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Heating and Cooling
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My upper floor does not receive enough heat. Can I adjust this?
Try balancing the duct distribution system.
To do this, look at your main supply duct where it leaves the heating unit. Follow it until you
see the supply branch round ducts leading off to serve individual rooms. There will be a handle
to the balancing damper on each round duct. Close the damper by turning the handle up or down,
but not parallel to the duct. This will restrict airflow to rooms that get too much warm air,
particularly smaller rooms such as bathrooms. Some rooms on the first floor may also be too warm.
Then make sure all dampers to ducts serving the second floor are in the full open position, with
the handles more in line with the duct.
We have a new house,
but two of our radiators won't heat up properly. What's the problem?
It may be the vent. To test, turn your
thermostat all the way down, wait about five minutes, and then unscrew (very carefully) the vent
from the side of the radiator. Turn the thermostat back up and wait for steam to be made. If the
radiator now heats up, you just need a new vent. A WORD OF CAUTION: DO NOT OPERATE YOUR SYSTEM
WITH THE VENT REMOVED. After this test is done, reinstall the vent until you get a
new one.
I am going to get a new heating and cooling system. Which one is the best?
Brands are important—and the most well known names are
all good—but the installing contractor plays a more important role. You might have the best
equipment but if poorly installed, it will not work as well as it should and will be less efficient.
Check the contractor. Get references. A good contractor will more than likely install good equipment
properly. The second part of this equation is proper sizing of equipment. Ask to see the contractor's
heat loss and heat gain calculations for your home.
When my furnace kicks on, I
hear all kinds of clicks and clacks and booms in the ducts. What's the problem?
Your noisy ducts could be caused by a number
of things. One of the most common problems is undersized ductwork, which causes the ducts on the
supply side to expand as they pressurize. This in turn creates a small vacuum on the return side.
In both cases, the ducts will expand and contract. When the blower comes on, the tin ducts begin
making a banging sound. The other ticking noises could be the expansion and contraction between
the hangers and the ductwork itself. Try isolating the ductwork from the hangers with some kind
of rubber cushions. When the plenum causes banging noises, it normally means the return air part
of your heating system is starving for air. Every warm air furnace manufacturer will give you a
temperature rise number they expect to see from their unit. Check your unit by taking a
temperature reading of the return air and supply air. The findings should match the
manufacturer's requirements. If the temperature is too high, you do not have enough return air.
This condition will shorten the life of the furnace.
It seems all homes have rooms with comfort problems! How come?
Any individual room that has more than two
exposed walls deserves special attention. For instance, a family room over a cold crawl space
with two outside walls, a garage wall, and an attic above has five exposed walls. Without
effective blending and zoning practices, you cannot expect that room to be always the same
temperature as the protected area around the thermostat.
Will a programmable thermostat make my house comfortable?
Not really. A programmable thermostat allows
you to have more efficient settings, but this thermostat alone cannot make your rooms more
comfortable. Only proper air balancing and zoning can do that.
Should I put a duct booster or register fan in the supply vent in my problem areas?
Supplementary devices like fans are available,
but there is no substitute for good zoning practices. The boosters usually only help when the
system is running. If the system is not cycling properly or it was not balanced properly, these
features will have only varying degrees of success.
How do I bleed my radiators?
It's a little like bleeding brakes. You turn
the heat on, let the water start pumping, and then open the bleed cock very slowly to let the air
out. Bleed cocks that do this automatically can be installed. The baseboard type of radiators
may or may not have bleeders on them. The options here include a bleeder on the return side or a
purge valve in the boiler area. In this case, connect a garden hose to the purge valve.
It is very important to keep air out of the system, which is detrimental to the boiler.
I want to put radiant
heat in my kitchen when I install a new ceramic tile floor. What is the advantage of putting the
radiant heat pipes under the subfloor between the joists versus in the mortar under
the tile?
When you install radiant heat piping in mortar
as opposed to under the floor, you get more evenly distributed heat, with fewer overly warm or
cool spots. On the other hand, there is something to be said for going with the method that is
easiest and thus less expensive to install. The floor temperature should not exceed 85 F, as
anything over that will feel too warm on the feet. Also, remember not to put radiant heat under
cabinets that will have food in them because the warmth is not good for stored food such as
potatoes and onions.
Are there guidelines for deciding how big ducts should be for air conditioning units?
A rule of thumb says ducts should carry 400
cubic feet per minute (CFM) of air for every 1 ton of cooling. So if you have a 2-ton system,
you need ductwork that will carry 800 CFM. One 6-inch round duct is good for about 120 CFM, a
7-inch duct carries about 150 CFM, and 8-inch carries about 200 CFM of cool air. Also, you want
to make sure that the return ducts are the same size as the supply ducts. In adjusting your
system, try not to damper down the system any more than needed because reduced airflow could
cause the indoor coil to freeze.
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