Air ducts are an essential part of any HVAC system responsible for keeping the airflow inside your home. According to services like air duct repair and replacement Suwanee GA, air ducts come in different forms useful in a home if placed correctly. You might be familiar with some of them. These are some types of vents usually found in your home.
Types of Vents
Although, due to different types of vents commonly available to everyone, their classification gets very complicated. Instead, here are basic types you should know:
- Supply Duct or Vent
These are the primary type of ducts, which supply cold air to your rooms around the house. Usually, there is at least one supply duct in most of your rooms. These ducts or vents connect with your HVAC system that sends cool air through it directly to your room. You’ll find these vents either on a wall or on the floor, but they’re effective either way.
- Return Duct or Vent
As the name implies, these ducts send the exhaust or hot air to the furnace, which helps cool air to spread evenly in the room. Usually, if you find hot or cold spots in your room, you need a return duct installed. The best place for these vents is a little higher than the supply vents, and the bath shouldn’t be placed next to each other.
- Grilles and Registers
According to heating and air conditioning service in Suwanee GA, these terms are associated with the two types of vents or ducts mentioned above.
Grilles, somewhat similar to grills, are commonly available in metal or plastic grills found in your room. Either, it indicates the opening for air ducts, which can be supply or return vents. Usually, there are one or more grilles installed in a room. If you’re still confused about the spelling, using grilles instead of the grill is common in HVAC terminology.
As far as registers are concerned, they refer to the diagonal opening, controlled by an adjustable damper. What’s a damper, you ask? It’s a rolling, lever-type guide, or you can say lever, found on the sides of the vent. Their function is opening and closing the damper to manage supply airflow from the supply ducts. Generally, your HVAC system may become unbalanced if you close dampers completely.
Undersized Ducts
Sometimes, to save some space, homeowners use undersized ductwork. It means they install small-sized ductwork even though they need a regular-sized one. It reduces HVAC systems efficiency, affects performance, and increases the need for maintenance by 30%. How, you ask?
According to some air duct repair and replacement Suwanee GA services, reducing ductwork size affects the HVAC system. It results in the following sign.
Excessive Noise in Ducts –
Noise is a common factor in improper duct installations. These sounds get scary every day.
Restricted airflow in Vents –
Restricted airflow means less airflow to your rooms due to congested areas inside the vents. This restriction results in slower airflow into rooms, which cools them slower, increasing utility or energy bills.
Higher energy or utility bills –
Because of restricted airflow, the HVAC unit works harder, which increases the monthly utility or energy bill costs.
Unexpected Breakdowns –
Unscheduled breakdowns are not a surprise. Wit restrict airflow, it’s ubiquitous for your HVAC system to break down and to need maintenance.
The most suffered ducts due to its under-sizing are return ducts.
Return Ducts and Signs of Undersized Return Air Ducts
As you know, unlike supply ducts, return vents send hot air present in the room into the furnace. It reduces warm spots in a cool room. However, if you find warm spots in your room even after installing return ducts.
How to know your return ducts are undersized? Simple, According to heating and air conditioning service Suwanee GA you’ll find the following signs:
Air Ducts Leaks –
Air ducts or vent leaks are pretty standard when it comes to under-sizing ducts. What usually happens is, due to undersized ductwork, exhaust air stays inside the room longer, creating an air pressure that results in air ducts leakage. Because of this, about 20% loss of air results in an uncomfortable, stuffy feeling with a high chance of air duct collapse. It may result in damaging weak walls or floors.
Inconsistent Room Temperatures –
This one is somewhat obvious. Undersized return air duct commonly results in uneven cooling, resulting in cold and warm spots in multiple rooms around the house. Not to be mistaken with some poltergeist, your undersized duct probably needs changing.
Unexpected Maintenance Breakdown –
According to directions from air duct repair and replacement Suwanee GA service, an unexpected breakdown for maintenance is a sign that something isn’t right either in ductwork or HVAC system. It’s better to install a good-sized duct for efficient performance.
You might hear of undercut ducts and jumper ducts. You’ll find undercut vents in the lower part of doors that keeps airflow to the room similar to the outside room. On the other hand, jumper ducts, usually found above doors or walls next to a door, also help airflow. It has the same purpose as the undercut vents, but their placements are different.
Usually, these vents and ducts help maintain airflow and could be a temporary fix for undersized ductwork, but that’s not a good option. It’s better to fix or replace the whole return ductwork that’s undersized. Heating and air conditioning service Suwanee GA knows that the correct size is the same as the inlet of the furnace where the return duct connects. What size should remain the same throughout the ductwork? Conversely, the same goes for supply ducts. The size of ducts from the start until the end should remain the same to keep the airflow inside your home equal.
So, does your home have an undersized return air duct or a little vent, for that matter? It’s better to change it now and thank yourself for making this decision in the future.
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