As an Orlando, Florida homeowner, you’ve experienced your fair share of hot, stuffy days during the summer months. But what if the airflow in your home never seems to improve, even when the weather cools down? There’s no need to live with stale air. From turning on ceiling fans to investing in a ventilator, learn about five ways to improve airflow in your home.
Check Vents and Registers
One of the simplest things you can do to increase airflow in your home is to check the vents and registers in each room. Make a point of keeping every register open, even if you don’t necessarily want to cool a specific room. Closing registers just makes your HVAC system work harder to move conditioned air where it needs to go, which can make airflow problems even worse.
If you find that several rooms in your home don’t see regular use and may not need as much cooling as others do, talk with the E.C. Waters Air Conditioning & Heat team about zoning systems. This involves creating zones within your HVAC system to give you greater control over temperature and airflow without compromising efficiency. It’s a smart solution for many Orlando homes since it enables you to create different thermostat settings for each part of your house.
Turn on Ceiling Fans
Another simple solution for improving airflow is to turn on your ceiling fans. During the summer, make sure your fans rotate in a counterclockwise direction to circulate cool air. Using ceiling fans gets the air moving, which creates a sort of wind-chill effect. The breeze helps sweat evaporate from your skin, helping you to cool off.
While ceiling fans can’t actually lower the temperature, the cooling effect that they generate may prompt you to turn up your thermostat. As a general rule, you can increase the temperature setting by 4 degrees without noticing a difference in comfort level. That can mean energy savings, even during the sweltering summer months.
Schedule HVAC Maintenance
If you haven’t called our team for preventive maintenance yet this season, schedule an appointment right away. An annual tuneup might not seem like a big deal to you, especially if your air conditioner is relatively new, but it can make a big difference in the way your HVAC system operates.
When our team performs an annual tuneup, we inspect and clean the system inside and out, testing operation, cleaning out accumulated dirt, and looking for issues that could be slowing down your HVAC system. We also change the air filter, which can easily get clogged and limit air flow during peak use. Remember to change the filter every 30 days during periods of heavy use and replace it every 90 days the rest of the year.
Consider Duct Cleaning
While air filters are designed to trap dust, dirt, and other indoor pollutants, preventing them from entering your HVAC system, a number of factors make it possible for airborne contaminants to sneak in. The ductwork in most homes has at least a few cracks and leaks, which can invite dust, mold, and other debris inside.
Over time, these pollutants can accumulate and impede the airflow through your ductwork. Fortunately, this is nothing that duct cleaning can’t fix. If you suspect that clogged ducts could be slowing your airflow, call our team to take a closer look.
Invest in a Ventilator
In many cases, the most effective way to improve airflow is to invest in an HVAC component like a Trane FreshEffects Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERV). This device is designed to flush out stale air and draw in fresh air, keeping the air flowing freely through your home.
ERVs do much more than increase airflow, though. These devices help lower humidity, keeping your home more comfortable. They also trap energy from the outgoing air and use it to pre-condition the incoming air. That puts less stress on your HVAC system and boosts efficiency overall.
Don’t suffer from poor indoor air quality any longer. Call E.C. Waters Air Conditioning & Heat at (407) 603-9144 to find out more about our solutions for a healthy home.
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