No ductwork??

[Charley L. Bottger]

Originally Posted by mroberson

I would call this out IF this had a standard gas fired forced air system.
.

If you did not call this out and I was the buyer you and me would be in court and I would be asking you to pay for proper duct work and to re- mediate the mold that was growing in the the supply air duct during the cooling mode

Better yet why don't ya send me the name and E-mail address of your buyer and let me talk with him perhaps me and your buyer can split the settlement

[Chuck Evans]

I had a 10000sf house in 2007 that had geothermal that used the whole underfloor area as the supply plenum for the first floor. It was a poured concrete crawlspace that was sealed and completely lined with a sealed membrane, like a shower pan. Of course this was an integral part of the design of the house and not an afterthought.

It was the prettiest house I think I have ever inspected.

[Charley L. Bottger]

Originally Posted by cevans

completely lined with a sealed membrane, like a shower pan.

That is still not wood, wood supports mold growth

[Dan Bowers, CMI]

Like Charlie said:

Call it or send them my address for the future suit.

For Example:

There was NO ducting present. Furnace blows warm air into the Floor cavity, and then subsequently out of the registers. Cold air return is natural though the louvered doors, stairwell, and balcony. In our opinion this time of arrangement would tend to be inefficient and has potential for air leakage, hig utility bills and mold growth. In 35 years we have never seen a system like this. In our opinion there were conditions　present in the heating system that indicate a liberal approach to normal and proper installation practices. WE believe this type of installation has potential to become problematic in the future. We recommend having a licensed and competent HVAC contractor read the inspection report; evaluate the buildings heating and mechanical system; then service, repair, modify or replace any unhealthy or unreliable conditions or deficiency's in a safe and proper manner prior to closing.

[Brian E. Kelly]

Was the Builder Korean?
Ondol

Would be State of the art Heating in the Bronze Age.

[Greg Veal]

This design was/is used in some commercial/industrial applications where the plenum space is absolutely sealed and CFM/FPM design is part of the Med. or High velocity design. I've never seen what you are describing in a residential setting, and would be very suspect, not only for heating capabilities but especially for cooling purposes. I'd also be worried about the possibility of mold becoming a problem within the supply plenum space. IMHO

[Michael Larson]

Originally Posted by gveal

This design was/is used in some commercial/industrial applications where the plenum space is absolutely sealed and CFM/FPM design is part of the Med. or High velocity design. I've never seen what you are describing in a residential setting, and would be very suspect, not only for heating capabilities but especially for cooling purposes. I'd also be worried about the possibility of mold becoming a problem within the supply plenum space. IMHO

But in those cases you cannot use type NM wiring.

[Joseph Hagarty, CMI]

From my training....
Open framing only acceptable for means of return...
never supply...

Note and recommend further review / repair...

[Charley L. Bottger]

Originally Posted by mlarson

But in those cases you cannot use type NM wiring.

That is irrelevant its secondary to the primary problem install proper supply air distribution duct and your NM wiring will be just fine

[Michael Larson]

Originally Posted by cbottger

That is irrelevant its secondary to the primary problem install proper supply air distribution duct and your NM wiring will be just fine

It is not irrelevant by any means. Read the NEC.

This wiring method is simply not permitted in environmental air passages.

If the wiring was in pipe or using approved materials you could have this type of plenum.

Is it a great idea? no.

Would I call it out? yes

Whenever I see something out of the ordinary I call it out and express my concerns apart from any code.

[Joseph Hagarty, CMI]

Originally Posted by mlarson

Is it a great idea? no.

Would I call it out? yes

Whenever I see something out of the ordinary I call it out and express my concerns apart from any code.

Exactly....

[Charley L. Bottger]

Originally Posted by mlarson

It is not irrelevant by any means. Read the NEC.

This wiring method is simply not permitted in environmental air passages.

If the wiring was in pipe or using approved materials you could have this type of plenum.

Is it a great idea? no.

Would I call it out? yes

Whenever I see something out of the ordinary I call it out and express my concerns apart from any code.

My name is not Roy all ya want is a argument I am not going there you did not read my statement

[Michael Larson]

Originally Posted by cbottger

My name is not Roy all ya want is a argument I am not going there you did not read my statement

You have to think beyond HVAC Charlie.

[Richard Webb]

This can be a very efficient system if done properly. The partions between conditioned space and unconditioned space MUST be insulated and sealed well. The floor gets warm as would a floor woth hydronic heating coils installed in it. It is essential that the btu requirement for each room be closely calculated and the floor heat output and register output co-ordinated. The space is actually the "supply air plenum"