plumber1

i am looking for some pros and cons to central return duct systems.i am curious about the cost difference between conventional duct,and central returns.is this practical in a 2 story application? is there an advantage to putting the furnace in the attic vs basement/crawlspace? any information would be greatly appreciated!!

coolmen

Lets say im building my house. I personally would go at it like this.(Keep in mind that others may design differant then me) 2 story house. 2 zones. Attic system heat/cool with supplys in all rooms ceiling and returns in all bedrooms/hallway ceiling . If i had a small second floor then maybe a differant design.if one of these room is above a garage, supply/return near the floor (cold floor).this design is with full attic area to work. one central return in ceiling not good with heat system ,ok with cooling.cool air on 2nd floor will migrat down to the first floor. cold air drops/heat rises.1st floor on a crawl MUST have low returns and low supplys (cold floor) the amount of returns will depend on how big my cooling system was (small system 3 return bays,large system 6 bays)
furnace in basement lets you heat and cool the 1st floor and basement area with ease. To do my house with one zone only will depend on the SIZE of my house.
(one return cost less then many returns)

FemaleAstarCO

Agree we all would design it slightly different. It depends on the installation needed(depending on the size of the house, Floor, ceiling and window values etc.) It also would depend on space availability. Is it an existing house or new? Where are utilities located? There are many factors to take into consideration. I will have to say I can not give a standard answer as it would change for each installation.