Closing A Damper

You can adjust the damper levers on the ducts in the utility closet to control the airflow. You can also have adjustments to the floor and ceiling registers.

However, adjusting components, in particular the dampers, can be tricky. You have two options, and as long as you keep a steady airflow, it is a matter of personal preference.

Is it OK to close HVAC dampers? Yes, it is possible to control the temperature in different rooms of your house by adjusting your dampers. There are two types of dampers; automatic and manual. A manual one requires manual adjustment. The automation ones will adjust themselves.

Many people experience uncomfortable air quality from different rooms in the building or house. This article will guide you on making correct choices for your damper during different seasons. Aside from that, we will also cite reasons for uneven room temperatures and remedies.

What Is A Damper?

It is crucial to understand what a damper is and what it does. AN HVAC damper is a plate that controls the flow of air through ductwork. It is a necessary tool for balancing airflow and regulating the overall temperature of the home.

Dampers During Winter

In most regions of the country, heating your home is required during the winter. Because heat rises, you may want to push more warm air into the lower portion of your home to do so efficiently.

You can alter dampers in your home to deliver more heat to the first floor if you have them. If your heating system does not include dampers, you can close some of the air registers. Close the ones on the upper floor of your home.

Dampers In The Summer

In the summer, when the weather is hot, you should do the exact opposite. Adjust the dampers so that the airflow is directed upwards in your home. Close several air registers on the first floor if your home does not have dampers.

Other Actions

It is crucial to keep your thermostat in mind while deciding how to reroute your airflow. Close the register blowing air at the thermostat to achieve the best results.

As a result, it takes longer for it to reach the proper temperature. The furnace stays on longer and heats the house for longer. Installing a zoning system in your home is another option.

Zoning System

The home or building can be separated into more than two zones with zoned heating, ventilation, and air conditioning devices.

It gives you more flexibility over your cooling and heating system, allowing you to adjust the temperature in each zone separately. For example, it maintains the temperatures in the bedrooms higher. It lets you sleep comfortably while lowering the heat in the kitchen.

Moderating dampers with electronic controls, such as electronic thermostats, automatically regulate the temperature in each zone. It saves energy because you will not be cooling or heating rooms in your house or building that are not needed.

Zoning has little effect on the effectiveness of the HVAC system, but it does allow you to make better use of it. According to statistics, zoned systems can save users up to 30% on their usual heating and cooling bills.

Aside from lower energy expenditures, there are other benefits to zoning your HVAC system. It adds indoor comfort and convenience.

When you install only one thermostat in your home, you can manage the temperature in multiple rooms for increased comfort. Temperatures differ from room to room and floor to floor in typical multi-level residences.

Furthermore, several elements impact indoor air temperature. Your overall comfort improves when you use zone thermostats that respond to individual changes in each room. You can also get rid of cold and hot spots.

Modern convenience implies zoned systems provide all of the current living conveniences. You can control the temperature of the space without having to go from one location to the next.

To manage the fan speed, temperature, or humidity, you can use a wall-mounted thermostat.

Zoning Damper

A zone damper, also known as a volume control damper, is a plate or valve. It stops or controls the flow of air in a heating or cooling system.

This damper can turn off the central air conditioning in a room that is not in use. It can also modify the room temperature based on your needs.

Dampers can be controlled manually or automatically. A manual damper is controlled by a handle located outside the duct. Automatic dampers are pneumatic or electric motors building automation system controls.

A solenoid can still regulate automatic zoning dampers or motorized dampers to modify the degree of calibrated airflow.

Regardless of the damper type, installing one in your HVAC system will make it simple to monitor and balance airflow. These systems open the dampers when the thermostats are not calling for air. As the furnace’s heat exchanger cools down once the heating time is through, the air can continue to flow.

When a zone thermostat requests cooling or heating, the system’s central panel ensures that the damper for that zone remains open. Furthermore, close dampers for zones that have already reached the desired temperature.

The thermostat activates the air conditioner or heater, transferring air to the designated zone.

The center panel also opens the dampers if other sections make requests at the same time. After all of the requested temperatures in all zones are reached, power off the central panel.

