Why is it, that my centralized airconditioner doesnt blow much air than the other rooms?

Question

I just got in my newly built 2 storey house and I noticed that there are rooms that doesnt get much air than the rest. Could it be due to wrong installation? What is the best thing I should do?

Answer 1

You need to adjust your (balance) your air vents. Partially close the vents in areas where you are getting lots of air and you'll get more air of the vents in the other areas.

Your home builder should have done this for you already. You can do it yourself easily enough (you know better than they do, what makes you comfortable). But you can contact your builder if your home is still under warranty and they can rebalance your AC.

The inbalance is caused because it is far easier for air to come out of vents closer to your AC blower than vents further away. So you need to reduce the output on the vents closer to the AC.

If you have a one condenser AC (only one fan unit outside and only one thermostat in the house), you sometimes will get situations where the upstairs is hotter than downstairs. Reducing the output of your downstairs vents will help this.

Another helpful tip in balancing the temperature of your rooms is to install ceiling fans. If you don't like air blowing down on you, you can switch them so that they fan air up and not down. In fact it's recommended that you do this in the winter time.

You adjust the output of your AC vents via a lever on the side of the vent that controls a set of louvers inside the vent (those aren't for air direction - the outside ones are).

Also, builders will point AC vents toward windows to circulate hot air away from a sunny window. I've got rooms where this just kills the cool air, so I flip the vent around so the louvers are pointing into the room and then install a ceiling fan to better circulate the cool air.

Also, check your air filter. AC filters clog very quickly during the first few months of a new home because of leftover construction dust still in the air and on the carpet. Maintaining a new and clean return air filter clean will improve AC efficiency.

Answer 2

Air flow is affected by the route taken when the ducting was installed. Those registers that are served by straight runs of duct will deliver higher air flow. Every bend or turn made in the ducting will decrease air flow.

It is possible that the air was installed improperly. This does happen should be taken care of by the contractor who built your house. Call them and have them meet with you. They very least they should do is to inspect the system and make sure that all of the ducting was installed properly and that all of the pieces are still attached and sealed.

You may want to unscrew all of the grills and remove them. Make sure they are not closed, bent or blocked. While the grills are removed, you should be able to notice any changes in the amount of flow from room to room. Make sure all of the grills are removed before making your final decision. If you leave some grills on, they may be the source of some additional drag.

I hope this helps.

Answer 3

Same problem!
Moved into a brand new 2 story house, and less air was blowing through vents in some rooms than others.
Up in my attic (where the "A" coil and ducting is) the ducts branch off to go to different parts of the house.
Each branch has a "flapper" valve, or gate. I loosened the wing nut, which allowed the valve to move. Then adjust the valves (by sliding lever along groove) as needed. Retighten wing nut to lock in setting.

Answer 4

Unlike commercial properties, residential HVAC ductwork is not predesigned.

They send an installer out, who may not be qualified, with instructions to install the heating/cooling system, but with no blueprints. Sad, but true.

Additionally, many new homes have the great room effect, so there aren't very many walls to allow for properly-sized ducts to the second floor.

If there is a lack of space to install ductwork to the second floor there is only one way to install a proper system. Two separate systems need to be installed; One dedicated to the first floor and one dedicated to the second floor.

Sometimes, the cheapest approach to remedy this problem is to install window units to assist with poorly-cooled areas.

Many times, poor systems are not the heating company's fault. Builders often insist that the HVAC work be done cheaply - NOT correctly..........................

Answer 5

You should go in the attic and check the duct work. someone may have left one of the ducts loose and it may be leaking or collapsed. If this is not a problem then you need to balance the registers. these are the vents where the air comes out. Partially close the ones where it is cool and open the ones where it is too warm.