Fix Airflow from your Vents
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- Опубліковано 1 чер 2016
- When your Heat or AC is on, is the air coming out of your vents very weak? Is it struggling to heat or cool your rooms? This video will show you how to fix airflow issues from your vents in your home. The air will come out with more force and better efficiency.
Links below to the tools and supplies we used for this project. Some links are affiliates that may provide a small commission to us at no extra cost to you. Thanks for shopping!
Set up a FILTER delivery schedule - pick your size here: amzn.to/3nErflu
Socket Set: amzn.to/3bkRgQ9
Simple Green Cleaning Solution: amzn.to/2ZyNfoJ
Spray Bottle: amzn.to/3vYnJFl
Scrub Sponge: amzn.to/3pSg62t
Shop Towels: amzn.to/3w1zXx1
Check out the article on our blog for more information: howtofixitworkshop.com/2016/06...
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Purchased: August 2023 - still works GREAT!I ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxxsUnXhGsSJLim_XnMHyQK0u3XVaW-CGn live in a studio and during the summer it gets scorching hot - really old building with no ac units. I can’t express how EASY it was to install. This unit has been a life savior during the summer and some days during other seasons where it can still be a bit warm at night. In this small place is my friend, a husky, poodle mix and myself. We need AC - lolI don’t use the dehumidifier option - I’m not sure if it will leak in my house, since I did not install the small draining hose that came with it. May look into it late but I don’t worry about much humidity in the apartment. I don’t understand why the negative reviews since all things mentioned, I personally did not find issues with. Definitely worth it!
To make the job easy I use a painters brush in conjunction with a vacuum hose, works great and no bent fins.
Thank you!! These tips helped immediately and thanks to some of the commenters who explained the MERV. House is cooling off nicely right now.
That's good news! You're welcome
good job, those filters are the filters I always recommend. they are less dense and older 10 seer equipment can change the air a lot better... new pleated filters cause a strain on the indoor blower motor which in turns causes premature failure
*Works so well **Fastly.Cool** that it only requires daytime operation until high temp and humidity are overnight. It is difficult to get to side filters, but back is easily accessible.*
Thanks
Thank You so much for this video. I'm going to use this trade to help my vents.
+Quincey Prince you're welcome! Good luck! Thanks for watching!
Great video Greg. It makes a lot of sense. I am having this problem so I will be doing what you recommend.
Good luck Stan!
Did it work for you?
It helped. Thank you so much! 😊
Thank you, I'm actually doing a RV but this help me figure out what to do!
You're welcome, good luck!
Thanks for the video. I've cleaned my evaporator coil with a clean, soft paint brush that has never been used for painting. It gets between the fins without distorting or crushing them.
Good tip, thank you for the feedback!
Thank you Ray Ramano! Now I see why everybody loves you
Hahaha! you're welcome!
Good video, Thanks!
I have 2 vents that don't blow air at all. Come to find out when the previous owners remodeled, these heat runs were eliminated by human error. Fun times here and frozen pipes too.
+MJ69090 sorry to hear that. Good luck
Problem with those filters is that it lets more air through it but it will also let dust and that get through and clog your coils so id use a higher grade air filter
Thanks for the video this really helped me out.
You're welcome! Thanks for the feedback!!
this vent in my wall between the floor, air flow very low. seem to bend under the floor or so.think it clogged.
Has anyone ever told you that you sound just like Ray Romano?
He hear's that all the time
Before I put my glasses on, that’s exactly who I thought he was lol
Haha yep!
I have a question what would make my one room have nothing coming out but the next vent after that it come out no problem and the only time it comes out of the one that has nothing come out is when I close all of them but that one and this is a moblie home so my vents run in one straight line no turn thanks
Thank you this video is very helpful.
You are welcome
Good video. A vacuum cleaner and a dry brush work better. If you want to get the grime out from between the fins then spray 409 into the clean side through to the dirty side and then gently brush the crud off. Make sure you capture the liquid that comes through with a towel or whatever you need. It may sparkle brightly so use sun glasses (heehee). Just kidding.