Things To Look For In A Zone Damper

The efficient operation of zone dampers necessitates the use of a few key components. The zoning application brain, the zone control panel, communicates with the heating/cooling equipment, dampers, and thermostats.

Manual dampers may require updated zone panels, whereas motorized dampers may require updated zone panels as the equipment ages. You must ensure that your control panel is compatible with your existing equipment before ordering it.

Diagnosing Damper Issues

You must first identify whether your HVAC damper is manual or automated before adequately diagnosing difficulties with it. Manual dampers include adjustment handles on the ducting, while automatic dampers employ control motors.

Follow the ductwork to identify which registers the damper fits with after determining the dampening equipment in your system. Check the airflow in the registers while the system is running.

Manual Control Damper

1. Set the damper handle to the closed position if you have a manual damper. Then, check to see if the airflow in the registers has ceased.


2. Replace the damper in the open position and check the registers and see whether airflow starts.


3. If you feel restricted or no airflow while the damper is closed, you most likely have a lousy HVAC damper.

Automatic Control Damper

1. Turn on your HVAC system to see if there is airflow in the registers if you have automatic control dampers.


2. You may have a faulty HVAC damper if your room will not maintain temperature but has a small amount of airflow. A faulty HVAC can also cause your room to feel drafty but has sufficient airflows.

Residential Airflow Balancing

Traditionally, airflow balancing has been limited to commercial HVAC. However, there is a rising desire and opportunity to apply this technique to residential HVAC.

Airflow balancing is the process of opening and closing supply register dampers to equally condition a dwelling. Technicians open or close dampers based on the amount of airflow each register gets and the amount of airflow required.

The procedure begins with all dampers fully open. It determines how much air each register delivers. Afterward, the dampers are closed in rooms with excessive airflow compared to the needed flow. We advise airflow capture hoods to collect flow measurements.

When it comes to airflow balance, HVAC technicians face a variety of issues. The cost of the equipment is only one factor to consider.

It is a significant challenge in residential testing since there are different register shapes and sizes to test. Most hoods have huge 24-by-24-inch apertures and are ideal for commercial use. They are nearly always smaller than commercial vents.

Another stumbling block is getting to these registers. It is made more difficult by crown molding, toe-kick, and other placements that make it hard to obtain a good seal.

Residential HVAC registers also have a lower airflow than commercial registers, making measurement more challenging.

Despite these obstacles, residential HVAC providers can differentiate themselves in the market by providing airflow balancing.

Modern systems produce air as promised. And because of that, it enhances customer service satisfaction by returning what you paid for.

Reasons For Uneven Room Temperature

You could discover that some rooms in your house are consistently hotter or cooler than others. But, before you start balancing your indoor air, look for these typical issues:

• Dirty Air Filter – A clogged filter reduces airflow, preventing your home from receiving adequate cold air.


• Closed Vent – Rooms with closed vents can be hotter than those with open vents.


• Open Window – Open windows allow conditioned air to escape, leaving your home with inconsistent temperatures.


• Air Duct Issue – Certain rooms will not receive adequate air if your supply ducts are kinked or squashed. Leaky ducts also result in a variety of issues, including temperature inconsistency.


• Inadequate Return Vents – Many large homes have only one return vent, which is incapable of sucking enough warm air from distant rooms. As a result, there is cool air mixed in with the warmer air.
  
  The solution for this issue is to leave all of your doors open. It can help with return airflow quite a bit. If not, you may need to increase the number of return ducts in your home.


• Over Or Undersized System – An enormous air conditioner will turn off too soon, leaving some rooms overly hot or chilly. A system that is too tiny (undersized) may never be able to chill the whole house as you desire.

If your air conditioner is too big, use fans to disperse the cool air throughout your house. Ensure that your fans rotate counterclockwise to distribute cold air during the heat.

Using ceiling fans moves the air around, creating a wind-chill effect. The air from the fan helps in the evaporation of sweat from your skin, allowing you to cool off.

Furthermore, ceiling fans cannot entirely reduce the temperature. However, the cooling effect they produce may cause you to increase the temperature on your thermostat.

