booster fan

[kgmunro]

has anyone used the inline or register type booster fans? I am thinking of putting some in my living room as it is warmer than the rest of the house.My question is...there is a preasure switch that senses airflow and turns the fans on,but my furnace is a new hi efficiency model that runs on low all the time, and speeds up when in demand. How will this switch work..or will it work with this system. Maybe I have to mount an on / off wall switch for the fans??

 

[kbs2244]

Booster fans are most often used to push more air to far rooms when they are too cool.
It sounds like you have the opposite problem?
You should have flow adjustment valves in your ducts.
If your LR is too warm, you should be able to slow down the flow to it.
Or you can just use some cardboard the block off a part of the hot air vent.
Or are you talking about cooling?
Then, yes, the fans are an option.
But I would look into balanceing with your duct valves first.

 

[rickairmedic]

KGM go to home depot's web sight and type into their search box the word Equaliser the booster fan you need should pop up . They sit on top of the register and have a built in thermostat you set to work with the thermostat in the house so they should only run if the blower motor is running they dont have a sail switch in them so they should work fine .


Rick

 

[kgmunro]

thanks guys, i will give both a try!

 

[kgmunro]

I had an a/c guy in today for another reason and asked him about the airflow problem. He says there could be dampers that are partialy closed and limiting airflow. Are there any ways to find out if this is true? I have a drywalled ceiling in the basement that hide all my duct work so they can not be seen.

 

[rickairmedic]

Well if the ceiling is drywalled and the ducts are hidden it wouldnt be easy at all to tell if there were dampers . Did I mention I hate drywall in basement ceilings .


Rick

 

[kgmunro]

the guy from the plumbing and heating company said once he used a scope to locate the dampers in someones house and used a toilet snake to fish down and open them...sounds like fun!
Is there any rule of thumb as to where dampers are located?
Like say right off the main duct, or so on?

 

[CraigFL]

As a further note, if you look at FANTECH fans, they have an option for a pressure switch that turns the fan on. It's made for boosting the dryer exhaust but can be used elsewhere too...

 

[MyDomain]

The dampers are installed right as the take-off leaves the main duct...if they were used at all. Is the LR the farthest room from the blower? Is there any return air in that room? Did you mention the problem to the company that installed the high dollar new system?

Also is there a recessed light near the main trunk in the basement you could pull down and look up in?

 

[chase0803]

I highly doubt you have any dampers in your trunk line and if there are any at the branches
they're prolly wide open. Use the damper at the register to restrict airflow. Close the ones where the rooms are cold and leave the other ones open. Keep in mind heat rises when you're trying to balance the registers.

 

[Ron Lombardo]

Hire a Test and balancing company ... they will check for dampers and adjsut them properly to get even air flow .. and also speed up the blower to meet your required CFM per room. Look in the phone book ...a booser fan is noisy and not needed .. you have uneven air distribution ...which means the system is not running to peak efficiency

Ron

 

[hangfirew8]

I highly doubt you have any dampers in your trunk line and if there are any at the branches
they're prolly wide open.

How do you know?

Every place I've lived in had dampers in the ducts, and sometimes when I moved in I found them in highly questionable settings. I don't think blocking 80% of the airflow on all branches is a good idea.

-HF