Home Air Vent Modification

by Tater Zoid in Living > Life Hacks

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Home Air Vent Modification

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Living in Colorado has its ups and downs. A big downer is that it's been below zero for about a week now and Ms. Zoid is getting cold. We found that the air vents in our (1940's) home are right below the windows and blow straight up. The air from the vents heads directly to the ceiling and doesn't heat below very well. As you know, heat rises. We figured that if we sent the heat out across the floor that we would enjoy more of it. What do you know? It works and our furnace turns on less frequently.
The video above will give you a quick rundown on this project.

Other Tater Zoid Instructables:
BoomBox
Bicycle Lights
Custom Bicycle Valve Caps
Flying Eyeball Pin

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Tools Required

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The tools needed are pretty easy to find laying around your house.
1. Scissors
2. Clear Tape
3. Tape Measure or Ruler
4. Cardboard
5. Magnets

I used a magnet that I received when my new phonebook arrived. I have even gone so far as to procure these magnets from recycle bins and asking friends for them.

Let's Build This

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  1. Find a large enough piece of cardboard
  2. Measure your air vent
  3. Measure your cardboard - Cut the length as wide as the vent - Cut the width about 2 1/2 inches longer than the width of the vent - My grates are 5 1/2" X 11" so I cut my cardboard 8" X 11" and made my fold at 2 1/2"
  4. Fold the cardboard to your desired size - Give it a little upward slope as to not restrict the air flow
  5. Trace the inside of your first piece to determine the size of your side panels
  6. Cut one side panel and then trace it to create the second side panel
  7. Tape all three pieces together to form your vent hood - Tape as much as you need as this doesn't require much
  8. Cut a few strips of your magnet and tape them to the base of each side panel - you may want to add more magnet power based on your vent's air flow
  9. Kick back and enjoy the fruits of your labor

The Fun Part

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  1. Now slap some beer stickers on it to show your manliness
  2. Or you could paint this the same color as your walls to help it match your decor (submitted by Ms. Zoid)
Video Link

Have fun and ask any questions you might have, Tater