Yeah, I hear you on the returns. I’ve run into that same deal—tiny return in the hall, and the bedrooms just roast or freeze no matter what you do. Sometimes folks forget that if the air can’t get back to the unit, it’s not gonna circulate right, no matter how much you mess with the supply side.
“no matter how much you fiddled with the dampers, the upstairs never got enough air.”
Had a buddy who tried to fix his by just taping up every seam he could find and adding those magnetic vent covers. Didn’t help much until he cut in a bigger return and added transfer grills above some doors. Not pretty, but it worked.
Ever tried using those door undercuts or transfer grills? Curious if anyone’s had luck with those in older houses where running new ductwork is a pain. Sometimes I wonder if it’s worth all the effort or if there’s a better workaround...
Cutting in transfer grills above doors actually made a big difference for us, but I’ll admit it’s not the prettiest fix. I tried undercutting a couple doors first, but unless you take a good chunk off, it barely helps—especially with thick carpet.
If you go the grill route, just make sure you’re not messing with any fire-rated walls. Anyone ever try those jump ducts? I’ve read about them but never seen one in person.“Ever tried using those door undercuts or transfer grills?”
Jump ducts are kind of a weird one—I’ve only seen them in new builds, not retrofits. They’re supposed to help balance pressure between rooms, but honestly, they look like a pain to install if you’ve already got finished ceilings. I’m with you on undercutting doors... unless you’re ready to make ‘em drafty enough for a mouse to crawl under, it barely moves air with thick carpet. Transfer grills aren’t pretty, but they get the job done. Just gotta pick your battles—comfort or aesthetics?
Yeah, I hear you on the jump ducts. I looked into them when we were trying to fix our own “hot living room, freezing bedroom” situation, but once I saw what it would take to run those through our finished ceiling, I noped out real quick. Not worth tearing up half the house just to maybe get a little more even temp.
Undercutting doors was our first try too, but with thick carpet, it’s basically useless. Plus, I’m not wild about the idea of making the gap so big you can see daylight under there. Transfer grills are ugly, yeah, but honestly, after a few weeks I stopped noticing ours. It’s like, do I want to sweat through movie night or just live with a weird vent above the door? Comfort wins for me most days.
It’s always a trade-off. Sometimes I wonder if anyone actually gets perfect airflow in these houses or if we’re all just picking which room gets to be comfortable this season...
I get the hate for transfer grills, but honestly, I’ve seen way worse. I’ve been in houses where folks just crank their system and hope for the best, and all it does is run up the bill while the bedroom’s still freezing. I know tearing into finished ceilings isn’t fun, but sometimes a well-placed return or even a little duct booster fan can make a bigger difference than people think. Not saying it’s a magic fix, but I’ve seen it help a lot—especially in older places where airflow’s a joke. Sometimes a little ugly is better than sweating through your sheets.
