Upgrade Home Comfort: Suggestions to Improve Airflow
Keeping ideal temps home is a big priority for just about everyone. This can involve more than just setting up the perfect temperature on your thermostat—adequate airflow is equally essential to make sure your home feels just right. If you’re experiencing stubborn hot and cold spots or your HVAC system appears to be inefficient, optimizing airflow could be the remedy you’re hoping to find. Find out how proper airflow can enhance the comfort of your home, the usual reasons airflow may become worse and practical tips to correct it.
Why You Need Good Airflow
In terms of your HVAC, airflow describes the circulation of air within the ductwork. When the HVAC system starts up, air is brought in through the return vents and ducts. It passes through the system’s air filter, which collects dust and other pollutants before the air is heated up or air-conditioned by the corresponding system. The now-purified and conditioned air then gradually makes its way back through your home via the supply vents and registers. Proper airflow is when this process happens the same way across all rooms.
Here’s why good airflow is important:
- Even temperatures: Proper airflow helps promote the same temperature from one room to the next. This reduces hot and cold spots that can make some rooms much less pleasant.
- Higher energy savings: As long as the air isn’t restricted, the HVAC system doesn’t have to work as hard, which helps with lowering your energy bills while prolonging the system’s life span.
- Better air quality: Adequate airflow prevents stagnation, reducing the concentration of airborne allergens for a cleaner and fresher living environment.
Common Problems that Obstruct Airflow
Before you take steps for improving home airflow, it’s important to understand the usual causes that can restrict it. Here are several culprits that might be impacting your home’s comfort, ventilation efficiency and air quality:
- Covered vents and registers: Furniture, curtains and rugs can block return and supply vents, reducing the amount of air that can pass through the system.
- Full air filter: A full filter makes it more difficult for the HVAC system to circulate air through, forcing it to work more than necessary.
- Leaking ductwork: Holes or loose bolts in your ductwork allow air to leak out before it reaches its intended destination, resulting in inconsistent temperatures and wasted energy.
- Neglecting routine maintenance like tune-ups: A lack of scheduled maintenance can cause dust and debris to accumulate in your HVAC system and ductwork, which restricts the flow of air over time.
- Improper ductwork: Small ductwork, lack of insulation and sloppy vent placement is also known to limit airflow.
Ways to Boost Airflow
Now that you are more aware of why proper airflow is so important and the issues that can hinder it, let’s look at some useful tips to enhance home airflow:
- Ensure vents and registers are clear: Regularly make sure that vents and registers are clear of furniture and other large objects. All return vents and at least 80% of supply vents should be kept open to ensure balanced airflow. Additionally, vacuum the grilles as needed to get rid of dust and debris that can limit circulation.
- Replace the HVAC air filter: Make a habit of inspecting your air filter once a month. A good rule of thumb is to replace it every 90 days or in line with the manufacturer’s recommendations to keep the air circulating freely through your system.
- Fix leaky ducts: Check any exposed ductwork for obvious damage allowing air to seep out. For a more comprehensive inspection, consider hiring a professional to examine your air ducts.
- Use your ceiling fans: Ceiling fans help circulate air which also makes the temperature seem more pleasant, particularly during the summer. Set your fans to turn counterclockwise, which pushes cool air toward the floor. In the winter, change them to clockwise and keep them on low to circulate warm air up near the ceiling back down toward the floor.
- Leave interior doors open: Leaving open interior doors allows air to flow freely between rooms, important for maintaining a steady temperature for the entire home.
- Think about installing a zoning system: Home zoning lets you independently adjust the temperature in individual rooms, a convenient solution to unbalanced heating and cooling.
- Plan for preventive HVAC maintenance: Professional maintenance keeps your HVAC system functioning more efficiently. A technician will clean components, assess for possible problems and handle the required repairs to protect proper airflow.
Count on Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing to Boost Home Comfort
Boosting your home’s airflow can greatly affect your comfort level and energy bills. The Expert technicians at Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing provide quick, long-lasting solutions to all your comfort needs. If you’re not totally happy with our work, our famous 100% satisfaction guarantee will make things right. We’re honored to deliver comfort to every home we service! If you’re ready to optimize airflow, please contact us for more help.