The cheaper filters do work well to move the air better but you must change them once a month.
I suggest MERV7 because they can last up to 3 months and they are pretty cheap at MENARD'S. True Blue filters are good filters.
If there is a smoker in the house then the filter - MERV7 - needs to be changed every 2 weeks. If there is a heavy smoker or multiple smokers then the filter MUST be changed once a week!
FREE ADVICE from a Master Technician - I hope it helps
Thanks!
It is always best to have a professional to do maintained on it and a good time to ask questions.
That's true
Those EZ filters are not good. They don't filter the air well and are why your coil keeps getting really dirty.
You may want to leave the simple green on the coils a few minutes and let it do the work for you, instead of scrubbing them immediately after you spray.
Great tip, thanks for sharing!
Thank you for your tip I’ll be back for more comments once I’ll fix mine
Thanks! Looking forward to them
Yes your video was very helpful.. I was using the expensive allergy filters it would cut down on my airflow through my house … Now I will use the less expensive filters and just keep them changed on time .
Glad it helped!
The high efficiency air filters are better for variable speed systems because the variable speed fans and TXVs can compensate for a little air flow loss.
Thanks for the feedback!
This is very helpful .
That's great!
Thanks this was very helpful.👍👍👍
Good video
did you clean the coils??
hello, do you have any advice for ceiling vents? the one in my room barely has flow, but the front of the house is soooooo warm
thank you !
🔥
You could check the duct lines in the attic. It may have come loose or could be folded or clogged which restricts the air flow
I disagree with the air filter choice as an hvac professional. I wouldn’t get the highest density available, but on the other end of the extreme, those fiberglass fiber filters are just leaf catchers that dump dirt onto the Evaporator coil. So a low to midrange 1” pleated filter is you’re best bet, imo.
Yeah, that's true. Thank for the feedback
@@howtofixitworkshop idiot
You simply may not have enough return . The rust in that return plenum is concerting to me!
I had no idea. I thought I only had to change the filter.
thanks! learned 3 tips 🙂
You're welcome!
Thank you so much
You're welcome
😁 thank u for the video!
My pleasure!
I have a few vents/registers whose open and shut levers will not budge. Could I put a bit of W-D 40 on the lever themselves? The vents cannot be opened because the levers won't budge. the Rest of open-air vents works
great.
Yep, that's a good suggestion
Most air handlers don’t utilize the slab coils anymore, most us an A-Coil design that isn’t as easy to get to, especially for the average homeowner. If the equipment is really old then the coil could of been installed in the duct work and really can be hard to get to. Just throwing that out there
HIGH PERFORMANCE EVERYTHING I don't have coils
Alex 77 Then you don’t have AC
@@ttali211 Do you have a recommendation for the average joe on how to see inside your ducting to spot leaks etc? I am really trying to not have to take down the drywall in my basement to see
Wow you helped me
Very good!
Thanks
You're welcome
We recently converted our house from two furnaces to one and we had to run a 10 foot's duck in our crawlspace and the furnace that we made bigger was one that comes through the ceiling and the one that we ran the 10 feet is in the floor we have a A big enough unit but we're not getting any airflow from where we ran the 10 foot across to the ductwork that comes up from the floor to know what could be wrong
+Lorraine Cardoza we're not HVAC experts here, but maybe check for leaks or blockage
Might need a scoup or some turning vanes
Awesome channel!
what if you have an outdoor unit. you know that big box thing with a big fan on the top
that’s a part of this system
what if the vents in other rooms push more air than others. Any tips?
Gabriel Escobar adjust the air flow valve for that room
Bart Simpson how do you do that?
Wild_stang3.7 how do u do that?
g_stang3.7 simply slightly close the air filters that blow too much air by adjusting the flaps on your vent. Leave the ones with less flow wide open.If the vent flaps do not adjust buy some that do.
They make a spray foam coil cleaner specifically for evaporator coils,just spray it on let it sit. Foams up and the condensate rinses it. Easy peasy
Nice! Thanks for the tip!
