HVAC Tips / November 23, 2021

Reasons and Tips for HVAC Air Balancing

Air balancing is the process of ensuring the HVAC’s air circulation is evenly distributed. The HVAC system needs that even air distribution to ensure the efficiencies of its heating and cooling functions. Below are reasons and tips for air balancing.

Reasons

Your HVAC system thrives on balanced air circulation. Correct any air imbalance to enjoy the following benefits.

Even Heating and Cooling

Balanced air circulation means that all stale air can flow back to the HVAC and fresh air reaches all the relevant parts of the house. Air imbalance can cause some parts of your house to be colder or hotter than other parts. For example, some rooms might receive more warm air than others might during the cold season. Air balancing ensures even heating and cooling for all areas.

Energy Efficiency

Unbalanced heating and cooling forces the HVAC system to work harder than it should. For example, uneven heating and cooling will lengthen a furnace’s heating cycles to raise the entire house’s temperature. Lengthy furnace cycles waste energy. Air balancing will fix that and ensure your furnace only consumes the necessary energy.

Improved IAQ

Air circulation affects your indoor air quality (IAQ). For example, dust and moisture can accumulate in parts of your house with poor air circulation. Poor IAQ can harm your household’s health. Luckily, air balancing will reduce such risks.

System Integrity

Lastly, air imbalance also compromises your HVAC system’s wear and tear. For example, the imbalance can increase pressure in some parts of the ductwork, leading to duct damages. Air balancing can help equalize such pressure and protect the ductwork.

Tips

The first step is to diagnose the existence and cause of air imbalance. After that, the HVAC contractor can apply the relevant remedy. Below are some possible remedies depending on the air imbalance’s cause.

Adjustments of Controls

In some cases, the contractor may just adjust the relevant controls to balance the air. For example, the contractor may adjust:

• The fan speed to increase air volume and speed
• Adjust the dampers to increase or decrease airflow as needed
• Close or open some registers as necessary
• Set the thermostat to “On” so that it facilitates air circulation even during passive heating and cooling
• Adjust the air handler’s fan speed

The adjustments are not difficult, but you must first know which adjustment is necessary. That is where a professional HVAC contractor comes in.

Damper Installation

Adjustments alone might not work. For example, you might have renovated your house and interfered with the damper’s original design. You might need the contractor to install new dampers or relocate some existing ones in such a case.

Blockages Clearance

The contractor may also have to clear blockages in different parts of the system to balance the air. For example, the contractor may have to replace the air filter, clear the vents and registers, or clean the ductwork.

System Modification

The contractor might have to redesign or modify the HVAC system if other solutions cannot work. A modification might be necessary if you have renovated your house and interfered with the system’s original design. In such a case, your contractor might have to:

• Install new dampers if the existing ones are inadequate
• Install new ductwork if the existing runs are too long or small
• Reinstall the vents and registers in different parts of the house
• Install new vents and registers if the existing ones are inadequate

Note that a system modification might require more investment than other solutions, depending on what it involves. Contact Mauzy Heating, Air & Solar if your HVAC system is not running efficiently. We will diagnose and solve the problem, whether it involves air balancing or other aspects of your HVAC system.