Comfort—it’s why you have a central heating and air system. But if all rooms don’t cool or heat equally, your home may be a candidate for system balancing.
System balancing is all about carefully balancing airflow throughout your home.
Balancing your system means measuring and adjusting the volume of airflow into each room through a system of ducts in your home. Creating this balance is critical to maintaining comfort. As hard as this may be to believe, it’s not uncommon to find systems 30% to 50% low on airflow.
A number of tests using specialized tools are used in balancing your system:
- Air balancing hoods measure the amount of air at each grille.
- Hygrometers measure system temperature and humidity.
- Manometers measure system pressures.
Static pressure is one of the key vital signs of your comfort system. Think of it like a doctor’s visit. Someone always checks your blood pressure. That’s your system’s static pressure. Measuring static pressure helps identify any significant blockage or leakage. Cracks in your home’s infrastructure, such as pet doors and poorly sealed windows and doors, all contribute to temperature loss or gain.
By measuring airflow, a certified technician can see your system’s performance, and then diagnose, repair, and balance the duct system for maximum performance. Many systems have dampers located at specific duct points. These dampers slide open or shut to increase or limit the airflow through certain ducts. Adjustments can increase balance.
Ductwork must also be checked for leaks, holes, and crushed areas.
Your ductwork must be manually checked for any holes or crushed areas. The more accessible your ducts, the easier it is to perform balancing. Leaking in your ducts leads to a loss of air supply, which will directly affect the temperature in your home.
Because rooms are different sizes, different amounts of air are needed to heat or cool one compared to another. This sometimes means adjusting registers. A small room may only need its air register opened halfway to heat or cool it, while larger rooms may need registers fully opened to achieve the same temperature. The end result:
- The same temperature in every room
- Cleaner air
- Better humidity control
- And real energy savings with the equipment you have on hand
If the rooms in your home aren’t cooling evenly when you run your air conditioner, with one room sweltering while the next sends you running for your sweater, then your central AC system is due for system balancing. Call the experts at Gilmore to schedule a system balance for your home, and start enjoying the full level of comfort that your AC has to offer.
