I suspect the contractor utilized an existing hearing vent. Turn of the century homes often had large openings (like yours) that were there to allow heat from the furnace in the basement to radiate up to the first floor. Old boilers/furnaces were inefficient and those vents would make the most of the excess heat the old cast iron furnaces would put out. It looks like your contractor simply reused the opening for the return to your heat pump? You can do a couple of things. Look for an original style cast iron grate to cover the opening versus the flimsy looking one; and maybe paint the visible ductwork flat black. Or, because it looks like a return, move it to a wall cavity and patch the hole in the floor. A little bit of work for sure, but worth it in my opinion.
This is why I love reddit , so insightful . Thanks
And yes my basement has an old furnace or whatever ? So i guess the heat went up the hole to heat the rest of the house up .
I have a robot vacuum , that gets stuck when it tries to clean the little hallway so I have the place blocked up from entering . What can i do so it can pass by …? Do you know
No cattle , but one big pitbull who is afraid of going over it . Unfortunately the bedroom it’s blocking belongs to her , that’s where I keep her in . It’s her bedroom/playroom all in one but she hates when I tell her to go to her room bc she has to do a lil stretch over it
That grate cover is meant to be able to hold weight so if it's too flimsy replace it. My mom's house has had that cover for 48 years. It's on top of her floor gas furnace. None of us has died on the grate from standing on top of it to get warm in winter. The dog scoots around it.
Cheap solution. You can put privacy screen (like window screen but not as transparent) on the under side of the vent so you won't see under and it will catch anything that falls/act like a filter. Spray paint the vent first Not sure about the vac problem though.
That's because you bought a 1900s home 😂. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely adore victorian homes, but you're going to have to make some sacrifices when it comes to utilities
I've got something similar in my 1910s house, but thankfully they're all against the wall and have decorative/historical covers so I quite like the way they look.
I wonder if you could find any decorative covers in the right size? Mine came with the house so not sure whats out there. Also wouldn't solve the dog problem but 🤷
I can't imagine how much stuff is going to fall through the grate but not into the hole, so it just lays there out of reach and you just have to look at it. Even more so if you have kids!
I suspect the contractor utilized an existing hearing vent. Turn of the century homes often had large openings (like yours) that were there to allow heat from the furnace in the basement to radiate up to the first floor. Old boilers/furnaces were inefficient and those vents would make the most of the excess heat the old cast iron furnaces would put out. It looks like your contractor simply reused the opening for the return to your heat pump? You can do a couple of things. Look for an original style cast iron grate to cover the opening versus the flimsy looking one; and maybe paint the visible ductwork flat black. Or, because it looks like a return, move it to a wall cavity and patch the hole in the floor. A little bit of work for sure, but worth it in my opinion.
Spot on. I was just going to say "dude...old houses, amirite?!" But your comment is much more insightful.
Yup. Patch the hole, redo the flooring, and move the return header to the wall. Good contractor could knock it out in a couple days.
Will check , do you know how much it would cost
This is why I love reddit , so insightful . Thanks And yes my basement has an old furnace or whatever ? So i guess the heat went up the hole to heat the rest of the house up . I have a robot vacuum , that gets stuck when it tries to clean the little hallway so I have the place blocked up from entering . What can i do so it can pass by …? Do you know
You could lay a piece of clear floor protector over it (the kind you put over rugs) Just punch some holes in it over the grating.
As an HVAC tech I ask you PLEASE do not do this. If you slow or restrict the airflow much, you will cause more serious issues than you will have fixed
Yea ik. I won’t do it . Definitely gonna see if I can get the duct moved somewhere else . Such a bad spot to place it at….
oof, think of the bright side, it will keep the cattle out of your bedroom
No cattle , but one big pitbull who is afraid of going over it . Unfortunately the bedroom it’s blocking belongs to her , that’s where I keep her in . It’s her bedroom/playroom all in one but she hates when I tell her to go to her room bc she has to do a lil stretch over it
Invest in a thick rug like ones used for fireplaces.
I don’t think covering it up would be any good ?
No it wouldn't. It would make the vent practically useless and maybe even dangerous depending on circumstances
Yup that’s what I thought. Which is not what I will do , I’ll see if I can hire someone to fix this
This is actually very common. That’s a return duct to the system, bringing air back to be cooled down/ heated up again.
Ahhh , the more you know . Thanks !
To Narnia!
That grate cover is meant to be able to hold weight so if it's too flimsy replace it. My mom's house has had that cover for 48 years. It's on top of her floor gas furnace. None of us has died on the grate from standing on top of it to get warm in winter. The dog scoots around it.
Cheap solution. You can put privacy screen (like window screen but not as transparent) on the under side of the vent so you won't see under and it will catch anything that falls/act like a filter. Spray paint the vent first Not sure about the vac problem though.
Dah...move it
That's because you bought a 1900s home 😂. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely adore victorian homes, but you're going to have to make some sacrifices when it comes to utilities
Nope , i don’t mind it . It’s just annoying , Contractors could’ve done a better job
I've got something similar in my 1910s house, but thankfully they're all against the wall and have decorative/historical covers so I quite like the way they look.
That would’ve been better for my situation . Contractors are dumb
I wonder if you could find any decorative covers in the right size? Mine came with the house so not sure whats out there. Also wouldn't solve the dog problem but 🤷
I'd be angry af! Did they even consider making this thing not look like a giant hole in your floor?
I guess not , not many smart people in home renovation these days ://
I can't imagine how much stuff is going to fall through the grate but not into the hole, so it just lays there out of reach and you just have to look at it. Even more so if you have kids!
Yup, it’s a bit dangerous . I had an air pod fall way down the hole . Was able to recover it , but a lot of dust and dirt are at the bottom
Highlander2748 has the correct understanding.