At times, homeowners call us complaining about the fact that certain parts or rooms of their home are cooler than the others and vice-versa. When you have an HVAC system or a central heating and cooling system, this should not happen. Such variance in temperature occurs only when the air balancing is not proper. Due to this, some rooms, zones, or areas get more air while others do not. However, ensuring air balancing in homes is not a complicated task. There are a couple of ways in which you can see to it that your entire home gets an equal amount of air so that it heats and cools evenly.
What Is Air Balancing?
Air balancing is the process of testing and making adjustments to the central heating and cooling system so that it delivers the appropriate amount of air in each and every room. The aim of these tests and adjustments is to see to it that your house will have a consistent temperature throughout. It eliminates hot and cold areas.
9 Ways To Ensure Air Balancing In The Home
Here are 9 different ways to make sure that your home has an even distribution of air:
1. Check The Registers – Registers are the grilled moving parts that direct air onto your home. You need to pay attention to these first when you encounter air balancing problems. It’s entirely possible that by mistake, the registers have been closed. If that be the case, correct the mistake immediately. In case you have a double-story house or a house with two floors, try opening the registers on the top floor and partially close those on the ground floor during summers. Reverse the process during the cold winter months. This small trick will go a long way in eradicating the hot and cold zones in your home.
2. Make Sure Filters Are Clean – If the air filters are not clean, they will prevent the free flow of air into your home. When the airflow is sluggish, due to the accumulation of dirt, dust, and debris on the filters, there are bound to be air balancing issues. One cannot do without the air filters as they improve the quality of air. So the only option that you have is to change them frequently so that they don’t get clogged. Changing the air filters is very easy as they are usually the “place and clip-on” types.
3. Use The Ceiling Fan – The direction in which the ceiling fan moves has a great bearing in maintaining the coolness and warmth in that room. During the summers, the ceiling fan should move counterclockwise as it will push down the cool air downwards. The speed can be adjusted as per choice, though low is always better. But if it’s scorching hot, you can always increase the speed. In the winter months, the ceiling fan should move in the clockwise direction at low speed. This will ensure that the warm air distributes evenly throughout the room.
4. Install Window Coverings – The windows let in sunlight and heat during the hot summer days adding to the warmth inside the home and dissipating its coolness. As against this, in winters, they add to the coolness inside the home. To prevent the loss of heat during winters and cold during summers, install window coverings. They can be in the form of a tint film, blinds, drapes, or heavy curtains. The idea is to install a barrier that prevents the outside temperature from mitigating the indoor temperature.
5. Fix The Ductwork – Often, when the ductwork becomes old, it develops leaks and cracks. Sometimes critters make homes inside the ductwork and restrict the flow of air. At other times, the airflow gets restricted due to accumulations inside it. The lack of professional cleaning keeps these problems hidden, causing the airflow to get slow and sluggish. You need to get your ducts professionally cleaned at least once a year and also fix all the sources of leaks and cracks.
6. Check Fan Settings On Thermostat – A common mistake that most of us do is that we don’t pay attention to the fan setting on the thermostat. The fan setting should be set to “On” as this will continuously force the hot or cold air, based on the temperature setting, into the house. “Auto” setting for the fan is not desirable as it does not steadily move the air indoors.
7. Check Insulation – Insulation plays a very vital role in air balancing. If the insulation is not up to the mark, the places from where the indoor air is escaping will have a marked temperature difference. Most of us are very diligent about ensuring that no gaps and cracks exist in the doors and windows from which the air can escape, but we forget all about the attic. In most homes, the lack of proper insulation in the attic is the prime cause of air balancing problems. If that is the case in your home, you need to rectify the situation immediately.
8. Try 2 Degree Offset – The two-degree offset trick works only for those homes that have a separate thermostat for the upper and ground floor. You need to set the thermostats at a difference of 2 degrees. For example, in winters, the temperature on the top floor should be 2 degrees lower than that of the ground floor. At the turn of the season, reverse the setting.
9. Check The Placement Of Electronics – Electronics that work continuously generate and emanate heat. As a result, the area where they are installed will have a higher temperature than the rest of the house. While placing such electronics like the fridge and TV, make sure that they are nowhere near the thermostat as they will play havoc with the thermostat’s sensors. Secondly, don’t place these types of equipment in close proximity to each other.
Size Does Matter
If you speak to any air conditioner repair services personnel or technician, they will tell you that the size of your HVAC system has a bearing on indoor air balancing. Your AC has to be the right size to prevent any such issues.
Air Conditioner Repair Services
Aztil AC prides itself on providing air conditioner repair services in the West Palm Beach area. If you need any help or assistance with your heating and cooling system or if you have any queries or concerns, call us at +1-888-729-8452.
