Vents are a great source of ventilation in a closed area. But there’s one thing which i myself and many others have thought about and i.e should the closet also have vents inside. Here’s what happens when there are AC vents in closet.
If the closet and its surrounding area is moist then there should be a return vent inside the closet so that the AC unit can suck all the humid air out from the closet. Having an additional supply vent inside the closet is not required.
If the room in which the humidity levels are already maintained properly with the help of dehumidifiers or air conditioning systems, then there’s no need for a separate vent inside the closet.
Ac vent in room vs in closet. Which one is the better option?
If an Ac vent is installed in the closet with the closet doors closed then only that small area inside the closet would be free from moisture whereas if the vent is installed in the room itself with closet doors open then both closet and room benefit from a single Ac vent.
Thus comparatively, it is a good practice to have an ac return vent in the room. louvered closet doors also ensure that the moist air inside the closet does not stay inside the closet when the return vent of the room is functioning.
Return vent in both room & closet ?
In most conditions, the answer to this would be NO. It is not required to have a return ac vent both in the room and closet. A single return vent of 8″ diameter duct is more than sufficient to suck all the moist air of most rooms.
If the room is already free from moisture then there is little to no chance for moisture to enter inside the closet.
However, there should be a return vent and a supply vent in the room for proper ventilation. The supply vent should not be in the closet not because it carries any moisture but for better circulation of air, it is good to have a supply vent in an open area i.e on the ceiling.
Having a supply vent in the closet is only going to restrict the air flow. Supply vent carries cool air. The clothes inside the closet dies not need to kept cool. Clothes can be kept at room temperature.
Furthermore, if the supply vent is placed in the closet then due to cool air the fabric will contract and when the ac unit is turned off the fabric will relax. This process of contraction and relaxation of fabric of clothes can overtime make the clothes loose to a certain extent.
Should there be vents in the closet in a room with plants?
Yes, there can be a return vent in closet if the room has a lot of plants in it. But a much smarter thing to do would be to have a vent in the room instead.
Plants release a lot of moisture from transpiration. Normally any indoor place with a lot of plants is a very moist place. If there is a closet in the room where plants are also present. Then two things can be done before drilling anything to install vents.
- Place the plants closet to the window
All the plants that are in close vicinity to the closet should be placed somewhere else away from closet most preferably near a window. This will ensure that the moisture that plants releases during transpiration gets evaporated out from the window itself.
- Remove real plants from the room and replace them with artificial ones
This option should be done when the closet itself is close to the window. As window also is not open all the times. When the window is closed, the room can build up moisture level slightly due to real plants.
Thus, simply by replacing real plants with artificial ones not only preserves the look and decor of room but also will help to remove moisture build up in room due to transpiration.
How to install AC vent in closet ?
The installation process of vent in closet involves joining a duct from closet to the main return duct of ac unit. This can be done by using a return air aluminium ducting pipe of diameter 6 inches.
Step 1 : Install a vent inside the closet.
The best practice is to use a vent that has a small duct attached to it. These are called duct grill vents.
With the help of a drill make a hole in the closet of size 1 inch greater than the diameter of duct pipe. If the duct is of 6″ in diameter the the hole in closet should be 7″ in diameter.
After creating the hole, fix the duct grill in the hole with the help of screws.
STEP 2: LINK THE RETURN AIR DUCT FROM CLOSET TO THE MAIN RETURN AIR DUCT
Once the duct grill is installed in closet additional ducting pipe of same size as the size of duct in vent is attached with the main return air duct of the ac unit. For this, a 3-way duct connector can be used.
After completing these two steps, the vent in closet will be fully functional and will suck all the moist air from the closet.
Where to install vents in a walk-in closet ?
Walk-in closet have closet doors opened most of the time. Therefore the vents should be placed on the ceiling of walk-in closet instead of within the closet.
If the walk-in closet has windows then only a single return vent is sufficient however if there are no windows in the room then an additional supply vent should also be installed in walk-in closet.
The ideal position for a return vent would be at the center of the ceiling and for a supply vent, the ideal placement is on a wall or at the corners of the room. Both the return vent and supply vents should be at a proper distance from each other so that the air from Ac can circulate properly in the room before it gets sucked back by the return vent.
Alternative to vents for regulating moisture levels in closet.
Having a vent in the closet is effective in controlling moisture but its installation requires a lot of drilling and work. Not the say the cost of running a big ac unit all the time is also a big factor to consider.
There are some easy and cheap alternatives to ac vents that can effectively control and regulate the humidity inside the closet.
Dehumidifier
Compared to an Ac, a dehumidifier is a budget friendly appliance to regulate moisture levels in the room or inside the closet.
For the best results, the dehumidifier should be placed close to the closet with the doors of closet either kept open or have louvers installed on them.
Moisture absorbers
Though less effective compared to a dehumidifier a moisture absorber can be a great source to absorb a seasonal increase in moisture inside the closet. Moisture absorbers work best in a small & enclosed space.
This is the cheapest alternative to using an ac vent inside the closet. Simply put one or two moisture absorbers inside the closet and it will get rid of excess moisture present in the closet.
