To maintain a comfortable indoor environment, room-to-room airflow is an important criterion. If there is not enough airflow inside the room, you will not get the fresh air. It can result in many problems, including damp interiors, a moldy and somewhat unhygienic and eerie feeling inside the room. If the room doesn’t get the proper amount of fresh air, it can also become a hub for germs and viruses.
Not just a healthy environment, proper airflow is also necessary for natural temperature control inside the room. If your room gets fresh air properly, you will find that the room is more comfortable, irrespective of the outside weather.
But, many homeowners often complain about not getting that fresh and adequate airflow in their rooms. For most modern homes, the issue lies with the vents or the interior placement of appliances. The HVAC system of your home may not be working correctly. Or. There can be other problems as well.
Here, we are discussing the possible ways to overcome this problem. Let’s read it openly!
How to Increase Airflow in One Room?
Well, the most traditional way is to introduce vents. You can easily increase the airflow inside the room with bigger sized vents.
But, if a complete HVAC system is inside your home, you may need to check out the unit’s ducts. In the case of HVAC units, the blower fan channels the fresh air through the vents. If the blower is not working correctly or is not the right size, the airflow can be hampered. You can also use fans or booster fans to get extra fresh air through the duct.
Sometimes, the clogged filters of the HVAC system also prevent fresh air from coming inside the home. In this case, you may need to clean or replace the filters to get the much-needed fresh air.
But there are many other ways to increase the airflow also. We have discussed three methods in detail in the next section!
Ways to Increase the Airflow to One Room
1. Increase the Size of Ventilation Openings in the Room
Does your room come with vents for ventilation ducts? Increasing their size will help to channel more air through these. If the vents are smaller, you can increase their size by consulting an interior designer.
If your home is equipped with an HVAC unit, you may need to check the ducts or vents of this system. The best carry out the unconditioned air outside while bringing conditioned air inside the rooms.
The vents are the points that connect the HVAC ducts with the rooms. These ports channel the temperature-adjusted air inside while taking out the unconditioned air outside the room. The ducts maintain a standard air pressure by using the nozzle.
In most cases, the ducts have smaller openings, which must be increased to channel the airflow inside a room.
In this case, increasing the frontal area of the vent is helpful. As the area of the vent [ort increases, more air can enter the room. It happens as the wider opening decreases the resistance force and pushes more air through the vents.
If this is the problem, you must consult the HVAC consultants once. They can recommend the ideal size of the vents. They will also safely increase the frontal area of the vents to increase the airflow for a healthier indoor environment.
2. Increase the No. of Vents
If their vents are the right size according to your room, the problem is the number of vents. If there are not enough vents inside your room, there will not be enough fresh air flow. In this case, increasing the number of vents can solve the problem. But while installing new vents, always discuss with the HVAC experts. Because you need to install vents strategically to ensure you get the maximum airflow.
3. Ventilation in Other Rooms Should be Closed
Well, this method applies to those worms that have HVAC units installed. If all the vents are opened throughout the HVAC duct, there will be more pressure on the duct system. Hence, air pressure will decrease as all the vents try to pull air simultaneously. In this case, the vents of a particular room often may not receive enough airflow.
So, it is a good idea to close the vents of all the other rooms inside your home, especially in those not used frequently. If the vents are closed, the airflow will increase in the other vents, increasing the airflow.
But closing all the HVAC vents is not a good idea. It will put a strain on the HVAC system and may even cause problems in this system in the long run. Hence, consult with the technician to close only those vents that will not strain the whole unit.
4. Install a fan
If you want to increase the airflow inside your room easily, installing a few fans is the best way. And regulate airflow inside the room. Hence, a ceiling fan can help bring cool or hot air, depending on the fan blade’s direction and speed. That means you can get air easily without much investment.
But, the fans do have some limitations. First, the airflow effect will be felt only when you are directly under the fan. Otherwise, it may not be significant.
You also need to change the blade directions as the season changes from summer to winter and vice versa.
Not just that, the effect of the airflow will not be optimal if the room is too crowded with furniture or if the furniture is placed directly under the fan; it can also disrupt the airflow. Hence, keep the area under the fan unoccupied as much as possible while installing.
5. Keep the Doors & Windows Open
Windows and doors naturally channel airflow, allowing fresh air from outside. Cross ventilation is one of the easiest ways to increase the airflow inside your room. Opening windows and doors in the opposite direction of each other, help to increase the airflow. Besides that, you can also open the highest and lowest windows of your room to optimize the airflow.
The warmer air inside the room is lighter. It will pass through the above, like the upper window or the door, while the cool air will be heavier and enter through the lower windows or lower part of the door. If you love fresh, natural air, you need to try this!
6. Maintain the HVAC system filters
Outdated HVAC systems may be another underlying cause behind the low airflow inside the rooms. It often happens when eth filters get clogged with time. Clogged filters do not let the air pass to its optimal amount. Hence, you get less air.
