How do I determine what grille size fits?
What standard grille size will cover my random size duct?
Formulas to help calculate duct size.If there is no grille covering the duct, then just measure the duct size. Convert any fractional numbers (such as 7-1/2, or 8-1/4) to the nearest even whole number (6, 8, 10). Remember that ducts tend to be irregular, while grilles are standardized to fit even number duct sizes in two inch increments. So if you measure a 5-7/8″ x 12-3/4″ duct, round the fractional number to the next even whole number, 6″ x 12″.
If the grille is attached over the duct, just measure the grille and subtract the overlap, to determine the size of the duct. Generally a stamped metal grille has a 1-1/2″ to 2″ overlap, over the duct size. So if you measure your grille to be 7-1/2″ x 13-1/2″ than you have a 6 x 12 duct underneath that grille.
Duct Size
Measure the height and width of the duct. HVAC ducts are handmade and then banged out on site. Therefore, there is no such thing as a perfect duct.
Ducts may be handmade and never the same size, but grilles are standard sizes. So you must choose from a standardized grille selection to fit your non-standard duct. Grilles are standardized to the nearest even whole number in inches, like 4″, 6″, 8″, 10″, etc. So if your duct measures 7″ x 14″ you must determine if it will fit best with a grille made to fit a 6″ x 14″ or an 8″ x 14″. Determine which size works best by overall duct size and by proximity of any wall or baseboard molding which limits the size of the grille.
All grilles must be larger than the duct they cover. There must be at least a 3/4″ border around each edge of the grille so that you can attach it to the wall or ceiling. Different manufacturers make slightly different size grilles. A grille made to cover a 6×12 duct may be 7-1/2″ x 13-1/2″ on the small side and 8″ x 14″ on the large side.
Decorative grilles tend to be larger than the typical stamped metal grille as pictured above. Many of our grilles have a tapered edge, rather than the square edge of the stamped metal grille. The tapered edge improves the look of the grille. It has a look and taper typical of casing molding found around doors and windows. Use of the tapered edge, means a larger frame size around the grille, since the tapered edge is not suitable for the pre-drilled screw hole. Since the last 5/8″ inch of our decorative grilles is tapered, they can tend to be 1-1/2″ wider and taller than the typical stamped metal grille.
A 6″ x 12″ duct is covered by a stamped metal grille which is 8″ x 14″. A Louis XIV decorative grille to fit the same size 6″ x 12″ duct, measures 8″ x 14″. In other words, these decorative grilles have a larger frame with a tapered edge, which adds to the width and height of the outer dimensions of the grilles’ frame. The larger tapered edge is helpful in two respects, first it has a larger area where the screws mount the grille securely. Secondly, the larger tapered edge helps by covering any old paint lines resulting from removing the old grille.
Why are your grilles cast in urethane?
Why Don’t We make our products from cast iron?
Our urethane resin cast grilles are equal in surface quality to investment casting (lost wax casting) quality at a fraction of the cost. It is much superior to the rough and grainy looking surfaces of cast iron or cast aluminum grilles. This image shows the grainy appearance of cast iron and the perfect quality of the cast resin.
The urethane means a maintenance free product. You should not have to re-finish, remove rust, corrosion or mold for the life of our exterior grade urethane resin grilles. They can be used in damp or wet locations, like exteriors, bathrooms, kitchens and indoor swimming pools or the other rooms on the same HVAC system as the pool room. The can be used to replace unattractive exhaust fan covers in bathrooms.
Our grilles will also reduce or eliminate the irritating high pitched noise problems often found with stamped steel louvered return grilles. Urethane resin grilles will not vibrate and make noise like metal grilles do. Use our grilles to replace noisy high pitched metal return grilles.
First of all iron is a terrible casting material that is normally cast in temporary molds made from pressed sand. The finished product has a very grainy surface (As you can see in the above photos). It has air bubbles, plus lots of flash where the two parts of the same mold fit together. Most cast iron sand casting require lots of additional machining and finishing to remove the grain and flash. Superior casting metals such as bronze and brass are normally cast in the lost wax method, which is so expensive these days it is now called investment casting. The lost was method starts with a wax model or “plug” which is dipped repeatedly into a vat of plaster until thoroughly coated. Then it is heated until all the wax flows out of the one piece plaster mold. Then the bronze or brass is poured into the heated mold. To remove the bronze casting from the one piece plaster mold, a hammer is used to break away all the plaster. So each plaster mold makes only one casting, which is why it is so expensive. The castings also requires lots of finishing and buffing before they can be sold. No wonder it is called investment casting, which is now almost exclusively used for bronze statues.
What’s With the Funny Company Name?
