Hello,

I would like to block the cold, drafty air returns at the floor level during winter. Is that possible without causing damage to my furnace and home? My 1955 ranch was built with brick/mortar/plaster walls and no insulation. Not sure what they were thinking back then here in the midwest... but there is a constant, cold draftiness coming from the floor returns with minimum heat coming from the [at ceiling level] heat vents. I experimented with covering the returns for a few hours today, and I came home to a much warmer home. Otherwise, the floor temperature is a blustery 56 degrees, the room temperature a balmy 63, and yet the thermostat is set at 70 degrees. The outside air temperature is in the mid-teens. The cold and drafty LR is nearly unbearable at times without loads of layers. By the way, I have a crawl space, if that is relevant. I even put a piece of foam insulation over the outside vents that lead into the crawl space and a quilt along the inside floor board, too. Please advise, as I'm tired of being frozen and frustrated!

Thank you!

Kathy

You need to have a good HVAC tech come in to evaluate your system, I`m sure there could be some changes made to make you more comfy,, although some may disagree I have seen homes with more returns that are needed. I have my furnace in the attic with supply vents in the ceiling and I notice a pretty big difference in the temps near the floor,, get it looked over, maybe something can be done

Good advice; thank you!