Tenant closed vents because it’s too hot !
Hello,
In one of my duplex rental units the ac heating and cooling is shared between both the tenants. I find the lower unit tenant somewhat peculiar, given he is in the lower unit there will be more heating need as it is much colder in the lower unit but he prefers the vents completely closed in winter and interestingly has more cooling needs during summer than the upstairs tenant. As I understand closing vents is a major engineering work that requires both an hvac technician and a contractor, but the tenant just took control and sealed some of the vents using an aluminum foil. I would like to know if it’s okay to seal completely vents using an aluminum foil as I am afraid it can potentially break down the hvac system due to undue pressure build up. I have temporarily shut down the furnace and temporarily provided portable heating units for the upstairs tenants to buy some time to find a permanent resolution
please advise.
Thanks
Most Popular Reply
Hi @Peter Morgan, definitely don't go about modifying the ductwork in any way to accommodate this particularity. In general I don't think there's a risk of any undue strain on the system so long as the returns are unblocked and flowing.
However, a quick call to your HVAC technician would allay or confirm any of these fears and I'd recommend that.