If you want better temperature control in different areas of your home, you might think that closing some registers is a smart, easy solution. Trying to manage your home’s indoor temperature by shutting registers in rooms that need less heating and cooling may work over the short term, but doing so can cause serious problems with your HVAC, including:
Cooling Coil Freeze Ups
Your HVAC’s ductwork is designed to deliver and return the precise amount of airflow that’s needed to keep your cooling equipment working properly. Closing some registers has a similar effect to a clogged air filter: it restricts crucial system airflow. The resulting slow down of air across the cooling coil can cause it to ice up, which can eventually damage your A/C’s most costly component: the compressor.
Increased Duct Leakage
When some registers are closed, pressure in the ductwork and HVAC system rises. This increased pressure will force air out or pull air in through any small gaps and leaks around joints and seams. A loss of conditioned air decreases the system’s heating and cooling capabilities, and makes it more difficult to keep your home comfortable. When contaminants are drawn in from unfinished areas like wall voids, the basement or attic, it can erode your home’s indoor air quality.
Greater Risk of Carbon Monoxide Exposure
Forcing your heating system to operate under higher pressure puts extra strain on the heat exchanger, the component that separates warm air that gets sent out through the ductwork from combustion exhaust containing carbon monoxide (CO). If the heat exchanger develops cracks due to the excess pressure, potentially-lethal CO gas can easily enter your air supply.
Higher Operating Costs
When your HVAC equipment has to work harder to overcome higher pressure and conditioned air losses, it uses more energy, so you’ll end up paying more to heat and cool your home. Additionally, that added wear can shorten the equipment’s lifespan, leaving you facing costly replacements sooner.
To learn about safe, effective options to improve indoor temperature control in your Lorain home, like HVAC zoning, contact us at Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning.
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 other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 440-201-2959.
Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning
1 (440) 246-5440
Serving the Lorain, OH Area