Our name is Beaux-Arts Classic Products. The name Beaux-Arts is a type of Architecture. The US Capital Building is a Beaux-Arts style building, so are most state capital buildings, as well as train stations. The name comes from the first school of Fine Arts in the world, established in Paris, France in 1648 during the reign of King Louis XIV. It was then called the Academie des Beaux-Arts or “Academy of Beautiful Arts” in French. The school taught, painting, sculpture, architecture, decorative arts and musical composition. Decorative arts were defined as functional works of art, which is what we make, items that serve a function, such as heating and air conditioning grilles that are also works of art. Hence our name.
Why Do You make your Products from cheap Plastic?
First of all “plastic” is a nickname for elastomers, which comes from a Greek word meaning “can be shaped or molded”. Secondly, the elastomer we use is a pure Urethane Resin and it isn’t cheap. We pay over $50 per gallon. The reason we use plastic is because it gives us the end results we are looking for. The two-part Urethane we use gives us a perfect smooth casting every time, no grain, no air bubbles, no flash. Plus it is the greatest outdoor material, since it will not rust, rot, corrode or grow mold. It is also impervious to water and UV rays. It is also strong, but not brittle. We actually make our products stronger by “tempering” the resin like glass is tempered. Regular glass is fragile and can break easily, but at a certain thickness tempered glass is strong enough to be walked on. Tempered glass is heat resistant and can be used on over doors. Since we make grilles with 70% open area, the larger sizes can’t be walked on, especially since our three dimensional designs have some very delicate filigrees, they are never the less strong. They are also heat resistant to 200 degrees and can be used on radiator cabinets. Urethane resin is the right product for HVAC grilles because a by-product of air conditioning is moisture, which causes rust and mold growth. Plus our resin castings do not vibrate, so our grilles don’t make the irritating high pitched sounds that the white louvered return grilles do. So give the fact that we make functional works of art, Urethane Resin is the perfect material.
How Functional are Our Functional Works of Art
Performance Testing of Our Decorative HVAC Grilles for Static Pressure and CFMs – Read our Company Blog Post about the performance test results and what it means for the functioning of your HVAC.
Why is your Finish Selection limited to dark colors?
Prior to the late 1950’s most grilles were considered hardware, such as stair railing, lighting fixtures, door and cabinet hardware (door knobs and hinges) plus plumbing fixtures. Back then, hardware was usually cast in brass, bronze, black iron, pewter, nickel or coper same as it is today. The big difference was the introduction of the white louvered grille which was stamped from 24 gauge sheet metal. Since they weren’t cast like grilles in the past, the big HVAC companies decided to just paint them white to match the molding. Since we are not fans of the White Louvered Grilles, we decided to match popular hardware finishes instead. We currently offer 12 diferent finishes; Bright Gold, Burnished Gold, Umber Gold, Antique Brass, Aged Copper, Antique Cherry, Chinese Red, Dark Bronze, Rubbed Bronze, Black, Pewter and Nickel. First we should say that not all these finishes are dark. Bright Gold, Burnished Gold and Nickel are light finishes. Most of the big HVAC companies only offer their stamped metal louvered grilles in one finish, White, which is odd since the big return grilles collect dust which shows more on white than any other finish.
How come you put height first and length second on your grille measurement?
We do understand that engineers always put length first, width (or depth) second, then height third, which worked for centuries until the internet insisted on listing all products by their length. For that displayed all our grilles by length first, showing the 30×4, 30×6, 30×8, 30×10, 30×12, 30×14, 30×16, 30×20 and 30×34 together rather than showing all the grilles by height first 4×8, 4×10, 4×12, 4×14, 4×16 etcetera. So for internet display purposes we switched the order to height, length and depth, so that clients can look at 6″ tall supply grilles together and 14″ tall return grilles together. For the products we sell it just seemed a better way to display the grilles, by pictures that looked similar in height but longer in length.
Why are your part numbers (6×12 smaller than the actual grille size (8×14)?
Long before Beaux-Arts Classic Products started manufacturing, the large white louvered vent cover companies assigned part number to their grilles by the duct size they were designed to cover. Since they make “builders grade products” 90% of their business was for new construction. During the construction process the duct work is installed before the drywall. At some point someone has to walk through the building and measure the duct sizes to determine which grille is required to fit that duct. So as far as grilles are concerned the part number identifies the hole or duct that it is designed to cover. So a 6×12 duct size is covered by a 6×12 grille that happens to be larger (8×14) so that it can be screwed into the wall. This is particularly confusing to homeowners who want to upgrade their builders grade grilles to something more attractive, since the white louvered grille is already installed over the duct. In their situation they measure the existing grille’s outside measurement, 8×14 and order a grille with that part number, since they cannot see the duct size behind. This is a common problem with ordering grilles for the homeowner who wishes to upgrade.
