Undercut interior house doors

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Hi, my wife and I are looking at our first house purchase. The home inspection was just completed yesterday, they commented that the bedroom doors need to be undercut by 1/2 inch in order for adequate air circulation for the air conditioning system. Is this a job I can do with my tablesaw or is this something that needs to be done by a professional. The interior doors are your standard generic all white, lightweight doors.

Thank you for the help!
 
It should be fine, my buyers do that all the time too. Typically what happens is that someone installs carpets and that gets rid of the gap under the door. The table saw is the best way to do it. If you've got a steady hand, you could even use a skill saw. Only issue is if they've already been cut, typically there's not that much you can take off on a hollow core door, but I think if they're original a 1/2 inch should be fine.
 
So, is the real problem that there aren't any cold air returns in the bedrooms... so the solution is to cut the bedroom doors shorter, so that air can be pulled from underneath the door, when it is closed?
 
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
So, is the real problem that there aren't any cold air returns in the bedrooms... so the solution is to cut the bedroom doors shorter, so that air can be pulled from underneath the door, when it is closed?

Pretty much nailed it.
 
If you don't like that look you could knock a vent panel into and interior wall. IIRC my Mother's condo in SW Florida had these.
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Or you could keep the door ajar
smile.gif
 
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
So, is the real problem that there aren't any cold air returns in the bedrooms... so the solution is to cut the bedroom doors shorter, so that air can be pulled from underneath the door, when it is closed?


Seems like a weird thing to complain about. Personally I wouldn't care.
 
ZZYZZX- From what i am reading, the issue is if air is not able to circulate properly, it can put too much strain on the HVAC system. Interestingly, there are distinct dark lines under each bedroom door where the carpet is acting like a filter. As a 1st time homeowner, I am being extra cautious about trying to learn as much as I can since I really don't want to screw something up!
 
Cutting the bottoms off of the doors is not the solution. It is only a workaround.

You specifically mentioned the air conditioning. Does it have electric baseboard heat?
 
Originally Posted By: FirstNissan
ZZYZZX- From what i am reading, the issue is if air is not able to circulate properly, it can put too much strain on the HVAC system. Interestingly, there are distinct dark lines under each bedroom door where the carpet is acting like a filter. As a 1st time homeowner, I am being extra cautious about trying to learn as much as I can since I really don't want to screw something up!


Well not only that, but if the air doesn't circulate, it will either be too hot or too cold. It's basically like trying to suck through a straw with your finger on the bottom of the straw, it's a lot harder with your finger on it. Same deal with a room that has no circulation. It's going to be trying to blow hot or cold air in, but because there's no return, the hot or cold air can't really get in.
 
Did the guy find anything else? If the house has a finished basement I hope he spent lots of time down there, in the attic, and utility room.
 
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