I have a forced hot air system with registers located at the bottom of the walls. This works great in the winter as the heat is very equal throughout the house. After having central air installed a few weeks ago I figured I would just turn the vent covers upside-down so the cold air is aimed toward the ceiling. This works pretty well, but it's annoying in the spring because one week it's hot and the next it's cold.

The white, metal vent covers I have can shoot the air straight out when fully open, or I can aim the air down when the vent is partially closed. But, unless I take out the screws and turn the vent upside down, I cannot aim the air up.

Is there a vent I can buy that will allow me to aim the air up as well as down?

I'd like to offer another suggestion which will improve performance overall.

Replace and add return grills with on/off dampers. Generally the returns are between the studs so you can add one near the ceiling level and replace the one at the bottom.

So, for winter the bottom stays open to recirculate cold air and in the summer the top stays open to recirculate hot air.

This will improve performance overall.

My returns are all underneath windows and supply registers are on the inside walls. I was thinking of doing exactly what you said with the supply ducts. However, I was trying to save that option as a last resort since it involves cutting into the Sheetrock and retaping.

Thanks for the advice... I'll take as much as I can get.

That doesn't make any sense.

You should have air blowing into the room from the vents under the windows.

The returns take air from the room and return it to the furnace. They would normally be on an inside wall.

There is a distinct possibility that someone has the blower turning in the wrong direction.

I'd urge you to check the airflow across the filter and follow the ducts. The air going INTO the furnace should be filtered before it's heated or cooled.

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Originally Posted by KeepItSimpleStupid

That doesn't make any sense.

You should have air blowing into the room from the vents under the windows.

The returns take air from the room and return it to the furnace. They would normally be on an inside wall.

There is a distinct possibility that someone has the blower turning in the wrong direction.

I'd urge you to check the airflow across the filter and follow the ducts. The air going INTO the furnace should be filtered before it's heated or cooled.

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If this is a old house, and had maybe a coal furnace, or a old lowboy furnace in it at one time the returns will be on the outside walls, There are number of house I have seen like this. I have yet to come to a reason on why it was done that way. I guess if the fan motor was changed at one point it could be possible for it to run the wrong direction, but not liokly as there would have been other issues with the heat.

Really odd.

You asked about registers. Here is at least one with 2-D directional control.

Krueger E-Catalog

Lots of stuff there.

Yes, the setup is odd, but that is the way the system is set up. I can tell because the supply vents actually have ductwork leading to them. The return vents have the aluminum sheets nailed to the joists. It may be backwards but my little 1200 sqft cape cod has two floors and only one heating zone... yet, I am still able to get the upstairs and downstairs within one degree of each other during the winter.