A common misconception among homeowners is that their HVAC system evenly distributes cool or warm air throughout the house. That is not the situation. Any forced-air system consists of several unique components and controls.
Additionally, if those components are out of balance, your home’s comfort and energy costs may suffer. You might discover that some areas of your home are sweltering hot while others are icy chilly. You always adjust your thermostat’s setting because of the cold and hot zones.
Temperature changes can be very irritating and sign an unbalanced atmosphere. While there may be little to no HVAC airflow in one room and good airflow in another, this can happen. There may be several causes for it.
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When Do You Need To Balance HVAC Ducts?
You wouldn’t believe it, but the primary cause of temperature fluctuations in your home is unbalanced air in your HVAC system. The easiest approach to avoid unbalanced air is to design and install your ducting properly, among other things.
Furthermore, if a single room has unusually high or low temperatures, the issue is probably present across the entire house, albeit more subtly. Turning up the heat or air conditioning is a quick cure for hot and cold places.
It will result in more serious issues like the untimely demise of your HVAC system and exorbitant energy costs. A forced-air HVAC system that is correctly balanced produces a comfortable living space and operates more effectively.
Can You Air Balance Your HVAC Ducts Yourself?
For simple DIY air balancing, you’ll need to adjust the dampers in each room and on the duct lines of your HVAC system. Most residential supply vents find a little lever that controls one or more metal diverter fins.
By closing the diverter, more air is forced into other areas of the house while less air is let into that room. Depending on how your HVAC system was configured, a damper may be integrated into one or more supply ducts.
These dampers are controlled by short levers outside the duct that open and close a metal disc inside the supply pipe. Adjusting the lever until the disc is flat may maximize airflow in the area or rooms the line serves.
When the disc is flipped so that it is upright, the airflow to those rooms is shut off. At the beginning of summer and winter, many homeowners balance and adjust their dampers, especially in regions of the nation that see significant seasonal temperature variations.
Mark the right side of the supply duct if you find yourself fine-tuning the dampers every season to keep things easy. This lowers the process of balancing the air to merely matching the damper levers.
What Are The Reasons For Imbalance Temperature In Your Home?
To solve the problem, look for the primary cause of the air imbalance in your home instead of turning up the thermostat.
Inappropriate Placement Of Thermostat
Uneven temperatures may be caused by erroneous readings from an improperly installed thermostat. Your thermostat will only read the temperature of that particular space and instruct your HVAC system to operate according to that reading if installed in a corner bedroom or close to the kitchen.
No matter the temperature in other parts of your house, your air conditioner will turn off whenever this space reaches the designated temperature.
Imbalance Temperature
Second-floor temperatures rise faster than first-level temperatures as heat rises. Between the two stories of your home, this causes a temperature imbalance. The imbalance may also be increased if only one thermostat is used to control the temperature on both floors.
Lack Of Insulation
Lack of insulation results in draughty areas that make heating and cooling your home problematic. Because warm air rises, a poorly insulated attic can make your home feel chilly in the winter. Deteriorated exterior wall insulation is a further home insulation problem that may contribute to unbalanced temperatures.
Wrong Placement of HVAC Unit
It will only be switched on for a short time to adequately heat or cool your space if your HVAC unit is big because it will short cycle continuously. On the other hand, a smaller unit will work more to maintain the temperature you’ve selected, resulting in more wear and tear.
Strong airflow is caused by large ductwork’s inability to maintain the correct pressure. It will only distribute the air in your home evenly if your ductwork is smaller than necessary.
Exposure To Sunlight
Compared to rooms on the northern side, rooms in the south receive more sunshine throughout the day, making them warmer. The sun’s heat also causes your home’s interior temperature to fluctuate.
Even though they might not seem like a major deal, small leaks and holes can greatly impact your home’s temperature balance. Temperature fluctuations occur throughout your home when ducts leak because heated or cooled air is escaping via cracks.
Conclusion
It is a fact that an air balance is much more difficult to complete than, for example, cleaning an air duct. Air balancing is more difficult, time-consuming, and requires specialist equipment.
A professional air balancer approaches air distribution across an HVAC system more systematically and quantitatively. Your entire home will be continuously ventilated with an equal amount of air, thanks to air balancing.
A comfortable environment should always be maintained, so if you see an imbalance, take the time to have it rectified, either professionally or on your own.
