[BrandyHumes]

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! :)

[21boat]

Was the heat good before this air return was placed near the ceiling? Sure it could easily suck out the hot air. Where is the heat run grill in relation to the new air return. ( direction of air flow current) How big is the air return opening? I don't agree on and air return at the ceiling but you cloud probably find just as many that says its fine.
A new conventional system for a new structure of A.C.&Heat is a 2 1/4 x 12 Gal metal wall stack duct that fits between the wall studs. In this wall stack there will be two cut outs for grills one high towards the ceiling one low close to floor. High open for AC time. Low open for heat. Both grills have a shut down to adjust to seasons Its usually A.C. that is a problem its heavy air to push. This might sound crazy but to test the theory of air return hight location take some some cardboard boxes and make a decent size duct out of it with a capped end at the ceiling and a cut out on its side to fit over the air return opening and have the duct long enough to go to the flood about 12 inches off the floor. And prop that duct against the wall and see if that changes the heat temp in the room? The other problem could be the opposite. The cold air return is to small and for some reason that room has a static pressure problem and the air return isn't sucking enough air in and the room becomes a vacuum. Are there any "balancers" on the forced air ducts for adjustments on the heat runs heading towards that room? Forced air can be sensitive IE For every elbow in slowing down the CFMs is equivalent to a 10 section of straight run. Try the card board (cheap experment) a bed sheet could work but hard to cap at top and its air permeable. Again It sounds crazy but before tearing out walls and guessing card board is cheap. There's a lot of opinion here for this sistuation and it could be a hit and miss especially since we can't see your complete layout of duct work.See what the test does.
Happy Holiday

[heatmeup]

I have a cold air return in my family room that is blocked of by a book shelf,can't move the shelf. So can I raise the return up the wall closer to the ceiling.