The simple answer is “No” because vents are created to provide the necessary free flow of air.
If you cover the vents and block that airflow, you are damaging your house, room and it can even damage your HVAC system (proper heat and cooling).
But sometimes, the vent is in a highly awkward location, so what should you do in that situation? Don’t worry, and we have discussed the solutions in this article which will be very useful for you:
Why Not Put A Bed Over A Floor Vent
Here are some primary and essential reasons for no putting a bed over vent:
1. Unbalanced Air Circulation
To ensure that your home is adequately cooled and heated, technicians first perform comprehensive calculations to determine the size and power of a furnace and AC.
Airflow is key to achieving the right temperature in the home, so the technicians accounted for how much air would flow through the system in their calculations.
To maintain the proper airflow, all the vents in your home must remain open and unblocked.
In addition, when you put a bed over one or more of them, the set balance is thrown off, resulting in a lack of fresh cold air in your house.
Then, you are better off without a working HVAC system since you are not fully benefiting from home cooling’s hefty bills.
2. Faulty HVAC System And Unused Electricity
If you block vents in your home, the whole HVAC system has to work harder to draw hot air into the system and expel cold air.
Two things can happen due to this extra work: damage to the system and high cooling bills.
As a result of working harder, the system wears out faster and requires more frequent maintenance or replacement.
A large energy bill is another thing you want to avoid, and if the HVAC system has to work harder, it will draw more power.
3. Destruction Of Upholstered Furniture
By blocking the vent with a couch, chair or bed, you might be inviting mildew and mould. Organic fabrics made of linen, cotton, or other natural and synthetic fibres and fillings may produce mustiness when combined with warm temperatures, high humidity, and stagnant air. The materials are hygroscopic; they absorb moisture quickly.
The circulation of air lowers humidity and dries the room. If you put a big chunk of upholstery or your Persian carpet over a vent, you could send both pieces and other furnishings to the landfill.
You should remember that the air coming from the vents is supposed to cool your home, so it is cold enough to form a layer of moisture on your bed after a while.
4. Destruction Of Wood Furniture
As furniture, significantly as lumber, the wood will shrink and swell depending on the humidity in the environment.
The wood will almost certainly be damaged if you place it on or near air vents. As a result of the forced air, joints may loosen, and boards may crack.
Exceptionally moist conditions in the room can warp wood furniture if another piece of furniture blocks the vent.
5. Fire Hazard
Although it may be tempting to have a toasty warm room in the middle of winter, that sofa, chair, or highboy may also damage your furnace.
The blowers of your furnace force air across a metal coil known as a heat exchanger, which heats the air inside.
A blocked vent results in less cool air flowing across the heat exchanger, and the heat exchanger then overheats, expands and cracks.
The results are a huge bill, a very chilly house, and an unhappy homeowner. The tendency for overheating of an apparatus caused by blocking a vent could cause a fire.
6. Freeze Hazard
When a vent or vents are blocked, the system has to work harder, produce less cool air, use more energy, and result in a frozen coil.
As a result, the repair and replacement work becomes very expensive, and automatically you’ll be sweating from the house temperature and the replacement charge.
7. Mold and mildew growth risks
The cold and humid air from vents underneath beds, mattresses and upholstered furniture tend to get trapped when they are placed over them.
So, the cotton, linen, or synthetic or natural fibers and fabrics soaked in stagnant air can create a musty environment beneath their surface.
This type of environment is conducive to the growth of mold and mildew. All the development takes place under the bed, hidden from your view, so you will never realize it until it is too late.
Since beddings are hygroscopic (they absorb moisture like a sponge), they will become landfills over time as they are prone to absorbing moisture.
In The Case Of Placing A Bed Over Vent: What To Do (Solution)
There are times, however, when your bed must be installed over a vent.
Maybe there is no other place to place your bed that matches its dimensions, such as the vented location. It could be for any reason. To prevent the worst from happening, follow these steps:
1. Install vent deflectors
Vent deflectors are similar to the sound deflectors we often install at the back of iPads to direct sound from the rear speakers to the front speakers.
Vent deflectors are magnetically attached to the vent and redirect the airflow, pushing it out from under a cabinet or couch, so that heated or chilled air is distributed.
Note: When buying vent deflectors, consider the direction in which the air should flow. For example, you do not want to let the air flow into a wall.
In addition, you might want to consider the type of vent deflector best suited to your needs. A one-way deflector deflects the air into one direction, while a two-way deflector deflects the air in both directions.
Advanced four-way deflectors are also available for four-way air deflection.
You don’t need to worry; we have researched and mentioned the best air deflectors that you can buy:
Accord Adjustable Magnetic Baseboard Air Deflector
This air deflector contains the following feature:
- Adjustable from 15-in to 24-inches.
- Easy magnetic installation
- Improves heating and cooling
- Sticks to steel baseboard registers
- For use with forced central air systems
Deflecto Furniture Deflector Air Vent Extender
This air deflector contains the following feature:
- Made of transparent, polycarbonate material
- Extends up to 35.”
- It can be secured with the included clips to direct air out
- Lower your electricity bill
- Suitable for central forced-air heating and cooling
Accord APFRDFU Magnetic Air Deflector
This air deflector contains the following feature:
- Made of polycarbonate
- For temperatures up to 212° F (100° C)
- Easy magnetic installation
- Adjusts from 10-inches to 14-inches
- High quality.
Final Words
A bed should never be positioned over a vent unless it is necessary.
If a bed is installed directly above a vent, the HVAC will not pump air through it. As a result, the HVAC system may overwork and cause bloated energy bills.
When you must have a bed over a vent, you can do a few things to avoid blocking the airflow.
Installing a vent deflector is the first and best way to deal with this issue. By doing so, the air is prevented from following directly on the bed.