Home Maintenance : How to Balance HVAC Air Flow

To balance HVAC air flow, adjust the diffuser blades to close off seldom-used rooms and open up main living spaces. Maximize the cool air in the summer and the warm air in the winter with instructions from a licensed home repair specialist in this free video on home maintenance.

Expert: Tim Gipson
Contact: www.inhisstepsremodeling.com
Bio: Tim Gipson is a home repair specialist and remodeling contractor in Franklin, Tenn.
Filmmaker: Tim Brown

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• housekeeping
• cleaning
• home maintenance
• kitchen
• bedroom
• dust
• windows

[84randomdude]

I wish this idiot would quit trying to tell people what to do to their HVAC system. I thought it was bad enough that he was saying "use a pressure washer on your HVAC unit's coils" now he's saying to do this crap.

If people follow this guy's directions, they're going to destroy their HVAC unit.

[alexsp12]

There's not such of thing as balancing a house or any residential place. Air balancing only works on commercial buildings, I have been in the business for over 8 yea

[alexsp12]

There's not such of thing as balancing a house or any r

[csmyn]

First of all, it is best to place a damper atleast 6" away from the diffuser to eliminate any airflow restriction noise. Never try to balance at the diffuser unless you have to and never completely close it. The evaporator needs to have atleast 400 cfm of airflow to pass across it per every ton of cooling.

[d1incharge]

If you have no access to certain duct, you can always try to change the btu load of the room vs. trying to remove or add more btu. If A/C guys would all actually seal duct systems it wouldnt be as much of a a problem would it? You pay money for EER, than play with registers which may help your balane, but will lower your EER. Of course, the odds an A/C guy would get the duct system designed for peak EER are slim to none so its hard to even know isn't it.

[nunmoreblak]

@d1incharge good luck getting into the sheetrock ceilings in a completed residential job to get the volume dampers. Unless you had cable operated dampers.

[nunmoreblak]

@elpeque1000 installing volume dampers in the duct work well before an outlet can solve most of that problem.

[nunmoreblak]

To whoever says air balancing don't work... You're all very wrong. If there is 600 cfm in a room that needs 200 and 200 in a room that needs 600, how could balancing not be effective? Think about it. I have been balancing for 8 years.

[elpeque1000]

i dont think you should close any registers all the way that could cuase the air handler not to move enough cfm across your coil and in crease your static pressure which will brake your blower motor and also cause stratificacion all aruond the house.

[luckyrocks1]

Obviously Tim has not spent much time in the hvac industry. True hot air rises and cooler air falls but X-diameter duct can supply X-cfm of air. Closing down these registers will not increase air flow of those registers. Open all registers and doors above the basement level and set your fan to "on". There are many factors that can contribute to uneven temperatures throughout your home. Call a reputable hvac company in your area and have them assess your equipment and particular situation.