A standard but incorrect solution is closing vents. People think that if they close vents on the main floor, the system will push more cool air to the upper floor. This strategy often results in reduced cooling performance. If you have a minimal number of vents you should not close any.
With all that in mind, is it a good idea to close your basement vents during the warmer months of the year? There's no harm in closing a few basement vents. However, you should make a point of reopening those vents after a day or two of leaving them closed.
Airflow reduction – closing your basement vents and other room vents in the summer can help reduce energy usage in the home. Cooling more – in addition to cooling the main rooms of your home, you should also consider installing room-specific ac units or fans.
Shutting the heating vents in your basement or another room you don't use very often is a great way to reduce energy expenses during the summer months. That being said, it isn't something you should do for more than two or three days at a time.
If you're looking for a way to lower your energy bill this summer, closing your vents may be an easy way to do so. When you close your vents, you can limit the flow of air through your home and avoid temperature-controlling rooms you don't visit frequently.
EXPERT RECOMMENDATION: If you want to try to balance the airflow throughout your home, you should not close vents completely; HOWEVER, you can close them slightly (not more than 75% closed) to help distribute air better to the areas that need it most.
If you have a basement, you can push more cool airflow up to the second floor by locating the dampers on your ducts and closing them at least halfway. If you can't find the dampers or don't have a basement, you can partially close the vents on your first floor register to achieve the same effect.
Some homeowners prefer to seal their crawl space vents throughout the year to allow heat and air conditioners from their HVAC system to seep in. If you plan to go with this option, it is best to be sure about it beforehand. If you have a properly sized air conditioner, this method can work well in the summer.
Those crawl spaces generally have the worst insect and rot damage. If you must close your vents during winter I highly encourage you to do it only when the temperature drops below 32⁰. Otherwise, keep them open when the temperature is consistently above freezing to avoid moisture-related problems.
Key Points. Does closing vents in unused rooms help? The answer is no: In reality, it may hurt your HVAC system, lead to costly repairs, and cause other problems.
In the summer, when outdoor humidity is the highest, the foundation vents should be closed to keep the moisture out. In the winter, the idea is to open the vents to push damp air out and allow for circulation.
The solutions most commonly recommended for warming up a basement are to insulate the below-grade walls and the floors, and to add heating—either through installing radiant heat floors or making revisions to the main HVAC ductwork system.
The key thing to acknowledge with cooling a home is the return ducts. If you have a cold basement, that's usually because there's no return air vent down there. And if your upstairs is too hot this is almost always because there's deficient return ductwork on the top floor.
Air vents should be open to prevent damage
Increased air pressure can create cracks and holes in the ductwork. It can also cause your furnace's heat exchanger to crack. Leave all air vents open to prevent extensive damage to your home's heating system this winter.
When To Close the Vents. If summer is the right time to open your crawl space vents, winter is the perfect time to close them. Colder weather results in drier air. Dry air and freezing temperatures are the biggest risks for crawl spaces due to the likelihood of freezing pipes.
Your crawl space vents should always be closed and sealed off from the outside elements. Venting your crawl space leads to a variety of issues. First and foremost, open vents allow moisture to enter your crawl space. This creates the perfect environment for mold growth and mildew.
It can cause the wood to rot, encourage mold growth, ruin your fiberglass insulation and in the end, compromise the structural integrity of your house. Apart from letting moisture in, vents are convenient openings on your house for termites and other pests.
A foundation vent, also known as a crawl-space vent, is an opening in a building that allows outside air to circulate under the floor. The idea is that you keep them open in the summer to prevent moisture from building up during humid days, which can lead to mold and mildew.
Hot air rises and cool air sinks. Therefore, opening the right return vents in the summer and winter significantly improves the distribution of air by your forced-air system. You'll also enjoy more even heating and cooling throughout your home. In the summer, open your high returns and close the low ones.
Opening your vents will go a long way toward keeping mold and mildew out of your crawl space. But it's not all that you should do. For effective protection, you need to take active steps to keep water from seeping into your crawl space. Otherwise, it won't matter how wide open your crawl space vents may be.
Adjust the dampers.
If the second floor of your home is warmer in the summer months, keep the dampers on the second-floor vents fully open and only partially open the vents on the first floor to force more of the cool air to enter the second-floor areas.
While the idea may be to close off one area in order to make another area more comfortable, surprisingly, doing this can cause damage to your HVAC system, increase the energy needed to heat your home, and in turn, cost you more money.
Poor insulation and/or ventilation
The number one reason why it is hot upstairs, cold downstairs is that the attic is poorly insulated or ventilated. It might seem counterproductive to add insulation for warmth and then circulate cold air through it, but the combination actually works together in a very important way.