Central Air Conditioning Closing Vents

In a well designed system the blower moves the air against a pressure that s no greater than the maximum specified by the manufacturer typically 0 5 iwc.

Central air conditioning closing vents.

The only real difference with closing vent registers vs balancing dampers is the increased potential for losing conditioned air to an unconditioned space by closing vent registers. But this is an average. But when you close a vent yes even just a few it increases the pressure inside the ducts. Air pressure inside supply ducts increases in proportion to the number of vents closed and pushes still greater amounts of conditioned air out of existing leaks.

When you close vents pressure builds up in your ducts. The ideal system also has low duct leakage. Closing ac vents increases energy bills if you close your ac vents you actually increase the amount of conditioned air that gets wasted via duct leaks. This causes a couple of problems.

Ensure that your ducts are properly sealed and connected. Particularly if the registers are not sealed to the drywall opening. So when you shut some vents you are messing up the balance of your ac system. The belief is that closing a vent will simply push the air onward to other parts of the home improving energy efficiency.

Your furnace or a c runs longer. You see your ac pushes out cool conditioned air through your ductwork and into your home. Before closing any vents in your home. That means you re paying 20 to 30 more than you should on your utility bills.

Through mechanical ventilation devices such as bathroom or kitchen fans that vent to the outdoors or heating ventilation and air conditioning hvac systems with a fresh air intake. Closing air vents is a popular strategy for adjusting air flow in the home but it s not necessarily a good one. Homeowners typically close vents in an attempt to redirect air away from unused spaces. Closed vents increase pressure.

Leaking or burst ductwork. Through small openings joints cracks and around closed windows and doors through a process called infiltration. In fact it could even cause your energy costs to increase. The average home loses 20 30 of the air blowing through it thanks to air duct leaks according to energy star.

As it turns out closing air vents in a home with a modern central heating and air conditioning system does little to save energy. Many homes lose even more. Environmental protection agency estimates that most homeowners lose 20 percent of the cool air they re paying for right through their home s ducts. The typical system however is far from ideal.