Just recently moved into a 1950s-era home in which a couple bedrooms have, what I assume are, the original baseboard diffusers; see photo:
This is the longer of the two at 8 ft. in length, yet from what I can tell, the actual vent opening in the floor is just 16 in. wide. When the system is running, I can feel air coming out at the far edges of the diffuser, but when comparing this to the newer diffusers in a renovated bathroom, the ratio is a 12 in. vent opening and 24 in. wide diffuser.
I'd like to replace these old vents with the same style that matches those in the renovated areas of the house, but I'm concerned that replacing this monster with a 24" diffuser (which appears to be the largest you can get from big box stores) will dramatically change the heating/cooling of the room.
What is the purpose for using a diffuser that's *so* much wider than the actual vent opening? Wouldn't a smaller (e.g. 24" vent disperse the same rate of air into the room?
This is the longer of the two at 8 ft. in length, yet from what I can tell, the actual vent opening in the floor is just 16 in. wide. When the system is running, I can feel air coming out at the far edges of the diffuser, but when comparing this to the newer diffusers in a renovated bathroom, the ratio is a 12 in. vent opening and 24 in. wide diffuser.
I'd like to replace these old vents with the same style that matches those in the renovated areas of the house, but I'm concerned that replacing this monster with a 24" diffuser (which appears to be the largest you can get from big box stores) will dramatically change the heating/cooling of the room.
What is the purpose for using a diffuser that's *so* much wider than the actual vent opening? Wouldn't a smaller (e.g. 24" vent disperse the same rate of air into the room?