Those round HVAC vents

Automatic Washer - The world's coolest Washing Machines, Dryers and Dishwashers

Help Support AutomaticWasher.org:

C

Cybrvanr

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 23, 2005
Messages
1,287
I remember seeing those huge round HVAC vents in the ceiling of department stores and other "big box" places frequently a a kid in the seventies. Most of them were made of brushed alumnium or some other type of shiny finish. To me, they always looked very modern and space-age. Well, over the years, I guess the buildings have been renovated and replaced, and those were replaced with more conventional looking vents. Well, I bought a house a house about 6 years ago that the previous owners installed a heat pump with minature versions of those big round vents. The only issue was that they were a bland white

...So, in my infinite wisdom, I decided to attack the boring air conditioner vents with some automobile paint, and jazz them up a little. There are chrome and stainless steel stuff all over the kitchen, so why not the HVAC vents. In my kitchen, I am painting the walls blue with grey trim, so I thought some nice metallic grey silvery paint described as "bumper chrome" on the can would do perfect on these vents to give them a sort of 'retro' look like I remember those units in the department stores had.

I first sanded down the vents with 220 grit sandpaper, then sprayed them with primer, and then the enamel paint. I've got an old oven in the garage for baking enamel finish, so they went into the oven at 250 degrees for 1 hour to harden the finish. This is what one of them looks like now that it's finished, but it hasn't been installed yet (waiting to paint around the air hole first!(
 
Those large round HVAC vents were always cool--a few old KMarts had them when I was little, and they're in the auditorium at my school (built in 1970). Thought the square versions were cool too that many still see--would love to get my hands on a few of those!

We have the miniature versions at our house--what kind of 60's house wouldn't have them, really?? Although nobody else likes them, I've somewhat warmed up to them a little as they do look "retro" and are better than the bland box vents in current homes, IMHO. They're a "plain" beige color now, but maybe I can get creative with the aluminum when nobody's looking!!! :)
 
That's weird..lol I always used to be looking at those big vents as well, hadn't thought about those till you brought it up now. That was sort of the fun of the big old department stores before they renovated and/or covered everything up to look modern.. Remember those sort of chiming bells that were used I guess for calling someone. The old Eatons store in Toronto was one of the last I recollect to have a few of the lady driven elevators and the wooden escalators, they kept one of the smaller wooden escalators going by the entrance long after new ones were installed in the early 60's. And up until the mid 70's there was a small dept store that was still using the pneumatic tubes at the cash. I was always fascinated by the pneumatic tubes.
Back those kitchen vents, my moms is still in place, it's a Homart model from Sears circa the 50's with variable speed control switch built in the wall by the stove..still working
 
Vents

Love these round ones! Cybrvanr, your kitchen sound like the color-scheme is amazing.

These are great in the center of a room/ceiling.

The benefit is that they don't have to be aligned to follow the shape of the room as square one must be. I have square ones over the windows along the exterior walls, and they were put in just crooked enough to annoy me!
 
When I was a kid we had a Zayre discount store that had circular ceiling vents that seemed unusually large. Like 8'-10' in diameter and a foot thick. There weren't many of them, like maybe 4 or 6. Freezing air would just pour out of them. Looking at the outside, it seems like each vent had its own a/c unit on the roof.

As I child I thought they were frightening--I just did not want to stand under anything that enormous.

T.
 
I had those installed in my home when I added central air and heat in 1994. I remember them in old movie theaters and thought they were an Art Deco design.
 
COOL!!-those circular HVAC vents are common in older gov't buildings-the building I am working in has them-also similar grills are used for the ceiling monitor and PA speakers in the building.We also have the square vents and some round ones-the HVAC was renovated here in 1994.also the building I worked in in the DC area was LOADED with those vent covers.
 
We had those

We had circular vents in our house until the 90s when we put square ones in. But I do like them because of the deco design. Too bad you don't see those much anymore. The vents I see mostly now are what I call trailer house vents. You know, the rectangular kind with the lever on the side to open and close the damper.
 
I was always fascinated by the round vents as well, and you still see them in certain buildings. I think their square cousins eventually won out in commercial buildings because they could be sized to drop into those false ceilings with the slats, whereas with the round you'd have to interrupt the gridwork and/or cut a special opening.

You don't see ceiling vents very often in homes in Minnesota, though I have seen some occasionally like Austin's, in situtaions where people have installed a central air system in a home that uses radiator or baseboard heat. Most of the newer homes have registers either on the wall near the baseboard, or on the floor.
 
register placement

Most of the registers here in L.A. in homes that have forced air heat-A/C are either in the ceiling near a wall or in a wall close to the ceiling. My house has a mixture.
 
I went on a job interview today in a really old building and here's what I saw...

A round vent hanging on to an air duct. I'm guessing this is the AC because the heater was baseboard.
 
round with rings

Anybody remember those hanging light fixtures that consisted of several metal rings with a light bulb in the center that pointed down and was half coated with a silver paint? My elementary schol had these.
 
Indeed I do Kenmore

They used to be in Dr. Hummelt's office (the smaller version)
and in the grade school I attended that was built in the early 50's. I have one that an Aunt of my gave me from a building she owns here in Northern Ca. They were fairly common in Dept stores and Gov buildings as I recall. A perfect compliment to the aforementioned HVAC grills. (imho!)
 
