AIR BALANCING

One in four homeowners will tell you that they have a room in their home  that may seem to be warmer or cooler than the rest of the house.  There are many things that can cause this situation, from the heat load imposed on the room from audio / video equipment, the number of exterior walls and windows, and ultimately how much air the problem room is, or isn't, getting.  In addition, many newly constructed homes in our area are targeted towards retirees and are set up to provide more air to the master suite and living room and kitchen areas, where a retired couple without live in children, would spend the majority of their time.  As such, it is usually the guest bedrooms or offices that experience the temperature fluctuations the most. 

We have a multi-step process to help alleviate these issues in the form of whole house air balance. First, we take measurements of the airflow from each vent with an instrument called a velometer.  This gives us a starting point of how much air each vent is flowing.  Next, we evaluate where air can be moved from to help increase the flow of air to the problem areas.  We then make changes to the manual dampers in the duct system to reduce or increase the airflow as needed.  We are then able to take readings using the velometer to measure a percent change in airflow that will hopefully get us where we need to be.

Of course, comfort is always subjective, and while we are always able to show a numerical percentage increase, the question is always, "is it enough"?  

Sometimes, the duct(s) feeding a particular room are just not large enough to flow as much air into a room to keep it comfortable.  In this case, it may involve enlarging the ductwork or adding another vent to the room. 

If this ends up being the case, we will happily credit money spent on an air balance towards the necessary duct modifications needed to help you get the comfort you are looking for.