Derek ColeGM, Simmons One Hour Heating & Air · AI HVAC Answers

Can I close my heating and air vents?

28 Jan 2026 · 1 min

Episode

28 Jan 2026 · 1 min

0:00

A brief podcast excerpt (April 11, 2019) by Derek Cole addressing whether one should close or redirect heating/air vents. The speaker argues vents are placed to condition exterior walls/windows, and closing or redirecting them defeats that purpose — it pushes air back into the duct system, increases pressure and motor workload, and yields uneven room comfort. Practical examples (plastic floor diffusers, blowing air into the house center) are discouraged.

Chapters

Okay. It's trying to condition that wall. The purpose of heating and air is to condition those outside walls. So again, you're defeating that purpose as well. Walk in that room, it's a little hot or it's a little cold. It's not good. So if you close it off, it's going to push the air back into the duct system and then it's going to make the motor work harder to get it to where it needs to go because air is just like water. So going to go to the easiest place it can get to. So if you're making it difficult, you're going to have challenges. I've seen these little plastic diffusers that blow them on the floor versus the wall with the curtains. Again, I wouldn't use that either. That's the same purpose. I mean, the reason the vent is on that wall or on that window is to condition that exposure. So if you're blowing the air into the middle of the house, you're defeating the pur. Sam.