Wats up with those holes in the evapator
Charles Bryant
The manufacturer probably uses that specific sized coil for different sized systems. He may have a 2 ton coil. But the manufacturer would utilize those extra tubes for a 2.5 or 3 ton coil.
my house second floor area hot air temp. higher than my first floor area. need help.
E Reyes that's not an issue lol that's just common physics man! Hot air rises! So your second floor is hotter than your first floor in the summer and vice versa in winter.
However you could close vents on the first floor to force more air through the second floor vents. Makes a bigger difference. But doing so can have a negative or opposite effect if the system reads a pressure change etc
Susanna Maldonado I agree and should have been a little more clear.
Most units have an ECM that reads pressure so yes while closing to many vents can cause more duct leakage and the system to try to compensate, closing a few to direct flow elsewhere should never cause an issue.
Of course this is all a do at your own risk ;)
On a budget so I am willing to try anything. But the question I have for you is, do I really need to use a certain kind a cleaner or just regular soap and water would do? Also how about the water with vinigar they show for cleaning tough areas...
That's probably worth trying first. Good luck!
Well it's done! Thank you so much! I did use the water/vinigar solution and let it sit and noticed that it was just sliding off. Last night was miserable, but now thanks to your video, my family and I are enjoying the coolness again....now to catch up on my sleep that I lacked from last night....Nap time....thanks again!
Great to hear, happy to help!
They sell a HVAC coil cleaner at the big box stores. You can clean the indoor coils with it. They call it a “no rinse” cleaner. This is different than the one used to clean the AC unit outdoors that you would rinse with the garden hose afterward.
Good tip, thanks for sharing!
thanks i hope this works i told my dad because my room is extremely hot and one of my upper vents isn't putting out my air/heat
You're welcome, good luck!
Why not vacuum off the fins or blow out the fins with compressed air?
Good advice, thanks for adding
My filter slot is blocked by pvc pipes. Can you replace the filter by removing the cover over the coils and insert the filter through there?
I can't say for sure, but it sounds reasonable
@@howtofixitworkshop I did, and there's no filter in the handler.
@jimayers7461 you should have space or a slot for a filter in there somewhere near the blower fan. The filter keeps dust from the air return system from getting in your blower motor and other HVAC parts.
What if air flow is fine on one floor but bad on another? Filter is fine and all dampers and registers are open.
Tom Blake I wish someone would answer ur question
Sorry, we don't have an answer. Perhaps it's due to the distance away from the fan, or there is a leak due to a disconnected duct in the wall
@@azizmoya8753 My problem was two fold, first the dampers weren't opening and closing right because the handle was slipping. 2nd even though there are 3 floors there were only two dampers. The one labeled 1st floor served both the 1st (ground) floor and the 2nd (main) floor. I wasn't aware of either of these things which is why I thought everything should have been fine when it wasn't.
I came here with the same problem!
@@cecilecavallaro4924 same
I once had a home built in the 1970s. The main supply air duct in the basement had insulation inside the vent, and a large section of it fell off blocking the entire supply of air to the house. I cut the duct open, removed all the insulation, replaced the sheet metal and voila!
Indy HotDog eeeeh I hope that wasn’t asbestos
what will happen to an ac unit if air vent is blocked?
Your whole house will blow up!😂
From my personal experience those cheap spun fiberglass filters are not good at all. As you can see based on your own coil they let a good amount of dirt through to the coil clogging it up. Now those giant HEPA filtera do act as an air restraint so your fiance's dad isn't lying there. I recommend the 30-90 day pleated paper filters because they don't restrict air that much at all and they also don't let in hardly any dirt.
Great point, thanks!
For much higher quality filters than what we show in the video 😂, check out this link to choose your size and schedule recurring deliveries from Amazon: amzn.to/3nErflu. We also have links to the supplies used in the video in the video description.
Hell, if your piece of junk furnace provided a 4 or 5" slot for a decent pleated filter, maybe it would move plenty of air and actually filter it as it passes through.
