I Am Paying For A Whole House & Only Getting Part Of It

Right now there may be a room in your home that you use a lot but never gets comfortable, someone may have closed off a vent to get more air in there leaving another room too hot. DO NOT DO THIS as this can cause big problems. This issue is a relatively common one and when asked why the homeowner closed the vent the most common answers we get are “We don’t use that room”, or “We are trying to get more air to other areas”, or We are trying to save money by only cooling the areas we use”. Unfortunately closing off vents here in the Tampa Bay area of Florida causes more harm than good and you are paying for square footage that you aren’t using. Closing off vents increases pressure in the duct system and throws of the balance of the duct system which can lead to bacterial growth in the AC, duct system, or/and around the vents and can cause respiratory issues. Also closing off a vent to a room that is “not used” can cause excessive humidity to accumulate and well, this can cause bad problems as well. This also IS NOT a good way to save money. The interior walls of the home typically are not insulated and shutting off a vent to a room will cause that room to get hot then that heat easily transfers through the un-insulated walls causing discomfort, humidity problems, and higher electric bills offsetting the new heat load to the home.

First, open all the vents in your home and adjust the airflow so it flows across the CEILING. DO NOT AIM THE VENTS DOWN TOWARD THE FLOOR. If the system is in good working order, the ducts and vents are appropriately sized for the home then you will see the greatest comfort and efficiency. If you adjust your vents properly and still have hot or cold rooms, high electric bills, or allergy concerns, have a tune-up and system diagnostic performed to see what could be causing the problem. It could be as easy as changing a dirty filter or repairing a leak in the duct work.

For a complete assessment and tune-up, call The Comfort Authority today at (813) 575-6996.

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