Tamarack Wall Return Air Pathway, White, 12in.W x 4in.H x 3 1/2in.D, Model# TTI-RAPR12.4

I am very happy with the performance of this return air pathway (or transfer grille). I need a lot of darkness and quiet when I sleep so I sleep in my walk-in closet. It has a small A/C vent but the room was always extremely stuffy and hot when I slept there because there was no way for the air to exit. I installed the smallest one of these and now suddenly the room is never stuffy. It's a much healthier and more pleasant place to be (and to sleep). This product has made a big difference in my life. Even though it is very small, it apparently lets through enough air that it dramatically changes the temperature/humidity/smell/stuffiness of the room. Very good. How about the noise and light transmission? I was quite worried about this because that's the reason I sleep in the dang closet. The light transmission is almost none. If I turn the light off in that room and bright lights in the room on the other side, after my eyes have adjusted I can just see a tiny bit of light coming through. Compared to the light that comes around the edges of the closed door it is extremely small. I'd say the door edges transmit about 20 times as much light. So yeah, very little light transmission. As far as noise is concerned, it's hard to measure. I can hear people on the other side of the wall, but I could before as well. I *think* it's a little clearer now, but not by a ton. My perception is that it doesn't make a lot of difference in the noise transmission. Notice that I have the little one installed (12x4), which I think is part of the reason not much noise comes through. I also have this installed at the very top of the room in the far corner. If this was a 12x12 over a door, I think a lot more noise would come through. So now, how about the construction? As I think other reviewers have pointed out, metal lip that goes on the outside of the wall is large enough that it goes past where the screws for the grille need to be screwed in. But there are no holes in it. So you must use a drill to put a hole in the metal. That's a minor annoyance. Also, my cardboard had some damage in it. This seems to be an extremely common problem. It actually doesn't look like this is shipping damage. I think it came from the factory this way. At the end of the day, this is behind a grille so you don't see it, but I think you pretty much need to expect it. Actually, the cardboard seems adhered to the inside of the insert. I'm not sure if there is glue in there or just friction, but you can't get the cardboard out. Overall this is pretty cheap construction (thin metal without a ton of attention to detail) but it works. And since it goes inside the wall, the little fit and finish details don't matter much.

Does exactly as advertised. I bought 3 of these as I don't have return air grills in bedrooms, only a single return in the hall with every room having a supply. I wanted to keep room doors closed, and door undercuts just don't let air through, so system wasn't always balanced. Almost zero light transfer. I have ceiling light in the hallway just outside 2 bedroom doors, and can barely tell the light is on at night. Super simple option, but could be less money I think. Although, much much cheaper than expensive HVAC mods. The interior door framing of my house is odd. 2x12s ran across the header behind drywall. There was a horizontal 2x4 beneath it, so door trim was unaffected, but I had to saws-all the 2x12s, which was a huge PITA. I couldn't relocate the RAPs else where either due to how rooms/walls were positioned in the build. Good product overall. Would buy again despite the hiccup with installation.

Item worked well within a standard 2 X 4 wall

Easy to install

Use this to help circulate air in a bedroom when the door is closed. This eliminated depression that comes from the bottom of the door when it was shut. What's nice about this unit, is it's got the baffling inside and you can arrange the grates so you can't see through the ventilation pathway. Before you install, I would highly recommend using a newer stud finder to make sure there's no wires or studs behind the area you want to put the vent. We ended up by off-centering ours a bit as to not have to remove a stud. That saved time and work!

Perfect for the application its intended for

They’re doing exactly what I need them to do. Price is a little high so a 4 star rating is fair

I ordered the 12 x 4 but was sent the 14 x 6. I installed it anyway. I question whether the 12 x 4 even exists because I thought it was odd that the pictures for it seem to be of the 14 x 6. Maybe there is something wrong with the listing. Maybe you could refund the extra 2 dollars I spent on that. The metal was hard to drill through even with a very powerful hand drill. Otherwise nice product the duct was a bit skewed in shape but it straightened out. Cardboard baffle was a bit rough. Could include a guide/template for cutting out the vent. Tracing the dimensions of the pass through on the inside of the other wall to be cut out didn't quite make for an easy to follow cut. Maybe even add something that pokes a hole or scores the other side of the wall so you can be more exact. Would also be nice if at least one of the vent sides had an adjustable opening lever in case you wanted to close it off to avoid some sounds or alter the angle of the airflow or just temporarily close it off for one reason or another without having to modify th e cardboard baffle or purchase an adjustable vent cover elsewhere, which I did and unfortunately, because I was sent the 14 x 6 instead of the 12 x 4 that ordered I will have to return the 12 x 4 adjustable cover I bought from a different seller for this very purpose. Additionally, in regards to other user's reviews saying to attach this to a stud I would like to inform other potential buyers that you do not have to attach it to a stud. It wasn't designed to be attached to the stud. The company's video of someone installing it on youtube doesn't mention, or show it being attached to the studs. You can obviously do it if you want, but it is pretty pointless. The pass through will rest upon the holes you cut out on each side and be supported by the connection of the 2 pieces of ductwork included. Attaching to the stud is completely unnecessary unless you made the hole way too big or something. Or maybe if you had an extra thick gap between the walls and the pass through was sagging or something. Most walls would be using 2 x 4s for the studs though so attaching this to the studs would be an extremely rare thing to need or want to do, in my opinion.