Are Your Return Air Vents Facing the Wrong Way? Here's How to Check

Adjusting your vents could keep your home cooler in the summer months.

Getty Images / KangeStudio

If you have return air vents on your walls, you likely have never given their direction a second thought. But a recent viral video has us questioning whether ours have been facing the wrong way—and if we should be doing something about it. This viral video posted by popular home maintenance content creator Ken Long has managed to rack up 6.5 million views.

In the video, Long claims that the return air vents on your second floor should be slanted up rather than down. In other words, if you can see what’s happening inside the vent, they’re facing the wrong way. The reason? He says it’s because if they’re facing upwards, it will pull heat away from the ceiling and ultimately keep your upstairs cooler.

As usually happens with any viral home hack, the comments section is full of users debating whether or not this tip actually works. There are also plenty of questions surrounding the location of the vents, and how to know which direction they should face. We're answering every question you have about return air vents so you can rest assured that yours are working efficiently.

The key to this home hack is understanding the types of vents in your home. Return vents are not the same as supply vents; although they can look similar, they serve very different purposes. The function of a return vent is to extract air from the room and send it back into your home’s HVAC system to be filtered and pushed back through the supply vent. Return vents also help to remove excess moisture from the air to keep humidity levels comfortable. They’re an important feature of any home and, therefore, should be installed properly.

Another distinguishing characteristic between return and supply vents is their cover, or grille. Return vents, which tend to be larger, have a grille that is not adjustable. To change the direction of the grates, you have to unscrew the entire grille and turn it upside down. On the other hand, supply vents usually have a small lever that allows you to adjust the direction of the grates so air can blow at or away from a specific area.

The location of the vents is what caused the most confusion among commenters. When it comes to cooling your home, return vents are best installed near the ceiling so they can draw in any hot air that has risen. Supply vents should also be placed high on the wall for better distribution of cold air throughout the room. The opposite is true for heating, as both return and supply vents are often found near or on the floor, so they can either pull unwanted cool air in (to be heated) or help to keep the warm air closer to you.

Unfortunately, it’s not always so cut and dry, especially in older homes. Heating vents can be on the ceiling, while cooling vents may be on the floor, and, in many cases, both are found near windows and doors. If a return air vent is located directly on the ceiling, it poses the valid question of what direction the grates should face.

From a temperature standpoint, it turns out that the direction of your vents isn't quite as important as the viral video portrays. Long's claim that the return vents will pull heat from the second-story ceiling might have some merit, but ultimately this depends on how your home is built, the type and effectiveness of your heating and cooling system, and the temperature conditions in your area. Turning your air vents so that the grate faces upward certainly won't hurt, but it likely won't be a magical cooling solution.

From an aesthetic standpoint, facing the grates upward will make the fixture appear sleek and clean (since you won't be able to see into the wall). You could also paint the inside of the vent a dark color to make it even harder to see inside (and see the inevitable accumulation of dust and drywall). If the vent is on the floor, just turn the grate toward the nearest wall for the same effect.

Here are a few things to consider when building or renovating a home and installing return air vents.