DIY How To Install A Heat Duct Going To The Floor in Your Basement

How to bring heat to the floor in a basement. Forget floor insulation, run a quick duct line and enjoy your space.
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[@laurencel.7980]

crimped metal end goes toward direction of air flow...

[@tonyivory830]

Exactly I’m a licensed contractor in Detroit Our inspectors would flag that right away they don’t play The takeoffs are cramped why not follow that direction all crimped ends must be facing the direction of the boots only way you can get away with that is you would have to use that commercial graded tape or a caulk silver

[@warbird101210]

No disrespect but all joints are meant to be sealed now so in the 80s and 90s yes but now doesnt apply but....do it right ....

[@jesusmedina4494]

Maybe there are different regulations in Canada.

[@FFINGERBOARDER.]

he said its the return

[@escapism2to1]

I love how easy you make everything look....the ease of it all is even evident in your voice. It makes me feel like I can do it. :) You also give cool tricks on how to work with proper tools and without proper tools...I appreciate that. And your camera person is really good at zooming in on the right things so that we don't miss the details. I'm glad to be subscriber to your channel...my wife are learning a ton while renovating our house! Thank you from Colorado! :)

[@alex_zava]

First of all thanks for great guide! One thing to share regarding duct cutting tool. Best worked for me was Angle Grinder. It allowed me to cut perfectly straight lines with leaving almost no sharp obstacles and it was so easy to operate.

[@Maverick2ndAmendment]

You always come to the rescue. Thank you for what you do!

[@garensergeyevich8376]

Thank you for making it look so easy and doable! 👍🏻👍🏻

[@sblitch]

Thank you! Nice basic intro for those of us who've never done this before, but have some DIY skills.

[@sparetimeincanada1725]

Wow wow Wow!!!! Thank you so much. I'm struggling with my basement renovation. Of course, this is solo Lol. No heat and this is perfect.

[@shamoo44]

Well I didn’t wear gloves the 1st time and went to emergency because I cut myself. Now I’m watching your video for help. This is exactly what I needed. Thanks for making this video.

[@adammach8999]

This is really great I just moved into a new house with roomies and found the basement much more suited for me to sleep and have all my stuff in one place. But after my first night noticed there are no vents down there. So this will help me stay warn this winter.

[@andrewpiroli1]

Cutting a starter hole using a razor knife and hammer at the 1:20 mark is brilliant. I did this to make a small hole for my snips, and it worked great. Saves so much time. Thanks....

[@robrussell4021]

I'm a good DIY'er finishing my basement and this was a GREAT video. Exactly what I needed to know to add 4 heat vents and a couple of return air ducts. Thank you !!!!

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

Cheers Rob. !

[@MS-ht8by]

Really well , done and informative video - thank you and the helpful comments about airflow

[@GixxerMark76]

I always love your instructions... really easy to follow what youre saying. It's a bonus that you are in my city so you know what it's like dealing with our seasons and temps. Keep up the great work and advice

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

Cheers to Ottawa!

[@chokumYnai]

I just realized the wood size you use for the wall containing the duct is a 2"x 6". Thanks for the videos Jeff. They're very helpful. As a side note, It would be helpful if commentators posted a video response to show what they mean for any disagreements. I want to learn what they're talking about too. At any rate, I enjoy your videos. Thanks again

[@pavelnesterov5554]

1000% agreed with Arnold. Next video

[@willschultz5452]

Do you tape all your joints with metal duct tape so as not to have any air leaks? That's what I usually do so all of the air goes inside of the room and not inside of the wall.😀

[@boostedvtec92]

Your videos are helping me plan, frame, heat, and finish my basement! Keep up the good videos.

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

Cheers Ken.

[@CJWarlock]

Finally, I found a presentation what these 3-blade metal snippers are good for. :) I knew but knowing and seeing it are 2 different things. :) Thanks.

[@boobylinks]

AKA "double cuts". The power tool version, Milwaukee sheet metal shears, many other brands too.

[@jcarndt1]

Excellent video. Don't listen to the haters. This is not a space shuttle, it is a heat duct. Thank you for sharing your time and know-how with the rest of us. Most of us really do appreciate it.