As a general guideline, you can raise the temperature setting by 4 degrees without losing comfort. Even during the sweltering summer months, this can result in energy savings.

• More Than One Level – Multiple levels are challenging to balance. Why? Because heat rises and long duct lines are required to get air into all of the rooms.

A zoned air conditioning system is usually the best solution to this problem. Zoning divides your home into distinct zones. Each zone contains a thermostat or temperature sensor that adjusts the dampers in your ducts automatically.

You may use zoning to set different temperatures for different rooms or to level out the temperature in your home.

• Uninsulated Or Long Runs Of Ducts – In unconditioned spaces (like your attic), cool air passing via ductwork gains heat. As a result, uninsulated ducts and extended lines of ducts will make rooms further away from an AC much warmer. Rooms closer to the air conditioner, on the other hand, will be substantially cool.

It may be as simple as installing insulation to your ducts to solve this problem. It might also be as complicated as rewiring your entire ductwork system to disperse air more evenly throughout your home.

• Room Use – Your system may have become unbalanced as a result of how you use the space. Your home office, for example, maybe warmer due to the presence of a server, computers, and other heat-generating devices.

It depends on the nature of the issue. Many of these issues, however, can be resolved. You can start by having an air conditioning firm control the airflow to your rooms using dampers in the air ducts.

• Home additions/renovations – Your AC system balance may have been affected by a remodel done by you or a prior homeowner. Moreover, if the remodel involves removing and adding walls.

If the issue is not that severe, an AC contractor may be able to solve it by adjusting the dampers in your ducts. You may need to run extra ducts if this is not the case. Some home improvements may necessitate the use of a second air conditioner.

Other Ways To Improve Airflow In Your Home

Schedule HVAC Maintenance

If you have not scheduled preventative maintenance with our crew yet this season, do so right immediately. An annual tune-up may not seem like a huge deal, especially if your air conditioner is new. However, it may make a big difference in how well your HVAC system works.

The maintenance specialist will inspect and clean the HVAC system inside and out during an annual tune-up. They will test the operation, clean debris, and search for faults that could slow down the HVAC system.

They will also replace the air filter to avoid future clogging resulting in restricted airflow during peak usage. It’s best to replace the air filter every 90 days for the rest of the year.

Check Vents And Registers

Checking the vents and registers in each room is one of the simplest ways to improve airflow in your home. Even if you do not need to chill a specific room, make it a point to keep every register open.

Closing registers make your HVAC system work harder to move conditioned air where it needs to go, aggravating airflow issues.

Talk to your local zoning experts if you notice the new and uncomfortable temperatures of each room. It entails dividing your HVAC system into zones to allow you more control over temperature and airflow without sacrificing efficiency.

Invest In A Ventilator

Investing in an HVAC component like a recovery ventilator is often the most effective approach to improve airflow (ERV). This gadget removes stale air and brings in fresh air, allowing the air in your home to circulate freely.

ERVs, on the other hand, do a lot more than just boost airflow. These devices help to reduce humidity in your home, making it more pleasant.

They also employ the energy trapped in the leaving air to precondition the entering air. It reduces the load on your HVAC system and improves overall performance.

Consider Duct Cleaning

Air filters trap dust, dirt, and other indoor pollutants, preventing their entrance to the unit. But, there are a variety of conditions that allow airborne contaminants to get through.

Most ductwork has at least a few cracks and leaks, allowing dust, mold, and other debris to enter.

These contaminants can build up over time, obstructing airflow via your ductwork. Fortunately, duct cleaning can solve this problem. If you believe your airflow is beginning to decline due to clogged ducts, contact specialists to have a closer look.

While you may DIY this, we suggest you do not. It would save you more money and time in the long run when you ask for help from HVAC specialists.

Conclusion

While it is OK to close HVAC dampers, you should not mess with them unless you know what you are doing.

If you experience any air discomfort, use this guide to adjust the dampers depending on whether it is automatic or manual. However, if you are a first-time DIYer, we suggest seeking advice from your local HVAC specialist.