Optimizing Your HVAC System

Optimizing Your HVAC System

Optimizing your HVAC system can lead to a lower gas bill during the colder months of the year. Year after year, and during winter months, people use heating sources almost all day long to keep offices, stores and homes under comfortable temperatures. Leaks in HVAC will cause your system to run longer and sometimes the desire temperature inside can not be reached.

Areas to be Inspected

• Air filter – blocking objects will obstruct the path of the air flow and sometimes can result in a risk of fire. Imagine, for example, a piece of plastic blocking the air flow vent, receiving hot air constantly for several hours. On the other hand, even worse, imagine a particle of foam receiving the heat. Cleaning the air filter is the easiest way to solve under temperature problems and solving the malfunctioning of the equipment.
• Blower: Compare the blower blades to your indoor ceiling fan. The dirt allocated in the blower will reduce the fan’s ability to move and push air into the duct. Also it will try harder, and more gas consumption will be required to vent the air through.
• Fire damper- Check the proper operation of the fire damper. It will reduce the possibilities of fire propagation and also ensure that it is operating in optimum conditions to avoid the interference of it for the proper airflow through the ducts.
• Flex duct defects: Throughout the year, we move objects around us that might damage the internal duct that carries the airflow through the area. Being able to inspect all ductwork and verifying that there are no collapsed sections or damage section will ensure you that the air will flow properly through the ducts and vents of the system. Collapsed sections of ductwork will send a signal to your machine that the proper temperature outside has been reached, and it will cause malfunction of your equipment.
• Band Insulation: Insulation must be thoroughly inspected. Insulation is one of the major causes of malfunction in the equipment, and it will create the impression that your unit needs to be replaced. Insulation that is not being properly attached to the ductwork, will cause a loss of energy in that point, and sometimes the energy loss combined with the exterior temperature acting on it, will prevent your equipment to reach the desire temperature, or just it will take longer to get the proper temperature.
• Air Duct System- this is a common cause of defects in HVAC equipment. Older ducts will tend to separate due to internal movements or structure movements throughout the years. Verify that your entire duct is properly attached to the next section avoiding leaks in the airflow.
• Return air inlets: For proper balanced equipment the return air intake must be in perfect conditions. Sometimes people tend to block return grills, because they tend to think that if no air is flowing out of it, the grill is not functioning. Return air intake is the supply for your equipment to get the proper air that eventually will run through your ducts.
• Zone Dampers- check the position of the damper, Sometimes we close the damper for any particular reason, like creating a new storage supply in areas that were occupied before, or just an unoccupied office space. Verify that the damper needed for the proper operation of your system is in the correct position either open or closed.