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

Thanks Jim, Cheers. keeping on keeping on!

[@ericgauthier8695]

YOU SAVED MY HIDE my friend ... this is exactly what I needed to do in the basement . THANK YOU for putting in a simple and easy video ... nice little jack with the knife 🔪 to cut into the existing duct ... worked like a charm !

[@ALLIE-oe7lo]

Great Job! Your demonstration really helped me understand how to cut & fit ductwork together...awesome! Thanks for posting!

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

Our pleasure. Cheers!

[@allaboutcanines]

I just needed this! Thanks Jeff. I'm a member and enjoying the support.

[@jamescarroll489]

Great overview. Thanks!

[@chuckwilkinson]

Excellent, that was exactly what I was looking for. Love the mix of you can make do with these tools and for this you need the right tool.

[@joshuahasson9687]

Great video! I’d love to see a video on how to reroute 1 or more air returns in a wall you want to take out.

[@fairweatherfoundry715]

After installing my house's entire ducting system recently, there are some things I think I should point out that I have learned through extensive research and experiments in my home. 1. Be careful about tapping off existing ductwork. Duct work sizes are chosen based on the room dimensions and amount of times you require the air to circulate per hour. By adding another ducting branch off a main duct, you are reducing air pressure to all other rooms attached to that duct. In my case, I carefully sized my main duct based on clearance (hiding behind basement wall) and number of rooms it branches off to (and costs). It is sized JUST RIGHT. If someone down the road decided to add a duct, it would most certainly reduce pressure noticeably to all the rooms attached to it. 2. On that note, you need to also be judicious on where your tap is on the main duct. Having two duct branches too close to one another kills the pressure because it looks like one giant branch. Airflow follows the path of least resistance. If the furnace's output CFM isn't high enough, all of the air will flow out this "giant branch" and pressure will never build to vent to the other rooms. Vent size vs airflow is NOT a linear relationship!! 3. In the video, he mentions reducing to 5" to increase pressure. While this is true, it also kills the AMOUNT of air getting into the room (measured in CFM). The size of the duct should be dictated by the dimensions of the room and how quickly you want the air to by cycled. As a general rule of thumb, a 6" round duct carries 100 cfm of air (if there aren't a ton of bends and inefficiencies). Reducing to 5" reduces the airflow to 60 cfm! 40% loss! The air will indeed leave the duct at a higher velocity, but it is likely that you wont get ENOUGH air to effectively heat the room at the speed you want! Quantity is more important than velocity IMO. If the vent is outputting a large amount of air, that air WILL fill the entire room. You don't need velocity for this to happen if the CFM is high enough. 4. All ducts should be SEALED! The best way is by using mastic sealant, but you can also use tape (NOT duct tape, but the shiny foil tape meant to seal ducts). Having the leaks in joints will reduce air pressure and waste energy. 5. (not as important as the previous 4) If you are installing a supply vent, you also need to make sure the return vent first off, exists, and second, is large enough to accommodate the added air supply. If this isn't done, air pressure in the room will increase which will make it hard for the furnace to pump in more air, and will squeeze the hot air out of the room to the easiest path of flow (which is likely through the exterior wall).

[@bigduke12180ify]

Good read. Thanks for the tips. I'm doing the same and trying to save cash by DIY. Do you have any recommendations where I can read up on the basics?

[@TheRealRobM]

great info. thanks for posting these details about quantity (volume) vs velocity (cfm). this answers a few of my questions in regards to some duct changes that I just made on the weekend. my finished rec room in the basement is about 14' x 46' and there were 3 x 5" pipe 4" x10" ducts feeding the room about 6' off the floor (or, only about 3' from the ceiling). all 3 are on one side of the room (on the long wall). in between two of the ducts are stairs leading up to the main floor. I'm not sure why they were done this way as what seems like almost all of the warm air entering the room vacates up the stairwell immediately. there is only ONE cold air return 14"x 6" for this entire room (near the bottom of the stairwell). I modified 2 of the accessible ducts (from an unfinished storage area) and extended them down to enter the room about 8" off the floor, reducing the 5" pipe to a 4" in 4" x 10" 90 outlets. thinking it would force more air out (as theory would suggest) now seems like the warm air just trickles out the two vents. I'll be changing the 90's to 5" and hope that helps less restriction of the outlets. these two ducts I modified are literally only 16' and 24' from the furnace (if measuring along the main heating duct). there are a few ducts that lead elsewhere onto the main or upper floors that do not have dampers installed off of this main duct. I'll be adding dampers to reduce output to those vents as well. hopefully, this helps with the volume of warm air making it's way into this room. it's the room we spend most of our time in during evenings (home theatre type setup). should my cold air return be larger as well ??

