Thread: Cooling A Room
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Unread 24-05-2007, 12:37
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Re: Cooling A Room

Depending on how easy it is to access the ductwork itself, it's quite possible to also affect the rest of the system, without increasing energy consumption.

If you can get at any of the ducting in the house, take a look to see if the seams are taped (using real duct tape—the aluminum stuff), and the ducting is the correct shape and kind (e.g. sheet-steel hard ducts are common). If the builder used flexible ducts, or has panel gaps in the rectangular ducting (round ones interlock, but most custom rectangular ones don't), then you want to tape them off. Any air escaping into the spaces between floor joists or wall studs will eventually get around to cooling something, but for your purposes it's clearly wasted. In some cases, the improvement can be up to 10-15 cfm, between a bad installation and a good one. Of course, if this involves breaking drywall, it might not be practical.

Also, check your return air system. If the static pressure in the room is too high (e.g. your door is closed, and air coming in has nowhere to go), the airflow in will diminish. Especially if your house is well-sealed against air infiltration though walls and windows (this is a good thing), you'll want to makes sure that your return air ducts are clear, and the right size. Unfortunately, it's not uncommon for returns to be pulled out and forgotten during renovations.