Round vents and self-cleaning lights

My grandparents' house not only has those vents, but the ceiling fixtures are mounted onto the vent itself, and hangs beneath it. The wires run through the ductwork.

Probably very against code, but rather innovative! The light diffusers were also self-cleaning--any bugs that died up in them were automatically blown out from the refrigeration draft :-D LOL
 
One of the other fixtures I remember back in grade school was the PA system in the principals office, I saw it many times as I was often called in there to receive accolades and awards of merit for outstanding achievement. LOL
Regardless, it was this big honking refrigerator sized get up with a plethora of switches and dials, light blue as I recall, and the name in script was Kellogg.
 
Hmmmm...all of my schools' PA systems were interesting setups. I went to private school through 3rd grade and I don't think they had one (instead they used a phone system to "buzz" the teachers).

My intermediate school here (4th-5th grade) had a tabletop system which was extremely easy to use. 2 buttons could be pushed to communicate with the entire school, and separate slide switches controlled the classrooms. It had a mic on the station so it was quite clear. I think everything was made by Bogen, and it was possibly circa-1983 (when the school was renovated; originally built in 1957). The junior high and high schools have the "refrigerator-sized" Rauland PA systems; I wouldn't know how to operate it for the life of me! Tons of switches; the communication is done by a telephone-like handset connected to the machine. It simplifies it a bit since you can connect to the entire school or any classroom by entering in a code ("09" connects to the school). However, being a handset type, it is "staticky" and somewhat unclear.
 
vents not obsolete yet

We talk about those round HVAC vents nostalgically, but they're alive and well in currrent construction. Was in an Office Depot to have some copies made. It the kind of design where all the HVAC ducting is exposed and there those vents were, in all their glory. They were obviously a new installation when the store was opened, not something left over from years before.
 
Exra proten nuggets.

Quote: The light diffusers were also self-cleaning--any bugs that died up in them were automatically blown out from the refrigeration draft :-D LOL

Light in kitchen /dining area-
Momma- since when do we put raisins in rice? LOL

Here In NYC before electricity, apartments had gas lights in the center of each room or a wall sconce. Once electrified the buidings had an electric juntion box impaled over the gas pipe stub. Fitures were simple or elaborate metal disks with spaces for multiple bulbs.(The early bulbs were of low wattages) These were controlled by pullchains. Oh yeah and at first light-bulbs were available only from your electric company.

Parts of Manhattan island (inner-city NYC)still have (supplemental)DC [and parallel AC of course], which is useful in certain industries.

I went to change a ceiling light-bulb in the living room of my tenement apartment and almost passed out at the smell of natural gas. <GAS? In the living room???> Apparently the sealant used to seal the theads between the pipe and the cap had begun to chemically disntegate. I was shocked that the overhhead "runner" linking all the ceiling drops had not been disconnected!

Don't think that would be code today, either!!! LOL LOL LOL

I lived SLIGHTLY better than seen in the link, LOL LOL LOL

http://www.tenement.org/
 
School PA system

When I went to school it was the huge Western Electric refrigerator tube amplifier model. The microphone was an old round Astatic D104. I had a powered D104 for my CB radio with a squeeze handle. The one at our middle school had a surprise as well, inside a drawer was a hidden Garrard record changer. How cool was that!!!!!
 
Yes Jaune, I do see them in more current use in those types of situations where the slatted false ceilings aren't used. The grocery store I shop in, which is less than 10 years old, is like that as well, and I have seen it in other such settings.
 
i can remember at one of the schools I went to they had a "Stromberg-Carlson" PA system.It was in a large desk like console.In one of the drawers was the Turntable.Can't remember what kind it was.
 
In high school they had an identical one to the middle school's sound system. And they had the pull-out drawer with the handle. I yearned to pull that handle and see the turntable but never got the chance. I guessed another Garrard changer. My guess is that's probably been updated and the old stuff is all gone now.
 
Austin

I notice you have some kind of knob in the middle of your round vent. Is that the control for how much air comes out? The ones I had at my parents house had a chain. You'd set the damper (usually all the way open) and stick the chain in the notch.
 
I LOVE those vents....

I have a freind that just ripped them out of their home!

When I was a kid, my elementary school had HUUGGGGGGEEEEEE
ones in the auditorium, I think just four or six took up the massive ceiling. I always thought they were spooky cool. I remember as a really little kid, one of my parents friend's had a futuristic--for the time--home and they had really large ones on their high ceilings. Again, spooky wierd and cool.

Nice to know I am not wierd and someone else loves these.

How about this.....those large, golden "cone lamps", either pointing down from the ceiling or mounted on the wall...same vintage of these vents...
 

Similar threads

Unimatic1140
An Angel Gets A New Set Of Wings
Replies
7
Views
813
joeekaitis
joeekaitis
1
1940s Hotpoint "Masterpiece" Electric Range / Stove
Replies
3
Views
568
1946hotpoint
1
I
Whirlpool Bathtubs & Jetted Showers Are A Fad
2
Replies
37
Views
1K
circlew
C
D
Is this even possible to do without creating irreparable damage?
Replies
7
Views
673
combo52
combo52
swestoyz
A 20 year old dream turns into reality
2
Replies
44
Views
2K
appnut
appnut

Latest posts

Sponsored
UnlistMe
Back
Top