If your home’s HVAC system has not been cleaned for a long time, it’s probably time to clean it. Call a technician and get a proper inspection of the HVAC filters. If the filters are clogged or dirty, cleaning them will offer improved airflow inside the room.
7. Duct Cleaning
The ducts of the HVAC system also have an impact on the airflow. If the ducts are blocked due to dirt, less air will flow inside your room. So, make sure to clean the HVAC duct from time to time.
8. Enlarge the Return Vents
Returning vents are vents that supply the air inside the room. The return vents often cannot provide enough air as they are not of adequate size, according to the room dimension.
Increase the size of the return vents to get more air in your room. After all, the larger area of the vents will bring in more air. But, in this case, the velocity of the air also has an impact. So, you will need to increase the return vent sizes depending on the desired airflow.
So, it is best to consult an expert to deduce the right size, depending on the airflow you want inside your rooms.
9. Adjusting Blower Speed
Blowers help to channel the air inside the room. It helps regulate the air and allows more air through the duct. Installing a blower in the HVAC system helps get better airflow in all your rooms.
Reasons for Not Blowing the Air
Sometimes, the airflow inside the rooms may not seem enough, even though the HVAC system may be good enough. In this case, the decrease in airflow often happens due to turbulence and friction inside the HVAC system. The turbulence and friction inside the ducts prevent air from entering properly and also decrease the velocity of the air. These can happen due to the following causes-
1. Dirty Furnace Filters
Furnace filters prevent germs and dirt from entering the duct and indoors while channeling incoming airflow. But, with time, the filters become dirty, and the thickness of the filters increases. On top of that, dirty filters also lose their ability to pass air properly. Most individual home HVAC filters have the MERV rating (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value Rating) ranging from 7 to 12. A higher rating means smaller or pore sizes of the filters; smaller pores also get clogged frequently.
Hence, the filters may need some cleaning if there is not enough airflow. Sometimes, even if the filters are in good condition, their ratings can be problematic. Getting filters with a higher MERV rating may not be suitable, as you need a high-power furnace lower to work with the filters.
2. Oversized or Undersized HVAC System
The HVAC system is responsible for maintaining the airflow inside your home. So you need to choose a system designed according to the home dimension. If the HVAC system is oversized, it will have much larger ducts, which may decrease the air pressure inside. It will decrease the airflow. On the contrary, smaller HVAC systems will have smaller ducts and will not be able to channel enough air required for the rooms.
3. The Flex Duct is Twisted
Damaged ducts are one of the main causes of restricted airflow in HVAC-equipped homes. If the flex ducts are damaged, twisted or disconnected, the airflows are restricted due to high turbulence and friction. Bent ducts also cause the air to take more turns and travel longer, decreasing the velocity. On the other hand, damaged ducts often cause air leaks.
If nothing works, you need the ducts examined and repaired.
4. Air Leak
With time, ducts of the HVAC system get damaged; even small holes and cracks in the duct decrease the airflow to a great extent; a regular duct of an HVAC system can have 35% to 50% damage, which causes 35-50% air leakage. It is not an insignificant number as the air can decrease drastically with such damage. The air starts to leak through the damage, decreasing the air inside the duct and ultimately impacting the airflow inside your room.
So, if the airflow is not improved even after trying other HVAC duct remedies, ask for a proper inspection. Probably the duct has been damaged, which is causing air leakage.
5. Disconnected Air Ducts
Disconnected ducts often cause leaks and cannot carry air properly due to friction and turbulence. Hence, if the ducts appear disconnected, repair them as soon as possible to solve the problem.
6. Damper is Closed
The duct damper is the movable plate that regulates the airflow through the duct. It also helps to channel the airflow in the diverse rooms through the duct. Most HVAC systems have dampers to control ‘zones’ to channel more air inside a certain room. If the damper is closed or not working, the air inside the duct will not be regulated in the desired direction. Hence make sure to get the damper examined once. Probably it is closed, and opening it will increase the airflow.
Why is the Proper Airflow Necessary?
Airflow is immensely important to maintain a healthy indoor environment. It directly impacts IEQ, overall Indoor Environment Quality, and the IRAQ or Indoor Air Quality. The better EAQ and IAQ, the better indoor environment you get in your home.
Airflow helps remove moisture, gasses, dust, pollens, pet dander, etc., from the room and provides fresh air. With proper airflow, you will always get a better and healthier home environment that prevents allergies, asthma boats and other diseases from affecting your family.
Conclusion
A healthy airflow inside the room is necessary to maintain a healthy indoor environment that does not cause disease or other health issues. The HVAC unit or ventilation ducts often do not work properly, decreasing the airflow. Here you can check out all the remedies that help you maintain a healthier indoor airflow. Before doing anything, it is better to consult an expert technician to get the best possible solution.
