Do you Find That Some Rooms are Hotter than Others?

December 23, 2019

Your children complain it’s too hot in the living room. You turn down the thermostat, but now you need extra blankets in your bedroom. Why are some of the rooms in your house warmer than others? 

You likely have an unbalanced HVAC problem. In a balanced heating system, the temperature in all the rooms of your house achieves the same temperature at the same time. Basically, you need to balance the airflow through your heating system to keep the whole family happy. Here are two methods you can use to control the flow. 

Adjusting Room Registers

  1. Set the thermostat to the desired temperature and leave it there for 24 hours.
  2. Next, adjust the registers in each room of your house, opening or closing them to allow or restrict airflow, and wait 24 hours.
  3. Check the temperature in each room and adjust the registers again, as needed, and wait 24 hours.
  4. Continue the process, adjusting the register openings until a consistent temperature is reached throughout the house.

Using Balancing Dampers

If your HVAC system currently includes balancing dampers at the outlet of each air supply drop in your ductwork, you can use these dampers to control the flow of air to each room.

Set the thermostat to the desired temperature.

  1. Adjust the dampers controlling the airflow to each room, restricting airflow to the warmer rooms.
  2. Check the temperature in each room and adjust the dampers again until you achieve a fairly consistent temperature throughout the house.

If these DIY solutions don’t solve the problem, consider consulting an HVAC professional to discuss other solutions. Installing zoning systems may also prove helpful. Professional HVAC contractors will install manual balancing dampers, if not currently available, and add thermostats to control individual areas or ‘zones’ in your home. The system adjusts the balancing dampers automatically according to the thermostat readings, maintaining the desired temperature in the individual zones.

You and your family don’t need to suffer with over or under-heated rooms this winter. Call an HVAC professional to discuss the options for balancing the airflow in your home.