Cold air return near ceiling in winter - bad idea?
I have some temperature issues going on in my house and am wondering if it might have to do with the air return vent. We have 4 floors - the basement (which is finished living area) is fine as long as all the vents on the 1st floor are closed; the 1st floor is fine with the vents closed; the 2nd floor is cold; and the attic (also finished living area) is also fine (but it was totally renovated including R-35 insulation spray foam so it better be toasty!). We installed a new Coleman furnace this year (96% efficient) so the issue shouldn't be the furnace. What I do wonder about is the air return on the 2nd floor - the HVAC company placed it near the ceiling, which seems to make sense for summer use when the A/C is on but could it be sucking out all the warm air in the winter? The air return in the basement is near the floor, on the 1st floor it is in the floor, and in the attic, it is up in the pitch. Could this be the problem? Is there anything I can/should do? Thanks for your help! :)