Software
Houzz Logo Print
satches

Re-routing HVAC duct from bulkhead for kitchen reno?

25 days ago

We are re-routing our HVAC duct in order to remove the bulkhead in our kitchen reno. We have a single HVAC unit in the basement, and it works well. The 5 bedrooms upstairs get good air pressure and cooling/heating since it's a newer unit.


The team wants to basically take the ductwork straight up to the attic, and then come down from the attic and create ceiling vents in 3 of the 5 bedrooms. Currently, they're all floor vents coming from below. Those will be closed off and flooring repaired.


Are there questions we should ask or think of? Anyone else does this before and what were the results?


I'm worried about lower air pressure in those bedrooms. Our previous HVAC was old and not great, and a few of the rooms had issues heating/cooling. Since we got the new HVAC unit it's been great, but don't want to go back to that issue.


Pic shows the current duct in kitchen, which vents go up to the 3rd floor bedroom on that side of the house. Basically they'll take the duct work straight up thru the mudroom and one bedroom to the attic.


Comments (12)

  • 25 days ago

    What is the rating and size of your AC unit? How long is the duct runs now? How long will they be when rerouted? Has anyone done a Manual J report/test?

  • PRO
    25 days ago

    Why do you want to remove the bulkhead?

  • 25 days ago

    For our kitchen reno to put larger cabinets there

  • 25 days ago

    @millworkman I don't have the answers to that at the moment. I don't think the J report test was done when we got our newer HVAC a few years ago, but we've been very comfortable with the results and it greatly improved flow into the two problem bedrooms since then.

  • 25 days ago

    To answer your question, the trunk duct can route vertical to attic, go across, then feed rooms down through the ceiling. The house I live in was originally designed that way. Manual D will determine the duct sizes for this distance and cfm. In any case, the ducts in the attic should be insulated, and it is always better to avoid flex duct for the branches. And if your supply for the 2nd floor is on the 1st, then I would assume you've addressed the return as well, not just how it gets down to the basement, but where it is in the rooms compared to the new ceiling supply locations. Also, not quite sure if you have a 2-story or 3-story house (basement doesn't count).

    But other commenters make good points that should be considered. What is your kitchen layout, how many cabinets do you actually gain/increase height by removing the soffit?

    satches thanked 3onthetree
  • 25 days ago

    I would leave the bulkhead and the ac and heating alone. Its working good, and cabinets to the ceiling are not all that useful anyway, unless you are all 6 ft tall or more.

    satches thanked cat_ky
  • 25 days ago

    Is your attic insulated? How will your attic ducts be insulated? And what will the exact location of the ceiling vents be? We had ceiling vents in one house, and I hated it. We lived in Las Vegas at the time, so we needed the AC to run full speed, but it meant getting blasted by the vent that was centered right over the bed. We ended up pushing the bed to a really awkward corner of the room to avoid that.

    Heat from ceiling vents is even worse though. Because heat already rises. Your face feels flushed while your toes are still cold. Really don't recommend it.

    satches thanked mcarroll16
  • PRO
    25 days ago

    What the mechanical contractor is proposing is a viable solution, but it's probably not the best nor least cost way to achieve your objective. It relocates duct work that is currently in conditioned space (per best practices) to an unconditioned attic space. It will also reduce the area on the 2nd floor to make room to run the duct. The best you can expect is that the modified system will perform the same as the existing system. My bet is that it will not, and you'll incur a lot of expense to implement the change.

    As Debbi Washburn suggested, I would look at padding out the walls at the trunk line. The kitchen appears to be large. I don't think losing a couple of feet of cabinets will compromise the functionality. You may be able to incorporate some display niches in the thicker walls and make the entrances to the adjacent spaces more special.

    satches thanked Charles Ross Homes
  • PRO
    24 days ago

    Why not post a to scale floor plan of the kitchen and see what can be done without this costly and maybe bad decision. I did one home where we had to actaully put in a poratble AC for one room with a removal of ducting it was totally necessary but not ideal. It looks like you hva e a good sized kitchen space but the plan will tell us for sure .

    satches thanked Patricia Colwell Consulting
  • 24 days ago

    Well, I thought we had another week or two to decide, but the crew showed up yesterday to do the work! I didn't have much time to think about it. They completed the re-route, and actually the air pressure in the 3 bedrooms seems pretty good (if not better) than before. It's not super hot here this week, so will check later in the week.


    Also - we had our attic fully insulated a couple years ago in attempts to help with cooling in the master bedroom. They used flex lines in the attic and rigid metal for the trunk up. They placed it next to another line we had for the return so it didn't take up too much space in that room, maybe another 16 inches.


    Appreciate all the feedback! I should have posted this a week ago! At least now we have high ceilings in the kitchen, and don't need to order new cabinets for that side. The cost actually wasn't too bad because we rolled it into another change order with some other things.


    I attached pics of the removed bulkhead, and the line in my daughter's room. They have to still seal/frame it.




  • 24 days ago

    Ceiling vents are not ideal for heating.


    IMPO


    SR

Sponsored
Boss Design Center
Average rating: 5 out of 5 stars33 Reviews
Reputable Home Renovation Company Serving Northern Virginia