent?
Yes, it’s okay to cover return air vents as long as you don’t impede airflow into the unit. So, you can cover the vent with a dedicated grille, for instance. However, you cannot cover it with a carpet or mat.
Can you paint the return air vents?
Yes, you can paint return air vents to blend in with the rest of your home. Just make sure the paint doesn’t block air from entering the unit.
Summary
That’s all you need to know about AC return air vent clearance requirements. Generally, you need twelve inches in front of the vent and the sides (left and right) and at least six inches above and below wall-installed vents. Give us a call if you have any questions.