HVAC systems are convenient to have in your home and offer many benefits. But if you don’t install it correctly, or if regular maintenance is not performed, you may spend unnecessary time and money trying to fix them. So is air balancing the HVAC system worth the cost?
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Air balancing the HVAC system in your home or office is worth the cost. You will gain efficiency for your heat and air conditioning, which can help save you money over time. Every home or business owner with HVAC should get their system balanced.
This article will examine if balancing the HVAC system is worth the cost, the main reasons why, and how often you should be getting it done.
Should I Spend Money To Balance My HVAC System?
If you’ve invested in an HVAC system, you know how important it is to maintain it. That’s what makes it imperative to balance your HVAC system. It would be best to spend the money upfront to have your system balanced when installed.
It would help if you also balanced your HVAC every few years. Balancing your HVAC will give you peak performance and have it work well for years. Some places may even require you to balance your HVAC system to operate it.
What are some of the advantages of balancing your HVAC system? Let’s look at a few:
- Balancing your HVAC will improve the air quality in your house. If you want to breathe the cleanest air possible, you will need to balance your HVAC. This ensures that you don’t have air blockages caused by dust buildup or other unwanted particles that could blow through your ducts and into your lungs.
- You will have more efficient heat and air. The major advantage of balancing your HVAC is that it will improve the efficiency. This means you’ll have more even heat or cooling throughout your home.
- Troubleshoot problems. Another advantage of balancing your HVAC is that it will give you a better idea of the cause of your system not working correctly. It is a great first step to figuring out if there is a more significant issue or if you need to balance your HVAC system when experiencing problems.
- Replace your HVAC less often. Regular maintenance on your HVAC system will keep it in much better shape and increase its performance and longevity. If you want to replace your entire unit less often, it’s a good idea to balance your HVAC system upon installation and every couple of years.
These advantages are reasons why it’s worth your time and money to balance your HVAC. You’ll have peace of mind knowing you are getting clean air delivered to you at the intended temperature.
Read: Why HVAC Damper Keeps Getting Stuck Closed?
Is Air Balancing the HVAC System Expensive?
Balancing your HVAC system can be expensive, depending on who you are hiring to do it. If you do it yourself, however, it is inexpensive. If you don’t have the knowledge or resources to D.I.Y., you can hire someone to balance your HVAC system.
The average cost can vary depending on your market and the size of your home. It depends on how many ducts you have, so if you live in a large residence and are heating many rooms, it would cost you more than if you are in a smaller home.
The cost can also vary depending on the HVAC system you are working with. Check out my article on the 4 basic categories of HVAC systems to learn more! For example, if you have an HVAC system requiring many more ducts to be examined, you will spend more money balancing the HVAC.
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Read: How To Tell If HVAC Zone Damper Is Normally Closed Or Normally Open?
Will Air Balancing the HVAC System Save Me Money Over Time?
Balancing your HVAC system will save you money over time. You’ll save on your monthly energy bills and replace your HVAC unit less often. Because HVAC systems can be costly, it is an excellent investment to balance your HVAC system so you won’t need to buy a new unit soon.
You’ll save on energy bills when you balance your HVAC system by not unnecessarily overheating or overcooling a single room. Additionally, when you do your initial check before balancing, you can check for leaks in your air ducts, which can make a big difference on your energy bill.
Read: Why HVAC Zone Damper Actuator Making A Clicking Noise? How To Troubleshoot?
Can I Run Into Problems Balancing HVAC That Will Cost More?
Anytime you are repairing major equipment in your house, especially by yourself, there is a chance you’ll run into some unforeseen problems. When balancing your HVAC, a professional may do the work for you. Even then, there are some issues that you may encounter that could cost you even more money.
It is vital to balance your HVAC and, in the end, will most likely save you a lot of money. That said, be aware that you might run into expensive troubles. Here are some things that could end up costing you more money when balancing your HVAC:
- There aren’t any dampers, or you cannot reach them. Over the years, dampers became less common when installing a new HVAC unit. This is unfortunate because they make balancing your HVAC much easier. Sometimes, they are out of reach as well, which makes it just as difficult to balance the HVAC. Either of these scenarios will take more time, costing you more money.
- You have cracks or leaks in your air ducts. If you have any air escaping your vents, not only is this wasting energy during regular use of the HVAC system, but it will also cost you more money balancing the HVAC if the issue isn’t dealt with beforehand. You won’t get a proper balance, and you’ll face having to balance it all over again.
Read: Should An HVAC Zone Damper Bleed Air?
How To Balance Your HVAC for Less Money?
The best way to balance your HVAC for less money is to do the research and perform the work yourself. As long as you trust your abilities, do your homework, and if it is legal where you live, you can save a lot of money balancing your HVAC rather than hiring someone.
This video from This Old Home has some fantastic tips on balancing an HVAC system:
One easy fix you can attempt on your own is to adjust your dampers. These are easy to control on most vents, and you can adjust them with a lever outside. However, you’ll also want to perform a complete balancing as this will not address all of the issues for balancing an HVAC system.
Balancing your own HVAC, however, isn’t for everybody. If you are less concerned about saving money, you can always hire someone. However, it is still worth the cost to balance your HVAC system regardless of who does it.
Read: How Reliable Multi-Zone HVAC Systems Are?
Final Thoughts
While balancing your HVAC system every couple of years may be a lot of work to do by yourself or require an investment to have someone else do it, it is definitely worth it. The main reasons that you’ll want to balance your HVAC frequently include:
- You’ll be living in a more comfortable environment.
- Allergens are less likely to become a problem.
- You will save money on energy bills.
All of these are reasons why you’ll want to balance your HVAC. And you can make it even more worth the cost if you do it yourself!