Should dampers be open or closed in winter?

Should dampers be open or closed in winter?

In most homes, dampers going to the upstairs are open in the summer and closed in the winter. By closing the dampers to the upstairs in the winter, it allows for the heat to rise naturally after first being introduced into the lower levels of the home.

How do you adjust dampers for winter?

To adjust the damper lever, you will need to turn it to the left or right. If you want to close the damper, you will need to turn the damper lever in the opposite direction of the duct. If you want to open the damper, you will need to make sure it is running in line with the flex duct.

What does a zone damper on a heating duct do?

Manual heating or air conditioning zone dampers are mechanical doors that are manually (by hand) open or closed in order to control the amount of warm or cool air flowing to a particular room or area in a building. You can see two black manual duct damper handles on the white (asbestos-paper-covered) heating ducts in the photo at above left.

Why do you need a damper in an air handler?

Some HVAC technicians argue for using a damper in the return of warm air to an air handler unit to “keep the input energy to the cooling system low”. In my OPINION, if I see such a duct installed I suspect that the duct system or air handler are not the best design for the building.

Can a return damper slow down a cooling system?

Someone might then “slow down” the cooling system with a return damper. Actually for most HVAC systems I can’t think of a good reason and I can think of a lot of bad reasons for having Any obstruction in the return air of an air handling system.

When is zone damper used on return air DUTs?

These questions and answers about zone dampers or ductwork dampers and heating or cooling air flow control were posted originally at ZONE DAMPER CONTROLS – be sure to review that article. On 2020-12-17 by (mod) – when is a damper used on return air duts?

How does an AC damper work in a home?

AC dampers exist within different zones or areas within a home’s overall layout. Each damper device helps regulate air flow within a particular room or zone. Dampers use a door mechanism that opens to allow more air flow, or closes to reduce air flow within a particular zone.

When to open or close HVAC zone dampers?

When a room needs more air to raise or lower the temperature, the damper to that zone is opened. If the temperature is reached in zone one but not zone two, the HVAC system continues to run, but the dampers close to keep the temperature in zone one while zone two continues to cool off.

Where are the butterfly dampers in a HVAC system?

Most HVAC systems have dampers, but not every single one of them. In most cases, you will find butterfly dampers installed within a few feet of the main trunk in your system. There will be an adjustable handle on the outside of the duct for you to adjust the damper if needed.

Why are balancing dampers used in ductwork?

That’s where balancing dampers come into play. A balancing damper is just a simple mechanism inside the ductwork that closes off a given duct—they are called balancing dampers because you use them to balance the flow of air throughout the system. Below you can see an example of a manual balancing damper.