How to Balance the Air Pressure in Your House

You may not realize it, but there are many reasons why the air pressure in your home may become unbalanced. As a result, you lose out on energy efficiency, air circulation, and taking full advantage of your heating or cooling system. There are a few signs that you may need to balance the air pressure in your home.

Here are the nine ways on how to balance the air pressure in your house:

1. Need balance?

If you’re unsure whether or not your home needs a pressure balance, there’s a rather easy way to check. When moving from room to room, ask yourself whether each room remains the same temperature throughout, and whether each room is the same or a very similar temperature. If you find pockets of air that are much cooler or warmer than others, it’s quite possible you need a balance.

Alternatively, if individual rooms vary greatly in temperature from others, this is another sign that you need to balance your ventilation. Furthermore, if you hear the whistling sounds of air in your house, experience random gusts of air, or if doors are unexpectedly shutting of their own devices, you may have pressure imbalance in your home.

2. Bring in an expert

There are many ways on how to balance air pressure in house, but nothing beats bringing in an expert. Certified HVAC, air conditioner, and furnace repair experts have the technical knowledge to help balance your home’s pressure, and ensure that the ventilation is balanced.

While there are a number of things you can do on your own to help balance your ventilation and pressure in your home, a professional knows the different things to look for in your ventilation system, and can make adjustments accordingly. This will cost you a bit of money, but could save you a lot of time in trying to figure out how to create the same balance.

3. Play with the registers

Your registers have a lot to do with the balance of your home’s ventilation. For instance, open and close your vents a little depending on the temperature you wish to achieve. When your air conditioning is running, close your vents a little (but not all the way) to block some of the air flow. Ensure the registers are more open in areas that are not as cool.

4. Strategically place electronics

We live in an age where we rely quite heavily on electronic devices. However, these devices can create a lot of extra heat. When placed incorrectly, it can actually disrupt the effective ventilation of the room. By strategically placing electronic devices, especially larger ones, away from vents, and ensuring that they do not affect the thermostat in the room, if there is one, you can ensure that the system does not overcompensate for the heat of the electronic.

5. Improve the insulation

Issues with ventilation balance in your home could be due to a lack of insulation. If this is a case, you can contact an expert who can evaluate where your home’s insulation could be improved. Ensuring that heated or cooled air is not escaping via faulty insulation, and in turn is not letting in outside air, is a great way to help balance the air in your home.

6. Size matters

Some people don’t realize that their HVAC system may not actually be adequate for the size of their home. If the unit is too large, it will actually be incapable of conditioning the space properly, for it will condition too much. If it is too small, it will not condition adequately. Either one will create discomfort in your home, and you should therefore contact an expert who can help ensure that your system is properly sized.

7. Use your ceiling fan

Your ceiling fan is a much more sophisticated piece of equipment than you may realize. Did you know that spinning the fan clockwise will not cause a cooling effect, but will rather help to distribute air? In warmer weather, adjusting the fan to turn counter clockwise will actually cause a cooling effect in the room. Using this feature can help you create balance in each room.

8. Adjust the fan speed

This is a simple fix. If the fan on your HVAC system is running too high, it is essentially forcing too much air into the space, and therefore offsets the pressure balance in your home. By simply adjusting the fan speed, you can restore balance to your space without spending a dime.

9. Crack a window

This is obviously not possible if you are in the middle of heating or cooling your home. Opening the window will waste all of the energy you are using trying to regulate the temperature in your home. However, if the climate in your area is moderate, and you are able to, open the windows in your home. This can help to balance out the pressure in your home, allowing it to breathe and allowing it access to some fresh air.