When I turn on the heat, in one particular bedroom very minimal air is blowing out. All other vents work fine. Will this require a major work or can I fix this myself. Please advise. If I need to get someone to look at this, how much will they charge.- Confused new home owner
Another possible answer is a collapsed duct,how old is house,does it have flex duct,has anyone been in the attic/upstairs storing anything and either stepped on or sat something on duct work.there are alot of possibilities.you should be able to find a air conditioning company with an ad for a discounted or free inspection coupon,call and ask them how much to inspect an airflow problem.Also check the flow with the door open and shut.
Hey Confused, This issue could be caused by many things. Sometimes, it is something silly like something stuck in the venting directly below the affected vent. (I've seen sweaters that have been shoved down vents to cut off the air flow). It could be that the vent has been closed off somewhere down the line (likely in the basement) to reduce the flow. Having the vents cleaned and inspected would be a good way to determine if there is a bigger problem (needing to have parts of your HVAC system re-levelled) and could likely solve the issue. If not, you will still need to call in an HVAC technician to diagnose the problem.
Olivia, lot of good ideas on the drapes etc. If you do have windows that get noon day sun you do want to pull the shades if it isn't real windy outside. Direct sun warms carpets and couches etc. It keeps a little radiant heat for later in the day. Close the shades when the sun starts getting low. A fire place is a very IN-efficient heater. Other than those fitted with those blowers, a fireplace don't hardly do anything. Even with the blowers, they're pretty expensive to operate. Have to make sure they're clean, and then have lots of wood. Said you didn't want to spend a fortune. This is a bit expensive to install. There's these people that do these retrofits, where they install an iron stove, and run the vent up thru the old fireplace. You loose some living space, cause the stove is inside a few feet. Also have to have a metal protector for the floor, and an fence to keep old people, kids and drunks away from the stove. You'll get heat from every piece of wood, and it won't just go up the chimney. A stove radiates heat all around
this problem is common, and is usually due to air intake restriction. Check and see if your furnace filter is clean, clear and free of obstruction. Also check your cold air return vent and make sure that it is free of obstruction as well. If the problem still persists you can try to damper down the vents in rooms you rarely use or that are in the center of your house, doing this will increase air flow to the bad vent. If not happy with thay remedie you can call a HVAC company and have them trouble shoot if for you. Going rates for HVAC companies can range from 60-75 dollars an hour. It could be something as simple as a broken elbow or a detached vent elbow, and can be easily fixed if your furnace duct work is ran through a crawlspace, basement or attic. However if your house sits on a concrete slab and the duct work is in the concrete it will be quite costly to fix. I would say for an attic crawlspace or basment, the repair would run you about 150-180 dollars. Be prepaired however because if your furnace is older then ten years, the chances that you will need to replace it due to a cracked heat exchanger are quite higher. If this does happen to be the case ask to se the Carbon monoxide reading and the crack, yes any carbonmonoxide is no good, but a reading of 8 or less parts per million are legally safe and you could if need be wait a year to replace the furnace. just try changing the filter and dampering down the vents in other rooms. Goodluck!
