Balance dampers in your HVAC system ensure that each and every room in the house receives the right amount of cooled or heated air appropriate to its size and location. In a typical forced-air system, the blower circulates a constant volume of air through the ductwork at all times. Balance dampers are simply internal doors inside branch ducts that can be manually opened or closed to balance air volume entering individual rooms. In most cases, these dampers are operated by an accessible handle on the outside of the duct.

Factors to Consider with Balance Dampers

• How large is the room? Homes include rooms with different sizes and square footage. Each room typically requires a different volume of cooled or heated airflow volume to maintain consistent temperatures throughout the entire house.
• Where is the room located? No matter how centralized an HVAC system may be, some rooms in the house will inevitably be farther from the system blower that disperses conditioned air than other rooms are. In an unbalanced system, certain rooms would receive too much heat or cooling, while others don’t get enough.  Strategically adjusting balancing dampers helps optimize airflow evenly throughout the entire system.

Getting in Balance

Air balancing can be performed by a qualified, properly equipped HVAC technician. Steps in the process typically include:

• Inspect the system to verify that all components are operating at full efficiency.
• Determine the system’s total air volume.
• Calculate the optimum airflow for each room in the house based on factors including the location, square footage, ceiling height, fixtures located in the room, etc.
• Utilize specialized technology to measure total airflow in the entire system, then take individual readings in each room.
• Adjust internal dampers to provide each room with the appropriate volume of conditioned air necessary to maintain consistent temperatures throughout the entire house.

For more information about the role of balance dampers, contact Paitson Bros. We’ve been keeping Terre Haute homes comfortable and efficient with qualified professional service since 1922.