It’s not easy to increase airflow into a specific room. There are things you can do to increase or decrease the airflow in your home so that everything is just right. Read on to learn more about how you can maximize airflow to one room.
We all know that our HVAC units will perform at their best when we regularly change the filters. This is the first thing that comes to mind when we want to get more airflow into a room. But changing the air filter alone won’t help if you only need to make more airflow into one room.
Simple ways to increase airflow to one room are to open a window, create cross ventilation, or make small changes to your room or building. Even though these methods seem simple, you’ll be able to use them more effectively and not do more harm than good if you understand them better.
What causes low airflow?
First, let’s talk about why the airflow in your house might be low. There are several things that could cause the airflow from your HVAC system to slow.
Restrictive air filters
This is the most common reason why airflow is low, and it is also easy to fix.
Before the HVAC system heats or cools the air that comes through the return vent, it goes through a filter to get rid of allergens, dust, dirt, and other things. When dust and dirt build-up on the filter, this can cause the filter to get clogged and not let enough air through.
If there isn’t enough air to heat or cool, your HVAC system won’t be able to pump out enough hot or cold air to your room.
To fix this, you can use filters with a lower MERV rating, which means they aren’t as fine and won’t get clogged as quickly. You can also clean them regularly by removing the build-up by hand or by replacing the filters when they look dirty. This will reduce the chance of build-up.
Blocked or leaky ductwork
What happens to the dust that gets past your HVAC filters? It ends up getting stuck in the ducts. A build-up of dust can be made worse if your home has ducts that are too small for their size. When ducts are already too small, it’s easy for them to get clogged.
It’s also not uncommon for rodents, birds, or insects to build nests in HVAC ductwork, especially in older buildings. Air can also leak out through holes or cracks in the walls of the ductwork.
Leaks from holes and cracks in the ductwork will cause the air pressure in the ventilation system to drop, sometimes by as much as 50%. All of these problems with the ductwork causes low airflow in your system.
Vents or ductwork that is too small or too big
Keeping the right static pressure lets air move through the ductwork and get to where it needs to go. If the ductwork is too big, the air pressure will drop, and the air will never get where it needs to go.
Most of the time, however, the ducts are too small. This will slow down the airflow so much that the measured amount of airflow won’t get where it needs to go.
Simple way to increase airflow to one room
Making sure your HVAC system performs well is a great way to improve and increase the airflow in a room. Even though a complete analysis of the system can be hard, there are a few things you can look at.
- Change the speed of the system’s blower fan to increase or decrease the total amount of airflow.
- Check to see if the ductwork is broken or weak. Most homes don’t have balanced airflow because of problems with how the ducts were made or how they were put in.
- Add or take away supply and return ducts to make sure each room gets enough air.
- Seal or insulate under-insulated ducts that can be reached.
- The ducts need dampers. This controls the amount of air that goes into each room from the HVAC unit. Some ducts already have dampers and just need to be set to the right level.
Final Words
We’ve shown you reasons why you may have weak airflow. You might not be able to solve your problem on your own. Due to how complicated most modern heating and cooling systems are, you’ll need professional help to fix the airflow problems you might run into.
The best way to keep your airflow and your system clean is to do maintenance like cleaning and replacing filters, keeping vents clear, and keeping flex ducts from getting damaged. No matter what the reason, you now know how to increase airflow to one room and keep it at a good temperature.