[@hoopguru9369]

Great demonstration video!

[@gogaton]

Thanks do much for this handy video.

[@karend.9218]

Perfect, thanks for the tips. I have a duct run on the stair landing that is not really helpful. I’m going to redirect it to the finished rece room where we are eternally cold. Will shut it off I’m summer months, ac is too aggressive. This vid really helped me. Should have it done in a couple hours tomorrow. Don’t forget to tape!

[@lourdesmahilrajah4789]

Wow really great job 👏 thank you for your help. I don’t need to call out side construction people. I did my self because of your video . Really I needs same problem with my basment. I did. Congratulations 👏

[@grandlion936]

Great info and vid.. it helps a lot..thanks for posting this info.. 🤗🤗

[@demion1234]

There sure are a ton of people on here spreading hate. Question: If you know so much about it why are you watching these videos? I know how to chew and swallow my food like a pro doesn't mean I need to watch videos of people eating and criticize how they chew. The discrepancies are negligible at best, get a life. To the creator: thanks for the video, it's helpful for getting ideas on how to address duct issues.

[@ryanwoodard418]

Thanks for all the videos! Really helpful!

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

Cheers!

[@mallinarc]

Gave me confidence that I can do.

[@gobear83]

You are amazing sir...just saved me a ton of cutting...thanks Gary from Almonte

[@Rwoodwin]

Thank you! Great video!

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

Glad to help. Cheers!

[@joeboas8206]

Very informative video! Do you know if you have to add a zone and wire an additional thermostat? I was thinking of adding two duct runs off my existing duct work in my basement. Also, is it basically the same concept for tapping into the cold air return? Thank you for the video!

[@pathofthelights3462]

Perfect and great work 👌

[@SP4G3]

Thx for the tips!

[@mupeeps6657]

Thank you for showing us how to do this.

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

My pleasure. It works great for basement relaxing without the need for 4 blankets.

[@mikegarza7591]

Metal cutoff tool would work great for this !

[@scorpiosalgado7353]

Thank you for the video

[@jameslawlor1404]

Very helpful thank you. How would you do an air return on that same system when the return is on the opposite side of the heat run?

[@kevinbriden7451]

Thanks! good video.

[@bmmrrr]

always so straight forward and to the point...perfect

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

Thanks for your comment william. we try our best to get you the info without wasting your time.

[@Xskyplay]

I always enjoy your videos. Very informative and precise. Can you suggest what to put over the concrete floor in the basement so it is not cold. I am planning to use laminate flooring.

[@nikhilnayyar1400]

Thanks a lot for all the educational videos! these are really informative!! Do you also provide reference for contractors in US?

[@TheRealRobM]

Jeff @Home RenoVision DIY thanks for the great videos. they are so awesome. yesterday I used this one and the drywall one to relocate some basement ducts from about 6' off the floor in the basement rec room to near the floor. the question I have is, there seems to be very little air flow out. I did the step down from 5" to 4" as well, near the outlet. does it matter which end the reduction is at to maximize outlet force? there was also a short piece of 5" flexible duct from the original installation about a foot long (in a 90) could that be my restriction? and I did remember to open the damper 😁

[@mattgartner9065]

Only thing I would add is seal the joints! Love the videos

[@coreyfroemming5086]

All these professional HVAC guys on here and your the only video that comes up when you type "installing floor registers in basement" To all HVAC on here, put up or shut up. Great video by the way, your gonna save me a ton of cash.

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

Thanks Corey, you know the way they carry on you would think it was rocket science.

