Don’t Make these 2 Mistakes with your Air Vents

Your HVAC system is pretty complicated.  There are a lot of different parts that work together to create an air temperature that is comfortable and safe inside of your house.  Your HVAC system also includes an air filter that helps to keep the air clean, and it may even have an humidifier.

Most of the pieces of your heating and cooling system are often hidden away in a basement, garage, or behind the walls, but the pieces we can see are the registers and vents.  Air vents might not seem very complicated, but they are crucial to the heating and cooling process.  Without them, how would that treated air make it out to your home’s living spaces?

This is why it is SO important to make sure that you are not mistreating your air vents. Do not make these two common mistakes with your air vents:

1. Trying to block or hide the air vents

No, they may not part of the decorative vision you had for your home, but it doesn’t mean you should cover them up.  Avoid blocking air vents with pillows, furniture, plants, or pictures.  When the air vents are blocked it means that heated or cooled air needs to squeeze by what is blocking it in order to reach the rest of the room.  Your room will not feel as comfortable, and you will be wasting money because the furnace or air conditioner will need to work even harder to get your home to the temperature that you would like it at.

If you really can’t stand the sight on your vents, try painting them to match the floor or the wall.

2. Closing the air vent slats

What is the point in your furnace or air conditioner working on your air if you are going to close the slats and not let the air come out?  Sometimes, with floor vents, the slats can accidentally become closed from the vacuum or people walking around.  So, every once in a while check out your slats.

You may choose to close off some vents in certain rooms because they seem to get too hot or cold, but a more energy efficient way of keeping all the spaces in your home at the temperature you want is by investing in zoned heating or cooling.  Zoned heating and cooling designates different zones in your home, and each one can be set to a specific temperature.

Your HVAC system is working for you, so don’t make these common mistakes with your air vents!  For more information about keeping your HVAC system maintained, or zoned heating and cooling, contact FLAME!