I like your bazooka shirt!
Thanks!!!
How about if 1 room air flow is not working?
Probably a disconnected or damaged air duct to that vent. Follow the duct from that vent all the way back and back sure there aren't any tears, holes or disconnections.
Sorry, not really sure
No one provides Techs with the formulas for right sizing filter rack areas to achieve proper velocities through them; I will:
HVAC Airflow- Duct, filter’s Ak and other Component Sizing Formulas:
Ak area of the filter: CFM / required or desired fpm velocity
Example: 3-Ton @1200-CFM / 280-fpm= 4.2857142-Ak
Heating only 858-CFM / 220-fpm = 3.9 (Ak) SF open-air-area.
My filter numbers:
I have (3) 12” x 32” filters 384-sq.ins., each x 3-filters is 1152-sq.ins / 144 is 8-sq.ft. | so, 3.9-Ak sq.ft., / 8-sq.ft filter area is 0.4875% or, filter’s Ak %.
**A tested 59°F heating mode temp-rise x 1.1 is 64.9 furnace 55,500-output / 64.9 is 855-CFM 3.9 X 220 = 858-CFM; Had a tested 855-CFM; very close. …
Therefore, a single 16X25 filter is 400-sq.ins. / 144 is 2.7777 400*.4875=195-sq.ins./ 144=1.3541666-open-air Ak of the filter).
Filter’s Ak = CFM / fpm velocity through the filter in fpm
FPM= CFM / SF Ak AREA of filter
CFM = fpm X SF (Ak) AREA of the filter
Required Ak % of the filter’s area= smaller actual Ak area ‘/’ filters actual larger listed Square Foot size area.
**Print & Save all these Formulas & USE them to properly size filter rack areas to achieve proper low filter fpm velocities...!
Also; a 6” duct; so 6" x* 6” = 36 *x .7854 = the 28.2744-sq.ins" / 144 = 0.19635-Ak-sq.ft area.
** I like the Purolator P-312 white Industrial Strength Disposable Synthetic Panel MERV 4 filters - decent pressure drop with good filtering - you have to order them on the Internet; has a .16" PD @300-fpm; .10" PD @200-fpm velocity
.
**7 out 10 HVAC systems by exhaustive testing have airflows out of tolerances, this can cause high cost ECM motors to exceed their rpm Rated limits & thus overheat & fail…Also results in very high cost compressor failures!
**There is also a direct correlation between the blowers 0.5” or 0.6”WC and the total equivalent length (TEL) of the duct system regarding the amount of remaining available steady pressure. Jack Rise having done many hundreds of Manual D’s friction rate sizing has stated that you may need to have 0.4 inches if you have a total equivalent length of the ductwork in order to get a friction rate design of 0.08 inches of water column for adequate velocity in the supply runs.
** Okay Manual D; .4” * 100 = 40 / ‘a very high’ 500-TEL is 0.08” WC friction rate to achieve enough velocity. Manual D on the Internet shows an improper example of designing friction rate for the supply side air-flow; you need a much higher rated static pressure oversized blower than .6”. to have .25” to.3” of Available Static Pressure (ASP) remaining.
They show a 0.6 inch water column blower and all pressure drops result in an Available Static Pressure (ASP) of only 0.17” WC; .17” * 100 is 17 / 500-TEL is 0.034-FR; and therefore, supply air ducts would be sized way to big and would result in an extreme low velocity of airflow through the ducts.
**A more reasonable situation is .25” (ASP) Available Static Pressure & 300-TEL, or less; 25/300-TEL is .083” (FR) Friction Rate to achieve proper airflow velocities.
Your system gets dirty due to the lack of air filtration, you should buy better quality filters and replace them way before they look like the one you had on your system.
Check your returns to see if you might have blocked them or closed them by mistake. You might only have one. They should be larger than all the rest. My step daughter blocked our vets. Problem solved. Yes if you have pets and your don't change your filter as often as you should, it's very possible your coil is dirty.
Most people wont be able to get at their evaporator coil. Good idea to clean it if you can reach it though!
