My 36 year old home has a gas furnace and floor vents.
Ducted heating floor vs ceiling vents.
Supply registers are the vents that deliver warm or cool air from your central heating cooling system to each room.
You can find floor registers in a variety of materials styles and finishes so you can incorporate them as a decorative element that also blends.
The size of ductwork must be properly calculated to accommodate the required airflow volume and duct spans should be routed.
Unfortunately several of these vents are rusting underground.
They can be camouflaged with decorative vent covers that match carpeting tile or hardwood flooring.
Having said that i ve had houses with both heating vents in the floor and ceiling i ve found the ceiling better as the floor ones are confined to the walls so while hot air rises it does so against the walls not out in the middle where you sit.
Either type of register ceiling or floor can be used for this as long as the need for the area or room is matched.
What is the difference between supply registers and return registers.
Ceiling ducts cannot be used with radiant heating systems which generate heat from the floors.
Registers these typically slatted covers are found in the floor wall or ceiling and their defining feature is a lever that allows you to open or close the air vent to adjust airflow into the space.
My furnace guy tells me that here in oklahoma floor vents are no longer.
As this air moves it draws room air up toward it which improves air circulation even more.
Both locations have positives and negatives depending on a number of variables.
These principles should also be applied when locating return vents the vents that pull air from the room to supply your hvac system.
No matter where you place the ducts fundamental facts of duct design always apply.
Floor heat ducts are not as visible as ceiling ducts.
Unlike ceiling registers high wall registers don t blow air directly down on you.
But which one is preferable.
As with ceiling registers wall registers give you more free floor space.
Heat ducts in a house are usually installed in the floor or the ceiling.
Instead the air they deliver flows across the upper part of the room and mixes with the room air.
Ceiling ducts don t hog existing or potential closet wall or ceiling space making an interesting or worse unsightly decoration and ceiling vents don t present the decorative dilemma floor vents often due forcing furniture to strange locations to prevent blockages in airflow.
Ceiling ducts are more visible than floor ducts and harder to camouflage.
And having said all of that it doesn t beat a wood slow combustion heater not even close.