[fred54]

Noticed something unusual during an estimate yesterday. Was up in the attic, saw a 6" smooth metal duct coming up from a ceiling vent and terminating, empty, about 3 feet under the roof. No cap, no insulation, just wide open.

I look in the house and there is a 10 X 12" grate on the ceiling in the laundry room that feeds it, so basically, she has a hole in her ceiling that leads to the unfinished, unconditioned attic.

My first thought was maybe it is for combustion air for the dryer, but she has a full louver door to the laundry room (and she never closes it.)

I would like to remove it and repair and insulate the ceiling because it seems kind of silly.

Could this have some purpose I don't know about?

 

[Sabagley]

Noticed something unusual during an estimate yesterday. Was up in the attic, saw a 6" smooth metal duct coming up from a ceiling vent and terminating, empty, about 3 feet under the roof. No cap, no insulation, just wide open.

I look in the house and there is a 10 X 12" grate on the ceiling in the laundry room that feeds it, so basically, she has a hole in her ceiling that leads to the unfinished, unconditioned attic.

My first thought was maybe it is for combustion air for the dryer, but she has a full louver door to the laundry room (and she never closes it.)

I would like to remove it and repair and insulate the ceiling because it seems kind of silly.

Could this have some purpose I don't know about?

Is the fan on a timer? Could be for the "whole house " ventilation , if that's required there.

 

[fred54]

no fan, just a grill and 5 feet of round duct that heads up about a foot, makes a forty five degree turn and then hangs there, open and exposed, in the attic.

 

[flashheatingand]

Could have been an abandoned return duct.

 

[TAHomeRepairs]

My dad has something similar in his home in Ohio, best we could figure it was for combustion air for his water heater and furnace. Since they were both older units, they didn't have a fresh air intake. Just a thought....

 

[beenthere]

May have been installed for combustion air before the louvered door was installed.

 

[fred54]

I'm going to recommend that we pull it out and drywall over it. It seems wasteful.

Thanks.

 

[Serviceplumber]

I'm going to recommend that we pull it out and drywall over it. It seems wasteful.

Thanks.

I think you are correct ,,the older houses were not "tight" and didn't require combustion air.
6 inch is to big for a dryer vent,,and you wouldn't want to vent there anyway,,