Thanks!
Yep! Especially if they are sitting on top of a furnace....
This is the opposite of what I was looking for, my vent literally goes while it’s closed, it’s cursed
Since when is Simple green blue? Am I missing something, its always GREEN.... lol.
Not fooling me.
I really have an issue. I've tried this but I still have a problem with the vents further away, blows colder air. So the front of my house is freezing in winter as the back of the house is warmer. I have no basement or attic. I'm assuming my ventilation system is somewhere under the floor. I'm a new homeowner, no help, don't know what to do.
Are your vents on the floor? If they are you probably have a crawl space. If the air flow is strong from those vents but cold you could have a leak or disconnect in your duct work or the duct work is not insulated, causing the loss of heat.
@@howtofixitworkshop yes they are on the floor but I do not have a crawl space. House is on slab. My worst fears are costly efforts to open my floors! I'm in a state of despair. It's really cold in my living/dining room and the first bdrm where I sleep. The rest of the house is so warm. My therm has always been set to 75 and that's already costing me. I have to be fully dressed with a robe to sit and watch tv.
@@howtofixitworkshop I change my filter every month and I've cleaned the inside of my furnace and vents with vac to alleviate any other dust issues but I can honestly say as I sit here in my living room, you can feel the cold air come up from all 3 vents in this immediate area. The back of the house is sooo warm and cozy but I can't live my life solely in one area of my home! I'm terrified of what will have to be done to rectify this. I'm a first time home owner at 51yrs of age with a disability. I don't think I'll be able to afford to fix this. 😥
Sounds like a tough situation, but if you call a few HVAC companies they can come to your house and inspect the system to determine the cause. I'm not sure where you're located but in my area of the US these inspections are typically no more than $75.
@@howtofixitworkshop I've had 3 separate companies come out last winter. They all said the same. I'm in Lansing, IL.
My first home is a nightmare. I'd hate to sell so soon. And I'd hate to dip into my 401k but looks like I'm going to have to. Thanks anyway for your helpful tips! I still have one company I haven't called yet so we'll see.
Hellow friend's I need hvac child water air balancing video lounge hindi are urdu please friend help me
All system how to water balancing
Yeah, but that filter lets a buttload of dust through....it's called a motor saver filter.....get a decent filter and breath better then you don't have to clean your coils as much(O:
I am a commercial HVAC technician. I hate those fiberglass filters.
Use at least a filter with a MERV rating of 7 or above. The higher the rating, the more frequent you will need to replace them.
If you use good filters, and change them frequently, you should never have to clean your evaporator coil.
Thomas Mahoney
You fail to mention that those filters are too restrictive for 90% of the systems out there right out of the package. Any system that only uses one filter should NOT use the pleased filters.
Joel Belden
I'm not so sure about that.
If that's the case, your filter doesn't have enough surface area.
Best way to know if the filter works is to check your superheat. Do you know how to do that, or did you just come up with this information off google?
We had a whole new unit put and still nothing
Sorry to hear that, any luck a couple weeks later?
I have begun my quest for a girl whose father is/was a hvac guy.
😊
Good luck!
i dont kbow why but its soo hot at cambodia and its DECEMBER
😂
It didn't work for me...
Buddy I think u need a new evaporator coil it looked like some of the copper loops in the coil were non existent there’s no way that thing had any Freon in it
The freon level wasn't low, perhaps it was just how things appeared in the video
As other viewers have mentioned, those cheap fiberglass filters don't remove all of the dust from the air. That dust will then accumulate inside the ductwork and mold if exposed to moisture. During AC operation the condenser coils are almost always wet which can cause any dust or debris on or near the condenser to mold. Once the dust begins to mold it is significantly harder to remove. A pleated air filter with a low Merv rating like Merv 7 or Merv 8 will have less air flow but clean the air much better. In a similar situation, I purchased a pleated filter that was a couple inches wider than the plenum and laid it in diagonally under the condenser. The larger filter provided more airflow. Perhaps with a little modification to the plenum, a two inch thick filter might fit. The thicker pleated filters have more surface area and tend to allow more airflow than the thinner ones. Thank you for sharing this video.
