When remodeling your home, it can feel like you are living in captivity. Walls everywhere, a layer of dust covering everything, and many potential hiccups popping up out of nowhere. A hiccup that homeowners may run into is the return air being in a spot where they weren’t expecting. We at Genuine Comfort often get the question of whether the return air can be removed when remodeling. Continue reading to learn more about return air and how you can work around it when remodeling. 

What Homes Used To Be Like

Much like today, homeowners of the past preferred their homes to be a certain way. While there have been many different designs through different eras, the most common home layout was a traditional layout where the kitchen, dining room, and living room were all separated by walls. This style was widely popular so homes were built to accommodate this preference. However, now that styles have changed, these types of homes are being remodeled to a more modern design concept.

What Homes Are Like Now

The appearance and flow of a home are much different now than they used to be in the past. Style preferences have changed and new builds tend to favor the designs that people currently are looking for. However, because there are so many homes that have been built by prior generations, homeowners today often need to make changes in order to make a home fit their stylistic taste.

Homeowners in 2023 tend to favor homes that have a more open floor plan where the kitchen, dining room, and living room are connected. So if you live in an older home, you may need to remove walls to achieve a cohesive, open space. That is when you may run into a problem with an air return being there.

Can You Remove The Return Air When Remodeling Your Home?

The answer to the question of whether you can remove the return air when remodeling is yes. The answer to whether you want to is another story. Whether you should remove the return air depends on multiple factors including the size of your air conditioner and furnace and whether you are planning to relocate the return air. If you have a large AC with two air returns upstairs and one downstairs and you eliminate one of the upstairs returns, you may freeze out your furnace and lose cooling abilities upstairs.

Your Options

There are a few things that you can do when it comes to removing a return air. Make sure to get in contact with HVAC professionals, such as us at Genuine Comfort, to ensure your choice is feasible. Your options when you find a return air in your wall are these: 

• Remove the return air and put flooring over it and potentially have air comfort consequences,
• Find a way to move the return air to another location in the home, or
• Keep a floor grill.

Contact Us At Genuine Comfort To Move A Return Air

Are you living in an older home? Are you looking to remodel your home to fit a more current design scheme? Do you need to remove a return air in order to get the home of your dreams? If you answered yes to all of these questions, we at Genuine Comfort are at your service. We have extensive experience helping individuals and families with heating and cooling issues, including replacing, removing, and moving HVAC equipment. Reach out to us today for more information.