Furnace Air Flow Problems

Air flow in a central heating and air conditioning system is crucial for proper performance of your home's system. There are many things that can affect air flow but today I will address something that a homeowner can do to improve airflow immediately without the help of a paid professional.

First, change that dirty filter and get one that will allow a good airflow thru the ductwork. How do you determine this? It can be a little difficult since most filters in the retail stores concentrate more on allergies and dust removal. I recommend the more basic filters. If you want one of the allergy filters buy one of the ones with the lowest particle removal. In other words don't get the more expensive ones because they restrict air flow too much. Change that filter every 30 to 60 days even if the filter says you can go longer.

Second, and this one will take more work:  Take a look at the supply registers/vents that blow the air into your house. If they are rusty go ahead and change them out. Older supply vents/registers typically have more louvers which are thicker. This will reduce air flow substantially. Look for a replacement register with wide spaces between the adjustable louvers. Better yet, if you can find vents without the adjustable louvers get them.

I recommend if you still have an air flow problem that you cut out the adjustable portion of the supply vent. It's amazing how much more air you can get into a room by doing that.

One other thing you can do is to make sure the vents on the register face are open all the way. Older vents can be quite restrictive. Open these up and point them toward the room.

Sometimes registers are installed upside down or backwards, forcing them to blow onto a wall or up into the ceiling. Change these around to blow the correct direction. Be careful when you remove the registers. Many times the paint on the wall or ceiling blends right over the register. In this case you will want to cut around the register's edges so that the paint doesn't peel when you remove it.

Feel like this is something better left to a professional? If you live in the Sacramento or Roseville California area feel free to contact me and I will be happy to speak with you about this.

Take Care and have a Great Day,

The HVAC Tech