[@traxtin]

Pretty sure you aren't supposed to put heat registers to the floor in a basement. If the basement is finished add a cold air return at floor level. That will increase the airflow around the room and pull the hot air down. Heat doesn't like to be pushed down. It naturally rises. Just feel the difference between a register in the cieling in the basement and the floor. They leave the registers at the top because it is where they belong in the basement.

[@miguelh.maci1148]

My friend you did everything wrong and im not an expert

[@mikecolbert5370]

I disagree. Obviously, negative feedback on instructional content like this is at least as valuable as the content itself. This video is a fascinating example of that.

[@sw204me]

@@miguelh.maci1148 Thanks for clearing that all up for us. *rolls eyes*

[@adrianolarios989]

Thanks for sharing

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

Thanks Adriano for watching.

[@paracleo7]

Great video! I can do that!

[@aaronxie1227]

Thanks ODB! This is a very helpful video. I’m planning to finish my basement and bring a heat run near the floor. Could I do that along the exterior concrete wall or do I need to frame out space for it after the barriers and insulation?

[@robinreidmusic]

Great Jeff thanks

[@melanielott6440]

Awesome work

[@wkobayashim]

Love your videos!

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

Thanks Zeenman

[@williemitchell9943]

i love this one because that the issue i have with the basement being done.

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

This works like magic Willie. Most basements have 1 heat vent for every 300 sq ft . My suggestion is to add an additional vent to the floor in every sitting area to maximize comfort to the same ratio.

[@justaguy2942]

Jeff, do you have any videos on proper cold air return placement and install? I’m needing to add some in some finished walls. Looking for guidance.

[@jf7923]

With all the fires in California it would be great it you did a segment on DIY furnace and duct cleaning. The Camp fire added pounds of dust to my furnace that was dust free 5 months ago. Most people hit hard by the fires could use your help.Any leg up to save money would be wonderful.

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

Looks and sounds horrific out there. Not sure about how much help I can be pertaining to remediation but if anyone has specific wuestions I will be glad to help any way I can.

[@terdabid1772]

Thanks for the guide. This helps me a lot. I would, however, place the crimps in the direction of the airflow to minimize loss of air pressure and maximize my heating. Thank you.

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

Cheers!

[@elementone18com]

As always a great video. Thanks for sharing your expertise.

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

our pleasure. Cheers!

[@arnoldelgort2681]

All crimps go in the direction of airflow By doing it in the opposite direction you are creating static pressure ,resistance, From CEO of a Htg & A/C corporation

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

Thanks Arnold, most likely the CEO of 1

[@FYExProductions]

He's right though. You could have just crimped the reducer instead of double crimping so much pipe lol funny video though

[@paaaan]

probably the CEO of 0.lol aka no body.

[@pietrocarini7455]

he should have just crimped the reducer and flipped the angle the right way, and he wouldn't have had to crimp anything else.

[@fouadboutiche69]

it`s just a residential heater with small psi not a jet engine so how much resistance are u creating in that mm space nothing, the guy is trying to help that`s all.

[@pabejb12]

Great video

[@nicksamadi9532]

Good job I learned a lot

[@rychei5393]

May not be a perfect answer, but it'll get me heat for now. I can have a professional revise it when I am ready to finish the basement. Right now I just need some heat, hack job or no, THANK YOU.

[@jhuh1758]

good job

[@richardwoeckener7936]

WOW !! AMATEUR VIDEO!!

[@ledesma377]

Great teaching for free

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

You can't learn everything from videos but it hopefully helps your confidence to try new things.

[@fishbonenetworks]

Something something. Direction of airflow. Some other thing. crimp. Yet, somehow, this was super helpful. Thanks!

[@Shawn-ph6ys]

Should you have the air return on the floor level also (pull out the low cold air)? I notice that my returns are on the floor in my living room, but high in the bedrooms. Maybe this will make a great video?! Thanks again for all your videos

[@nikhilkalra1530]

Awesome!

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

That Is why We made the video. It has changed all of my clients lives.

[@Tracks777]

Quite good video, awesome!

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

Thanks for watching.

