An HVAC professional will balance your system when installing it, but air balancing can become necessary over time when issues with heating and cooling arise. Our team of professionals at SM Mechanical Services provides high-quality and dependable air balancing and other HVAC services in Manchester, CT. However, you may wonder what air balancing is and why it is critical to any forced system your home has. Here’s a simple explanation:
What Is Air Balancing?
Air balancing is the correct adjustment of a forced system to keep every space in the home at the owner’s preferred temperature. While ideally an HVAC system regulates a whole house, sometimes issues keep it from affecting each room equally. This is where air balancing becomes necessary to ensure that no matter where a homeowner is in their residence, they experience a comfortable temperature.
Every room in a home has a CFM (Cubic Feet Per Minute) number that dictates how much air it requires from your forced-air system to hold an even temperature. When an HVAC system meets the whole home’s CFM requirements, it works efficiently to cool or heat the entire space without any hot or cold spots. However, if the system fails to meet the CFM requirements, it must work harder to keep a house at a consistent temperature, which is when professionals provide air balancing services to ease the burden on the HVAC system and keep a home comfortable.
The Importance of Proper Air Balancing
Air balancing improves your home’s energy efficiency and ensures every room in your home receives the proper amount of air. Without it, uneven airflow creates pockets of discomfort in your house and your HVAC system has to work harder than it should, which can damage it over time and shorten its lifespan. Proper air balancing saves you money by keeping everything working exactly as it should.
When Your Home Needs Air Balancing
There are some indicators that you require air balancing, including:
- Higher than average energy bills
- Patterns of cold or hot spots in certain rooms
- Vents that are having difficulty pushing air, even with their dampers open
Once you notice these circumstances, you are left with two options: make simple fixes yourself and see if conditions improve, or call a professional HVAC company with the equipment and knowledge to handle the task correctly. Many people try some at-home corrections themselves in attempts to save money, hoping that the issue was minor. While that may work for some, contacting a licensed business provides your system with personalized support and expertise that’s much more likely to ensure lasting success.
Air Balancing at Home: What Can You Do?
One of the most simple things you can try is adjusting the dampers in each room via the duct lines. This is done via a lever on the outside area of the duct that controls a metal disk inside, responsible for maneuvering airflow. You can also control metal diverter fans in an individual room and shift the airflow.
- A flattened disk supplies the most air possible to one or multiple rooms in the line
- An upward-facing disk blocks airflow, offering the least amount of air to those rooms
Many people adjust dampers seasonally, so a helpful tip is to write the season’s names on the corresponding side of the duct and make the routine much smoother. This is a quick and easy method of air balancing, especially during dramatic temperature transitions.
Some other fixes (often done simultaneously) may help with air balancing, such as:
- Upgrading windows to meet CFM needs in unbalanced rooms
- Replacing incorrectly-sized ducts with the correct sizes
- Examining and adjusting insulation in rooms
Air Balancing by a Professional: What Do We Do?
As with many heating and cooling system issues, the best way to resolve your persistent issue is to call an expert. We first thoroughly examine your system, run tests, and determine a plan to achieve balanced air. Some potential steps we can take after this are:
- Damper adjustments (similar to but more effective than at-home fixes)
- Fan speed adjustments (faster or slower)
- Installing dampers where necessary
- Swapping out existing ductwork/supply lines for smaller or larger pieces
- Complete HVAC system overhaul (new installation)
There is no simple way to determine the cost of air balancing because multiple factors come into play, and no situation has a one-size-fits-all approach. Air balancing for one client can affect one room and be a simple case of adding dampers or different-sized ducts. Meanwhile, for another client, the total job cost can be more expensive, such as if improper air balancing affects their entire home or they require a new HVAC system.
Some homes may have easier access to duct lines or are just smaller in size and rooms. A larger room could contain more vents, while a smaller one could have very little. Consider these factors during your consultation with SM Mechanical Services, the best air conditioning, heating, and plumbing company in CT.
SM Mechanical Services for Professional Air Balancing
Air balancing can seem complicated and confusing if you’re not familiar with the terminology of heating and cooling systems is unfamiliar to you. Luckily, the professionals at SM Mechanical Services can restore your home’s comfort while walking you through their process and answering any questions you have. We have 150+ five-star reviews and pride ourselves on exceptional services, results, and experiences unique to SM Mechanical Services.
SM Mechanical Services wants you to know what to do if AC is taking too long to cool the house and is ready to provide you with balanced airflow. We are a family-owned business with many years of plumbing, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system service in Connecticut. We run extensive tests and pay careful attention to detail to offer the most thorough and effective air balancing in Manchester, Glastonbury, and the surrounding areas in CT.
Let us help improve your HVAC system and decrease your energy bills — call us to schedule a consultation now at 860-296-5100!