A little balance is all you need to keep your HVAC system in good health
After a long day, you’re cozied up on the couch, laughing at your favorite sitcom. The room is warm and comforting despite the cold temperatures outside. But when you finally get up to head to bed, you find yourself shivering and throwing on more layers just to get warm in your chilly bedroom. What’s the deal?
If you notice cold or hot spots around your home, it’s often a sign there’s a problem with the airflow in your ductwork. Learn how to balance airflow in ducts yourself and with the help of a pro.
Air ducts carry heated or cooled air from the HVAC system throughout your home and carry air from rooms back to the HVAC system for conditioning. But imbalances in the airflow can occur from simple things, like a closed vent in an unused room, to bigger problems, like an air duct leak or too few air vents.
When the airflow is in an imbalance, it means the conditioned air from the HVAC system is not distributed evenly throughout the home. It may be leaking, which will cost you more in energy bills. Further, this can throw off the air pressure and strain the HVAC system, costing you more in repairs.
So, how do you know when it’s time for air balancing? There are a few signs to look for, such as temperature fluctuations from room to room or floor to floor, poor airflow or blasting from specific vents, or an increasing energy bill.
If one side of the living room feels warm and cozy while the opposite side feels cold, it may mean there is an issue with the airflow in your air ducts.
Your energy bills may go up in the hottest and coldest months of the year when you regularly use your HVAC system. But if the monthly bill looks significantly higher than you’re used to, there could be several issues with your HVAC system, including an imbalance in airflow or an air leak.
The upper levels of your home may feel slightly warmer, but if you notice a difference of 2 or 3 degrees Fahrenheit or more from one floor to the next, the airflow could be higher in some parts of the ductwork and lower in others.
Aside from temperature fluctuations per room or floor, you may also notice more or less air coming out of some of your supply vents. Vents getting too much air may make a whistling sound from the air pressure.
You don’t have to put up with temperature fluctuations around the house. Air balancing allows you to improve the airflow in your air ducts, keeping your entire home at a comfortable temperature no matter the time of year.
Please note that while some of these tasks you can DIY, like opening vents or changing a dirty air filter, a professional should handle other jobs like installing new return or supply vents or repairing duct leaks.
Air vents often have operable louvers or registers to open and shut. While experts recommend keeping vents open to maintain balanced air pressure in the air ducts, you may have vents that a kid or guest closed without your knowledge. Check the vents around the house and open any that are shut to balance the air in the ductwork.
Along the same lines as the closed vents, if certain rooms of the home always have the doors closed, it could affect how the air is distributed around the house if you don’t have an HVAC zoning system set up. Open doors to closed rooms and see how that improves the air circulation.
Your HVAC unit has an air filter that needs to be cleaned or replaced every 30 to 90 days. When it goes too long without a refresh, debris can build up in the ductwork. This dust and dirt restrict airflow, throwing off air pressure balance throughout the ductwork. Replace your air filter or clean your reusable filter. If it’s been over a few years since someone cleaned the ductwork, hire a pro to handle that task and improve airflow.
HVAC dampers connect to your air ducts and can open or close to control airflow better. If certain rooms are always colder or warmer than the rest of the home, adding dampers can help create heating and cooling or HVAC zones. This gives you more control over the airflow, allowing you to direct more airflow to parts of the home that run at a different temperature than the thermostat setting. If you want to add HVAC dampers, hire a ductwork installer near you for installation.
Thermostats have sensors to detect surrounding air temperature. They use this information to determine when to switch on your HVAC system to bring the air to your desired temperature. But suppose your thermostat is near an exterior door, appliances, a window that gets a lot of sunlight, or other areas that can run warmer or cooler than other parts of the home. In that case, the thermostat can misread the room temperature.
Because relocating a thermostat requires electrical work, you shouldn’t attempt this yourself. Hire an electrician to help move the thermostat to an interior wall, away from appliances, exterior doors, windows, or air vents.
Leaky air ducts allow air to escape, causing an imbalance in the ductwork. Check for any gaps or other damage to the ductwork—you may need to hire a pro with the equipment necessary to thoroughly check all the air ducts for problems.
Handy homeowners may be able to patch air duct leaks with aluminum duct tape, duct mastic, and fiberglass insulation. However, this process requires protective gear to avoid skin contact or inhalation of fiberglass particles. Instead, a ductwork installer can patch leaks from the inside, creating a more secure seal.
Your home may have improper airflow because there are too few or too many supply and return vents. Supply vents allow air from the ductwork into a room, while return vents pull air from the room and direct it back to the HVAC system for heating or cooling.
You can balance airflow by adjusting the number of vents. You’ll need to consult with a pro about where new vents are needed, and a pro will need to install new supply and return vents or remove excess vents.
You can adjust the blower fan to a lower or higher speed to help balance airflow in ducts. This task involves shutting off the power to your home and accessing the wiring in the air handler cover of your HVAC unit. Finding and stripping the correct wire requires proper training because you could risk shocks or fire by misidentifying the wires. As such, call in an HVAC repair professional to help you change the blower fan speed.
Another cause of hot or cool spots may be poor insulation on the air ducts and around the house. Seal gaps around doors and windows with weather strips and caulk, and consider upgrading windows or installing window film for better insulation. Have a ductwork installer check your air ducts and add insulation as needed. Improving the insulation will help your HVAC system work more efficiently.
To keep your airflow moving smoothly, there are several things you can do throughout the year. Some tasks are easy for anyone, like changing your air filters or moving furniture and curtains away from air vents. Other jobs, like cleaning the air ducts or installing dampers, are best left to HVAC professionals.
Change air filters every 30–90 days.
Schedule annual HVAC system inspections.
Hire a pro to clean your ductwork every 3–5 years.
Keep vents open to prevent negative pressure. If you want to establish heating and cooling zones, hire a pro to install HVAC dampers to your ductwork.
Leave about 6 to 12 inches of clearance around all air vents.
When you’re learning how to balance airflow in ducts, you’ll quickly notice that while some solutions are free, others will cost a lot more of your time and money. Clearing objects away from your vents, opening any closed vents, or opening rooms are quick, easy, and no-cost options to help improve airflow. Changing an air filter costs about $10 to $50.
A professional must handle anything that involves sealing a leak, moving the thermostat, or making changes to the ductwork with new vents or dampers. Air balancing costs about $75 to $100 per opening or about $750 to $2,000 total. But once this work is done, your HVAC system will run more efficiently, saving you monthly money on your utility bills.
Although there are several reasons why you may have poor airflow in your home, blocked vents or ducts are the most common cause. You may not notice a couch pushed up against a vent or curtains covering a supply vent, which can prevent air from moving through the system. If your air ducts haven’t been cleaned in several years, a clog of dust and dirt in the ductwork can also restrict airflow.
You can redirect airflow coming from a vent by installing a vent deflector. Sometimes, you might notice the air from your vents blowing toward one side of the room or toward the ceiling rather than in the center of the room. You can install a vent deflector over the vent cover to redirect the air without compromising the airflow balance in the ducts.
