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◉HVAC 'Space Pants' — Atrium Cooling

HVAC 'Space Pants' — Atrium Cooling

Designed and tested a DIY HVAC solution for an unresolved third-floor heating and cooling problem using 12-inch ducts and AC Infinity inline fans — before a full system replacement validated the approach.

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The third floor of the house had a serious heating and cooling problem. Multiple HVAC contractors looked at it. None had a solution that worked within a reasonable budget. So I designed and tested my own: 12-inch HVAC ducts hung from the ceiling, fed through two 12-inch AC Infinity inline fans, engineered for minimum noise and comfortable temperature without a full system redesign. The prototype validated the approach — pull the hottest air from the top of the three-story space, move it mechanically, and redistribute it. It worked well enough to prove the concept, which was the point. In 2023, the system was replaced with a proper HVAC installation, but only because the prototype had already answered the questions no contractor could: what airflow rate was needed, where the thermal boundaries actually were, and what “comfortable” meant in that space.

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Michael Orlando

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