When you live in Shorter, AL, you know what hot and humid summer days feel like. Once cooler weather moves in, though, you expect the stale air to move out of your home and to have cool, refreshing air replace it. Fortunately, there are several easy tricks to boost the airflow in your home.
Have the Ducts Cleaned
Many homes have some minor cracks in their ductwork that allow debris like dust and dirt to leak inside. Air filters are able to do a pretty good job of trapping most indoor pollutants and keeping them from getting into your HVAC system. But small issues like this can enable some pollutants to sneak inside.
The accumulation of these contaminates can restrict the airflow moving through your ducts. This problem is easy to fix by having your ducts cleaned.
Open Vents and Registers
Checking to make sure the vents and registers in every room of your house are open is a quick and easy way to improve airflow through your home. Registers should be open even in unused rooms because closing them causes your HVAC system to work harder to move the conditioned air through your home. Closed vents can actually cause airflow problems.
If you have multiple rooms in your house that you don’t use on a regular basis, you may want to consider a zoning system. This type of setup creates climate control zones so that you can better control airflow and temperature and increase efficiency. This is a smart option if you feel the need to set different temperatures for different parts of the home.
Schedule Routine Maintenance
It’s easy to downplay the importance of preventive maintenance when it comes to your HVAC system, especially if it isn’t old. However, regular maintenance keeps your system operating as efficiently as possible and extends its useful life.
During an annual preventive maintenance appointment, our service technician will inspect and clean your system, both on the inside and the outside. We test your system’s operation, look for potential problems that could cause your system to work harder and change the air filter. A dirty or clogged air filter can decrease airflow and make your system work too hard.
Utilize Ceiling Fans
Turning on your ceiling fans is another free and fast way to improve the airflow through your home. In the summertime, your fans should rotate counterclockwise to move cool air around. Not only do ceiling fans keep your home’s air moving, but the breeze also helps to make you feel cooler. In the winter, they should rotate in a clockwise direction to push warm air downward.
Although fans don’t lower the temperature in your home, the breeze may make enough of a difference for you to be able to turn up the temperature setting on your thermostat. Typically, you can turn it up by 4 degrees without the air temperature beginning to feel uncomfortable. That alone can lead to significant cost savings.
Consider a Ventilator
A ventilator is an HVAC component that can help improve airflow. It flushes stale air out of your home and draws fresh air in, aiding your home’s circulation and airflow.
Ventilators can even lower the humidity in your home. They work by conserving the energy from the air leaving your home and then using it to precondition the air that is coming in. This lessens the amount of work your system has to perform and increases its overall efficiency and lifespan.
These tips won’t only increase the airflow in your home, but they will make it feel more comfortable and help your system last longer. Contact our team at Air Conditioning by Luquire for more information about our HVAC services and how we can help you boost airflow and cost savings in your home.
Image provided by iStock