One of the most common misconceptions that exists in the world of home heating and cooling is that you can save energy or better divert the flow of air by closing up vents in rooms you’re not using. This may have been true once upon a time with old HVAC technology, but these days it can actually do you more harm than good to follow this outdated advice.

Here’s some information from our professional duct cleaners in Weber County, UT about why this myth can be so harmful.

How your home ventilation works

Your house is a mostly closed ventilation system, with filtration that cleans the air. There’s nothing moving the air internally—a blower fan is in charge of circulating the air, and the moving air carries heat or air conditioning around your home. There are also a couple different types of motors used in these blower fans, one of which is a variable motor that adjusts its operation based on the amount of air pressure it gets, while the other constantly runs at the same rate regardless of the conditions. The second is more common, because it’s cheaper, but it also is more likely to cause problems with efficiency given its lack of flexibility.

With a continually running fan like that, the fan is likely working harder than it needs to as it moves air through a smaller space. The air in your home continues to cycle, and as it leaves a space, more air will replace it. If you close one of the air vents in your home, you reduce the number of places the moving air can go, which restricts airflow and can cause problems with air pressure.

Keep in mind that your HVAC system has been specifically chosen to fit the size of your home. Your blower fan is able to move an amount of air that is ideally suited for your ventilation system’s flow rate and your home’s size. If you restrict airflow by closing vents, this becomes problematic because the increased pressure results in air flowing at a lower rate, making it more difficult to carry heat throughout your home.

Even if you do have a variable motor, this can still be problematic. While the fan motor can ramp up to increase airflow against the additional pressure caused by closing vents, you are still expending more energy to make up for that decreased airflow, meaning you’re not getting the energy savings that are basically the entire purpose of a variable motor system.

So, if you’ve been closing vents to try to save money on heating your home during the winter, it’s better to look into other ideas, including adjusting the thermostat so your system doesn’t run as frequently, upgrading your home’s insulation, sealing windows or leaving doors open for better, more even heat distribution throughout your home.

For more information about your home ventilation system and how it can operate most efficiently, contact the professional duct cleaners in Weber County, UT at Fresh Ducts.

Do you suspect there’s mold growing somewhere in your home? If so, it’s important to take the necessary remediation steps as soon as possible so you can prevent it from posing a significant health risk to your family. Mold spores, especially from black mold, can cause or worsen existing respiratory conditions, so it’s important you resolve the issue as soon as possible. If it’s located in your ducts, this means working with professional duct cleaners in Weber County, UT to remove it.

Mold in ducts generally occurs if there is a combination of a stable temperature, a source of water or moisture and a source of food for that mold to thrive on. HVAC systems are generally designed to stabilize temperature in a building, so that knocks out one of the requirements right off the bat. The dust that is found in any HVAC system also serves as food for mold. This means if you have any moisture getting into your ducts, there’s a strong chance that mold will begin to grow there.

Here are just a few ways you can tell if there’s mold in your air ducts before you start calling the mold remediation specialists for an appointment:

• Smells: The most obvious sign of mold growth in your air ducts is if you start to smell a musty smell emanating from your vents. Most people know what mold smells like, even if they don’t know it’s the smell of mold. (Think bad food in a refrigerator, old sweaty gym clothes or certain types of cheeses.) If you start to notice these smells spreading around your home, then this is a sign there’s a strong possibility you have mold invading your HVAC.
• Visual signs: If you think there’s a chance you have mold growing in your vents or ductwork, open up one of your vents and shine a flashlight into it. If you see off-color spotting or black splotches forming anywhere in the ductwork, then you definitely have mold growing and need to call in a pro as soon as possible to resolve the issue. There are some circumstances in which the mold will actually be visible outside the vents and on the surrounding walls, floors or ceilings, but this is in rare, severe cases only and is a sign that the mold has progressed to an extremely severe problem.
• Moisture: Have you noticed any excessive moisture or standing water anywhere in your home? Even if you don’t actually have any mold growing, you should at least take whatever steps you can to make sure you eliminate the moisture and water problem so that it doesn’t result in any structural issues in your home, or lead to future mold growth. Figure out where the water is coming from and address the problem at its source.

To learn more about how you can spot mold growth in your home and what you can do about it when you find it, contact Fresh Ducts to speak with our experienced duct cleaners in Weber County, UT.