Flush-Mount Vent Registers
christian_330
| Posted in General Questions on
Hey guys. Has anyone had experience with these flush mounted vent registers? Namely were they restrictive enough to be noisy? I like the look a lot but worried it may whistle or put a strain on the hvac system.
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Replies
The free area on those is about 1/2 to 1/3 of a typical register. Depending on how much flow you get through the register, they could definitely be restrictive.
You can check with a budget anemometer and see how much flow you are getting through the vent and if it will work. Aria lists the free area for all their models on their site.
Generally, if you use these, you need to oversize.
There are air flow specs for these:
https://ariavent.com/pages/air-flow-specs
I want to use them as well, but am a but concerned with both noise, especially with a fully variable system and of course air flow. I'm looking at other flush options that look like more like grills, less attractive but also less restrictive.
I think it depends upon what type of flush mount vents you are after.
The Airia are not only flush mount, but they don't have vanes and it looks like they also don't have a damper. Thus in addition to being restrictive, they might not throw the air properly. I would also be concerned about maintenance - my ceiling vents regularly need cleaning, especially the return air. The Airia may require repainting.
If you are after a more sleek look in a wall or ceiling, would slot diffusers work for your situation? They come flangeless to be finished with gyp but the inside is metal and can be cleaned. They come with vanes & dampers can be installed. It is a nice look if you can get a resi installer to install the correct boot, and can get them properly located so you don't need to reframe...
There are also floor mounted flush mount vents. These have vanes, although thicker and made of wood, and some have dampers. Since the vanes are made of wood, the thicker wood pieces restrict airflow more than the thinner metal vanes, so for the same airflow you need larger vents. This can be accomplished by installing a larger boot at construction.