Air Balancing 3

If your home has chronic hot and cold spots when your HVAC system is running, it may need air balancing. This term refers to individualizing the air delivery to each of the conditioned areas and rooms so that each is evenly comfortable. Forced-air HVAC systems rely on the ductwork to distribute the air, and even though they’re hidden in the walls, floor or attic, they play an important role in maintaining your comfort.

Balancing the air requires a contractor who has the equipment that can test the static air pressure coming from the ductwork for each room or register. Each room needs a specific amount based on its size, solar exposure and usage levels. Rooms with raised ceilings, those with larger amounts of windows, or a northern exposure have different thermal requirements.

If your current HVAC system wasn’t air balanced when it was initially installed, this procedure could help you:

• Achieve lower energy bills — If you adjust the thermostat to keep one particular area in your home comfortable, you could be overheating other parts of your home.
• Increase the system lifetime — Air balancing distributes the air evenly throughout your home, which takes a burden off your HVAC system. When it runs less frequently, it experiences wear and tear on its parts declines.
• Improve comfort — A properly balanced system will deliver the exact amount of conditioned air each space requires.
• Discover costly ductwork leaks — Leaking ducts aren’t uncommon but drive up energy bills. Your HVAC professional can seal them, which will increase comfort and indoor air quality.

What’s Involved

Once the static pressure test is complete, the HVAC team will make adjustments to the ductwork, which may involve installing dampers, adjusting the supply and return register covers, or increasing or decreasing the size of the ductwork to each space.

Since air balancing is a crucial component of your HVAC system and its ability to deliver energy efficient comfort throughout your home, it’s worth inviting a trusted contractor to evaluate your home’s equipment and ductwork. To learn more, contact Stack Heating & Cooling, providing NATE-certified HVAC services for northeastern Ohio homeowners.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Cleveland, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).

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