[@bobbystark5653]

Finishing my basement, wanting to relocate cold air return that is in stair well to the basement. Currently no cold air return in basement. I've read about back drafting and causing system imbalance if not done right. I plan on running heat ducts to floor. Can you provide any insight? Love your videos btw!

[@olegproscurchin8200]

I see it's not only me interested on how to do it on 4 inch wall, and maybe I missed it but can't find a good response. Would be great to have a separate video in it, as I've visited a few Homedepot and no one could properly explain it. In general really happy with your videos - 5 starts.

[@RhinoCuttingSystem]

Great videos!

[@fulleraaron]

Nice but I just did a strait 6" all the way and it does awesome at warming up the basement living room. Thanks for the video...

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

Glad that worked for you. Cheers!

[@michaelmason636]

i would like to see a video of how you put in a duct work assembly for underneath a vanity where you install the outlet on the kick plate...thanks, Mike

[@KevinEade]

I would like to see this too. Heat exhaust on the vanity kick plate.

[@bonnab9197]

Hoping that you featured on your video about window AC to central AC to a old townhouse,thank you

[@yuanbohua]

Nice videos, I have a silly question would love to ask for some suggestions. We have a 30yr old duct system in our 2100sqf house we just bought, taking quite a lot of space in our basement. Is it a good idea to remove them along with the 30yr old furnace entirely and install baseboard heating instead? I live in Vancouver so winter isn't too bad here. Thx.

[@utopianpropertiesllc8771]

I love it

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

This is a great way to make a basement comfortable. Cheers!

[@MrBmcfly]

Good stuff! Air outlets in basement at ceiling level are almost worthless!

[@alonzofarmer3994]

I use a cordless grinder with metal cutting wheel for precision and quick cutting!!!

[@pullatstrings]

Brilliant idea to increase air pressure.

[@OverlanderAD]

A suggestion if you haven't already. How to tile a curved wall. If there's space in the corners, how to fix that. Thanks! Love the videos

[@chandravaddamani7162]

Awesome video. One question. I see you there is insulation between the wire and the duct. Is it needed? Can a 14/2 touch the ac/heating duct when wiring for lights?

[@lalamomo9023]

Like usual, Great Job !

[@twosawyers]

Try telling a OCD person like myself that the rectangle opening on the round opening is fine.

[@trinketstuff418]

thanks

[@robwloch8733]

Great idea for our cold Ottawa basements Jeff, thank you! I guess that in order to do this you will need 2x6 framing, right? Or, perhaps an unfinished space behind the wall if 2x4 framing. Also, at the ceiling I guess this will result in a wider bulkhead because can’t run the pipe through the top plate?

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

I try to use storage rooms and mechanical room walls first. Then if necessary I will build a box if \i don't have a 2x6 wall

[@ABUGIDAGEEZ8680]

very informative video. Can you please make a video on how to relocate old 80% furnace with a new high efficiency furnace? thank you

[@billbrown6380]

It's why you put Returns in each room to pull the heat from the ceiling ... circulation is key...

[@Gswish226]

I'm a big fan of dyi umm deff need to know if you can do this in any basement currently trying to heat my basement and dont know if I need to rework it all or just do this simple thing

[@AftabKhan-uo5fz]

Good job

[@plywedge4135]

Great video! Any heating ideas for an unfinished basement?

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

Don't bother.!

[@majchera81]

Great and helpful videos Jeff. I was wondering....should the cold air return also be ran to ground level in a basement?

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

definitely! as close to the floor as possible.

[@hockeyman1]

Can I install a diffuser in my t bar ceiling instead of running ducts? Thank

[@lvvry1855]

Is there a way to keep the connections following the flow of air? I mean from the plenum each pipe or fitting goes INSIDE the next one, so that the air is not impeded or lost due to the projections inside.

[@hayyanah1980]

did you use 2x6 stud for this heating spcing? thanks

[@delosturner2344]

Cool Idea

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

Thanks, makes all the difference so the basement can be liveable.

[@YouWinWhenYouWalkAway]

This guy is the Bob Ross of home reno’s

[@HomeRenoVisionDIY]

I definitely need an Afro!

[@YouWinWhenYouWalkAway]

throw a tree up front at the end, cause you like that sort of thing, and away you go