How NOT to Pick HVAC Registers and Grilles: Aria Vents Test Data Reviewed

One of my HVAC design clients sent me a question about these vent covers he found online, and it cracked open the whole basket of eggs. Here's a brain dump on how to look up the performance data on products like this.

[JAMichaelsDesigner]

I like that you broke this down for people. I am an HVAC professional. I saw this grill years ago and really liked it for the esthetics but also immediately realized that there was no way it could effectively throw air in any meaningful way. Something that you will see in almost all supply grills and diffusers is some sort of louver or device to direct airflow. This is necessary to evenly and effectively cover a space with the conditioned air, preventing hot spots. The dispersion angle of this product is very narrow and would have difficulty providing an even temperature across an entire room (with an exception being very tight, very well insulated builds with low load demands). It does not have any device to direct air dispersal and is essentially just hoping the air will get where it needs to go.

The Aria products restrict the air velocity in two ways. The first is what was discussed by the net free area being smaller than can accommodate typical face velocities. (Lots of air through a small hole.) The second can be more easily understood by comparing the airflow to a small stream that has a large boulder in the middle of it. As the water tries to pass, only so much of it can make it around at a time creating a dam-like effect. Aria stops the natural flow of air abruptly with a wall and then has it move around that wall to the small openings on the side. This increases the pressure in the ductwork by creating a bottleneck and contributes to the face velocity issue. A consequence of this is that now the system is under a higher static pressure (simply meaning more air with nowhere to go) than the equipment installed will be designed for. The blower motor will subsequently burn out prematurely and need to be replaced more often than comparable systems with more traditional grill/diffuser options. Typically the only time you will see residential HVAC systems employ a high static motor is in manufactured homes (mobile homes, trailers). This is because the duct system is just one big chase that spans the entire length of the home without changing sizes. Rectangular holes are then cut into the duct chase in each room. This design philosophy centers around cheap methods to circulate air. Air is forced in and it comes out where it comes out. You could think of it like a bottle of water with three holes poked into it at different heights. The one at the top gets the least pressure so it has a weak stream of water. The one in the middle has more pressure so it has a stronger stream of water. The bottom hole has a ton of pressure and has a strong stream. All of them are getting something 🤷🏻‍♂️ and that is good enough. Since high static blower motors are almost exclusively for manufactured homes, it is unlikely you could source factory spec equipment with that option.

I love minimalist design which was why this product initially caught my eye. An alternative would be to utilize products that commercial construction have used for decades. Linear diffusers, or slot diffusers, are a minimal option that can be used in ceilings, sidewalls or from the floor. They can be as narrow as two inches and spread the net free area for the air to travel over longer distances (this can be 2’, 4’ or customizable). They also allow for directional airflow through louvers or baffles just inside the grill/diffuser.

Does it take more planning? Yes. Do you need to make alterations to how structural components are designed and installed? Probably. Does your HVAC contractor need to know before they bid your job? Yes. Might adjustments need to be made to accommodate how ductwork can be run? Yes.

It does take planning and intent on the front end but this can achieve an end product that is beautiful, clean and fits the esthetic you were looking for with products like Aria. I hope that some of you find this information helpful and I am grateful to channels like Home Performance that help educate homeowners and builders about building sciences and promote improved standards for the level of quality we expect and deserve from our homes.

[chriswilson]

at least they list their specifications. There are plenty of air grilles that have no OEM test specifications. With specifications that bad though, I'm surprised they published them at all.

[MAGAMAN]

You mean a thing that blocks most of the vent is going to restrict my air flow? I am shocked! Shocked I tell you!

[JEMnCo]

How about Envisivent – Removable Magnetic Mud-in Flush Mounted Wall Air Vent. Do these flow any better?

[marizelsanjose]

Is there an alternative product that looks as slick as aria but doesn’t hinder it’s peak performance?

[markn]

Warped my mind, trying to wrap my head around this, because the ducting behind the wall!!! Mind exploded!!!

[kevin]

Could I get away with using them as toe kicks? 2x12 has 11sqft of open area

[aireworkz]

Thank you for this explanation, I knew it would choke an existing system but just need to be 100% sure.

[lopaka]

Run into the same thing with linear registers. These Aria registers are so much worse. What's crazy is watching all the non-pros install these things as a like for like solution. Bye-bye capacity, hello electric bill. Mold growth? Yes please. ESP? who needs it right?

Maybe Aria big brained and thought "techs will love us for all the compressors we sacrificed to the liquid slug gods"

[pitaguy]

Great breakdown! I was just looking into these. Thanks a bunch for such a detailed explanation!

[karaoke-plus]

I greatly appreciate your video. I recently opened up a wall between the living room and kitchen, and was curious about using one of these. I'm definitely sticking with a traditional vent.

[TheSchwiz]

I just bought two of these to use as return registers. Will it also reduce the airflow for returns and do you think it will cause issues?

[aarond]

This is a very informative video. I have these grills installed in my house and the temperature and indoor air quality is perfect. The house has no problem heating to 74 degrees Fahrenheit on winter days with an outside temp of -4 degrees Fahrenheit. It has no problem cooling the house to 74 degrees Fahrenheit with an outside temp of 90 degrees Fahrenheit. The furnaces and air conditioners in my house are pretty good (Lennox EL296V variable high efficiency 2 stage furnaces and Lennox 13 SEER 2.5 and 3 ton ACs) and the house has very good energy efficiency (tight building envelope). That being said there are two things I would like to point out: 1) If you are sensitive to sound, you will definitely hear the hiss or woosh of air being drawn into the cold air returns. The best way I can describe this is that in a very quiet environment (think going to bed) the system will sound similar to what you might hear when you are in a hotel and hear the hotels HVAC system operating. 2) I would (am) also concerned about the added strain the restricted return airs would put on the furnace itself and if this would effect the longevity or life of the system.

EDIT: from a noise perspective, my 4x10 hardwood supply registers make more noise than my 8 x 10 aria drywall register.

EDIT 2: if you are building a new house and advise your HVAC designer that you will be using these vents, they can also design the system with a couple of extra cold air returns which will solve most of the issues described in this video. Not 6 cold air returns in a row, just a couple of extra ones spready throughout the house.

[RickyTricky]

Cfm increase is due to bottle necking at vent. Huge strain in your fan unit. Probably take 4 times or longer to cool a home AND burn your fan unit up in the process.

[neilcomparetto]

The only way to improve on this genius design is to install an electronic damper to modulate the flow in each room. 😉

[levidobbin]

I've known about this brand for about 4 years now. Local to my area, glad they listed their stuff - but they've had the "currently in testing" on there for at least the 4 years I've known about them. I'd be okay with using them if I could convince the customer to let me put 50 of them in per floor lol. Sure they wouldn't have any floor left, but why not?

ALSO - I did do a house where the customer bought these to install. The returns are physically about 3" deep - meaning they FILL a 2x4 wall. Minimum, a 2x6 wall needs to be framed to make the data comparable to a 2x4 wall. Obviously retrofits are out of the question.

[theomass]

Any suggestions on attractive (ceiling) vents other then usual big box store vents?

[Usonian]

I see you got money for advertising but not testing huh... (Stewie Griffin "you got money for fake mustaches" scene lol)

[giyah]

Hi. Just found your channel…so glad! Wondering if you’ve reviewed the Texas Buildmart AC covers (also sold on Amazon).

[mpxz]

It sounds like, while pretty, they're expensive and perform far worse than a plain jane $7 cover from the 90's.
Thanks for saving me a costly mistake!