Your furnace turns on, heats your home and turns off. That’s normal. Yet, if your home is on par with most, you still have uncomfortable cool areas that just don’t seem to warm up. If your furnace seems to be operating fine, the problem may likely be with your air ducts. Keep reading to learn how air balancing can give your comfort a lift and take a load off your hard-working furnace.
Air Balancing
Each of the rooms in your home should receive the right amount of airflow for the space, and maintain equal temperature and humidity. This means that airflow through your living spaces and your ductwork has to flow freely and maintain balance.
Testing Airflow
Your HVAC technician can spot duct issues, such as a disconnected duct seam, during your scheduled preventive maintenance visits in the spring and fall. Though, balancing airflow involves specific tests to ensure your furnace and A/C are able to heat and cool your home at maximum efficiency. Here’s what to expect:
- A visual check identifies more obvious duct problems, such as damaged ducts, no insulation and/or noisy ducts.
- Return-side and supply-side air pressure is measured at each return grille and supply vent using a flow hood test and manometer respectively.
- Airflow’s temperature and humidity are measured across the blower and at each supply vent to help identify heat gain/loss and humidity issues in each room.
- The results from the air balance testing are crunched using sophisticated software that provides a detailed assessment and report of your HVAC system’s airflow efficiency.
Balancing Airflow
Your HVAC technician explains any flaws in your home’s airflow, and outlines options specific to your duct design. If duct repairs are needed, such as sealing loose connections, the repairs should be performed which could solve the problem.
If your ducts are in good condition but sized incorrectly to your home and furnace, duct dampers installed at duct runs may be a viable solution to balance airflow through your home.
If you think your HVAC system may need air balancing, please contact Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning today for a consultation.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Lorain, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about air balancing and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 440-201-2959.
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Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning
1 (440) 246-5440
Serving the Lorain, OH Area