Thanks for all the extra information Phil!
u should show how much crud u actually got off
For me its only happening on one vent which is mine and the rest are good
Could be blocked or broken duct work
Learn to balance your airflow between all registers. If you have them all wide open the airflow will take the path of least resistance. Lots of airflow close to the blower & next to nothing at the far end or around corners.
When you pressurize your plenum you will get better airflow thru-out & it will be forced farther into each room.
Great suggestion
@@howtofixitworkshop I try to help when I can.
Waiting for a blower motor from UPS as we speak. 106°F for a high today.
Yuk, must be in the desert. Half that temp here in the Midwest
@@howtofixitworkshop yep, Scottsdale Arizona. Land of reflective window film, misters & multiple cooling systems!😉
Beautiful part of the country though!
Use better filters
Damm that’s DIRTY SHIT. Yeah they work like shit you just saw the dirt
somebody bought a Scrub Daddy. #SharkTank
I have to sleep with my coat on because my room is too cold
Sorry to hear that, hope the video helps
The reason your coil gets dirty is the type of filter you are using.
What box did he go into?
Those are horrible air filters the worst filter you can ever find...
I think I might be using the wrong size filter...
I'm going by the dimensions written on the system itself, but the filter won't slide in all the way...
+Samuel Hunt it's probably hitting a edge on the inside.
That's not necessarily good. If it's too small, you will be letting dust and debris past your filter.
Smh
Adjust your dampers. Most people don’t know they exist
Thanks for the tip
your main problem was using dirt cheap air filter
Yeah, that is probably true. We've changed our opinion over time.
this doesn't work.
It did work for us, but thanks for the feedback.
You have no idea what your talking about when it comes to HVAC. Call a service technician.
Great idea!
us didn’t complete your thought about signs of freezing....so what dude?
Freezing may mean you're low on freon, may have a leak
NEVER PUT IN A CRAP FILTER LIKE YOU GOT !! THAT'S WHY YOUR FURNACE IS FILTHY !!
Yeah we figured that out
@@howtofixitworkshopsooner than me and my wife
SANCTIFIED
Thank you?
Bad teaching! Succion Line (big Line) freezing when ur coil Is dirty not the liquid line man..
He's yummy!
Agree
Off. Use a pleated filter. Sure better airflow but its too porous. Thats why your evap is so dirty. The dirt is never suppose to reach your evap. Assume one month per inch of thickness on the filter and a pleated wont be an issue. A vacuum with a brush will pull off the dirt. Less likely to hurt the fins on the evap. Your blower wheel blades are curved to scoop air. Fine dirt particles get through the porous filter and Evaporator and collect on the blower blades. As it builds up you effectively move less air. Need a tech to pull your blower and clean it. And have your blower tap speed verified to be the correct cfm for your AC size. Too fast or too slow and problems occur. Repear: dont use those filters. Terrible advice.
There is nothing wrong with my filter. If it was that simple I wouldn't be watching videos to figure out the problem. It isn't leaks, lack of coolant, unbalanced dampers, or anything else I can think of either.
In my opinion this is a poor video for any home owner to watch. I agree with James B. The filter is extremly important for keeping the evaporator coil clean (which makes cleaning it a non issue). "EZ Fow" filters make the service techs money. If you can read a news paper through the filter, how well do you think its filtering? Air flow is very important, and the size of the duct work & the size of the filter, directly relate to that. If you you have a 16x25x1 filter and your air conditioner is more than 2.5 ton, your filter is likely TOO SMALL. Have a QUALIFIED TECH advise you on on your air flow issues. Also when he speaks of the lines freezing, he points to the liquid line entering the coil. That NOT where it freezes. if it does you have bigger issues. I hate seeing people who have limited knowledge of these important home owner issues.
Thanks for your feedback! This along with knowledge shared by others in the comments will tremendously help the home owner you are referring to.