Homeowners in Belleville, ON, want their HVAC system to operate as efficiently and effectively as possible, but most people need the help of an HVAC professional. One of the most common ways for HVAC technicians to address home comfort and efficiency concerns is by utilizing air balancing.
What Is Air Balancing?
Air balancing is a set of HVAC techniques that will improve the distribution of heated and cooled air in a house. If you’ve ever had one room that’s always chilly on cold and wet days, then you know what an unbalanced air system in your home is. Whenever there’s at least one room that isn’t getting the right amount of heating or cooling, there is an imbalance somewhere in the system.
This issue is important because it negatively affects several aspects of your HVAC operation and your living experience. Issues often include inefficiency costs, long-term strain on the HVAC system, increased noise, individual comfort, stagnant air, and general air distribution.
Solving HVAC Inefficiency
Any time a particular part of a home is unevenly heated or cooled, it causes system inefficiency. For example, a draft from one room can cause cold air to cycle to other spaces. The thermostat can detect this as a drop in temperature and cycle the heating system more often.
Consequently, you end up paying higher energy bills because the unbalanced air in the house is triggering the HVAC unit more often than it should for the size of the building. Not only is this bad for your pocketbook, but it’s also bad for the environment.
You should keep an eye on your home’s energy bills. If you’re seeing big swings when the weather turns hot or cold, then there could be an air imbalance in your house. The same goes for big spikes in price that don’t seem to correlate with an increase in the per-unit cost of energy.
Addressing a potential air balancing issue is a cost-effective way to quickly make your home more efficient. Even if energy is relatively affordable now, solving this issue now can avoid long-term costs.
System Strain
The more balanced the air in a house is, the less an HVAC unit must run. Running your HVAC system frequently is bad in terms of wear and tear. There are also more complex issues where the system will strain to compensate for weak spots in the distribution.
None of this is good for the system. In the long run, it can wear components out faster. In the best scenario, that leads to more repairs. The worst scenario is that it destroys the system before the end of its expected operational lifespan. Homeowners don’t want to pay for a premature HVAC replacement, and air balancing is a low-cost way to reduce that risk.
Increased Noise
Unbalanced air encourages noisier HVAC functions. Some components will strain without failing. As these components wear down, they develop issues that lead to vibrations. Especially when you’re dealing with a fan in an HVAC duct, even a tiny vibration can travel the whole way through the duct system. The sound can reverberate throughout your entire home. Even small noises can become annoying during the quiet hours of the day, but balancing the air in the system can solve the issue.
Individual Comfort
The purpose of an HVAC system in a house is to keep you comfortable and to maintain a healthy level of indoor air quality. Even tiny variations in air balance can make your house less comfortable. You might have one room in the house that isn’t getting enough cooling during the hottest part of the summer, for example.
People often limit their use and enjoyment of such rooms because those places are uncomfortable. Also, the drift of cool or hot air between zones can make a major space like the living room or kitchen less comfortable. Getting the balance right will minimize how uncomfortable any one part of your house will be.
Stagnant Air
Multiple indoor air quality problems may arise if the air is stagnant in just one room of a home. You might find that your morning room always smells a bit musty, for example. Without a good balance of airflow in the house, that room may be developing mold issues without you realizing it. Humidity and condensation can collect in a room that doesn’t have proper airflow and balance.
Similarly, indoor pollutants can accumulate in a room that doesn’t have good air circulation. Volatile organic compounds, for example, frequently settle into spaces in the home. Outdoor pollution can also settle inside a house, especially if the location is close to a roadway with lots of traffic. If someone in your household has allergies or breathing problems, the air in these rooms can worsen that individual’s health and increase symptom prevalence.
General Balance
Overall, homeowners want one room in their house to feel the same as another. In a properly insulated house, there is no benefit to letting one room have a worse air balance. Consequently, the system should provide the same experience throughout the entire house for a good general balance. Not only is it good for you as an occupant, but it’ll likely improve the home’s resale value because a balanced house feels more comfortable.
How Does a Technician Solve an Imbalance?
The good news is that HVAC technicians have many ways to address air balancing needs. Something as simple as installing a damper can control the airflow in many rooms. Using a set of instruments, a technician can measure the airflow and determine how aggressive the damper for a duct might need to be.
Fans can also address the situation. A technician may add fans to push air into distant rooms. They might also elect to change the main fan speed to improve the airflow.
Duct modifications may be beneficial, too. If part of the ducting runs close to the foundation in the basement, a technician might modify or insulate the system to reduce inefficiency. Long runs of ducting can induce unnecessary balance issues. Especially if a house is old enough to predate modern balancing methods, it may be worth having an HVAC technician look for potential air balancing concerns.
Electronic control systems are sometimes necessary. Combined with a zoned heating system with independent thermostats, this can be a great way to regulate the air balance between more- and less-used rooms. An electronic control box can connect thermostats to dampers and fans to regulate the air balance more precisely. With a few key measurements and calculations, a technician can determine the most efficient distribution.
At Armour Home Comfort, we work hard to keep the people of Belleville comfortable all year long. We offer a wide array of heating and cooling services, including the installation of new HVAC system, emergency repairs, and routine maintenance needs. Call Armour Home Comfort today and learn if air balancing may be an effective method to help improve your home’s HVAC setup.
