Balancing your heating system is a bit like juggling. You need to tweak various parts of it to maximize the efficiency of your forced air system. It’s a bit of a trick too!
To do so, a number of factors play a role in optimizing the performance of your forced air furnace (and cooling system) and include:
- the location, insulation, sealing, size, bends and length of runs in ductwork
- the velocity of your circulating fan
- dampers in the ductwork can assist in diverting airflow
To complicate matters, some homes don’t have enough cold air returns. It could be that they are missing from a second floor or in a basements rec. room. Whatever the case, insufficient cold air returns can make the balancing of supply and return near air impossible. As a general rule, the square inches of supply registers should be the same as at the cold air return registers to ensure a proper even flow.
Ideally, the balancing your heating system is best done when the duct work is installed in the first place. Unfortunately, there often insufficient time and budget during new home construction for this. While homeowners may be able to make some minor adjustments, to get it done correctly, get the heat where it’s needed and eliminate heat losses can be a lengthy process that’s best left to professionals.
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