What is an HVAC damper, and how does it help you keep your home comfortable during the year?

This is, admittedly, one of the less well-known aspects of a heating and cooling system. The compressor, air filter, and vents are among the most common. However, most homeowners are likely unaware of dampers and their role in regulating the temperature in their homes.

What exactly is a damper?

Controlling the flow of air in a room is usually as easy as changing the vent in that room. It seems to be the most reasonable course of action. You must change the angle of the vent if you want to slow or stop the flow of air completely. Although this method works well, it is not the most effective way to regulate air flow.

HVAC systems, it seems, are fitted with balancing dampers. There are basic devices that can be used to seal off sections of a duct system. The register, on the other hand, is located where the duct meets the floor, ceiling, or wall. The damper is about 4 to 6 feet from the main duct trunk which is far closer to the central unit of your HVAC system.

So, how does closing this vary from closing a vent? Since it’s closer to the heart, it means you’re shutting down a section near the air source, whether hot or cold. This will require the machine to reroute the air to another location in the building.

This ensures you get the perfect amount of hot or cold air from the heater or air conditioner at the right time of year. This makes the whole device more realistic because it runs to keep your home at a comfortable temperature.

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As you’re most likely aware, each room of your house has at least one HVAC vent in the floor or ceiling. They’re usually covered by registers that have louvres you can adapt to control air circulation. Numerous house owners attempt to handle their too-hot-too-cold circumstance by closing some registers. That’s an OK method, however it’s not the most efficient way to stabilize airflow general. HEATING AND COOLING dampers, like this one, have an external lever that controls a metal plate inside the duct. By turning the lever, you turn the plate, which allows basically air to flow through that specific duct.

To properly adjust your HVAC dampers, follow these actions: If you don’t have a fan setting, change your thermostat so the system runs continuously as you follow these actions. Usually, that implies turning the lever so it’s pointed in the exact same direction as the duct. Now air is moving entirely uninhibited through the entire system. From your main unit, follow each duct as far as you can prior to it vanishes. This will offer you a basic concept of which rooms it serves. Then, close the damper on each ductone at a timeand validate which rooms are impacted. (You’ll have the ability to inform because even with the signs up wide open, there will be little to no air flow.) When you’re certain where each duct leads, label it.

Change the dampers once again if essential, await a couple of days, and examine your development. Rinse and repeat until every room feels comfy. We need to mention this: Make small changes. You know how when some individuals come home to a coolish house in the winter season, they crank their thermostat to 87 degrees, thinking somehow it’ll warm up faster? (It will not.) Do not be that man. And do not completely close any of your dampers or you’ll be dissatisfied with the outcomes. Make more, small adjustments and you’ll save yourself some disappointment in the long run. When you have your system balanced to your maximum convenience level, mark the position of the damper right on the duct.

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Do not give in to the temptation to simply set your dampers opposite from where they remain in cold weather and call it great. You may discover you prefer a specific duct mainly closed in both the summer season and winter season. So, go through your preliminary adjustments, monitor, and adjust againas lot of times as it takes to make you happy. Then, mark your summer damper position right on the duct. It takes a bit of persistence and time to adjust your dampers, but it deserves it in the long run to optimize your system’s performance and feel comfy in your house year round.

If you find yourself grumbling that parts of your house are too hot in the summer season and too cold in the winter, there’s a great possibility you’re not utilizing your heater dampers properly. Here’s how to balance your A/C system for many years round comfort.

Tips for Tuning HVAC Dampers

If you’ve determined which dampers will affect which areas of the room, you’ll need to find out how to make the necessary changes. You’ll want to make sure you know how to get hot or cold air to flow into a specific space. Some labeling is needed once more.

There are two important laws to note in this situation. To begin with, cold air sinks while hot air rises. What effect does this have on how hot or cold air is distributed in your home?

The attic is thus the hottest part of the building, while the basement is the coldest. You can do this by closing the dampers that lead to the house’s lower floors. As a result, the majority of the air flow would be in the upper levels. It will find its way down on its own. This is real, at least, if you’re cooling your home.

You do the reverse if you want to heat your house. When the air conditioner is turned off and the furnace is turned on, change the dampers to reduce airflow in the upper floors. The temperature will increase, and it will be evenly distributed across the building.

If you’re doing this for the first time, it will take a few days to see if your changes are having the desired effect. It’s best not to adjust the dampers right away because the right temperature normally takes a few days to feel. Check to see if the rooms you want to be hotter or colder are performing as expected.

American Air Duct Service 

You can always consult with the Air/heating specialists over at American Air Duct Services for any of your heating/air concerns or questions. The assessments are FREE and the work will keep you and your family comfortable during all times of year.