Duct Booster Fan

[Thaiwoo]

Our bedroom is the furthest away from the furnace and it in the Summer it hardly cools down with the AC running and in the Winter it's doesn't heat as well either. Same goes for the office on the other end.

I've just tried one of those fans that you can plug in and place over the register on the vent. It comes on and turns on when the furnace is blowing. it seems to help but the noise even during the daytime is too much for us little on trying to sleep.

http://www.espenergy.com/booster_fan.htm

I found online that they have inline duct booster fans which I could install pretty much half way in the duct pipe.

Here are some examples http://www.espenergy.com/in_line_duct_fan.htm

I went to Home Depot and they said they don't sell them and they think the bulding code doesn't permit such an electrical contraption in the duct.

Anybody have any insight on this? Are they selling these in Ontario?

[Digiital]

Here ya go, Princess Auto:

http://www.princessauto.com/_osn.cfm?CTRY=CAN&output=OSN&SRCH=1&SRCHAREA=OSN&T1=IN-LINE%20DUCT%20FAN

[Thaiwoo]

Cool we have one not too far down the street.

[Thaiwoo]

Anybody know of a place to get a pressure switch that would control this puppy?

[AMD]

Does this room have a lot of window area exposed to direct sun light?

There are window tinting kits which can make a huge difference. (most of the a/c load is from passive solar heat gain)

You could also try using window shrink wrap to reduce heat loss in the winter.

Does the room have a return air vent? Sometimes they're easy to add and require no drywall demolition except for cutting a hole on top of which a register/grill is installed. (depends where your return air ducts are relative to the room) Remember that air can not get in unless it can get out with little or no resistance.

[Thaiwoo]

It has two relative small windows to the front which has sun exposure from the early morning until in the early afternoon.

The windows are really bad and we are having them replaced in a couple of weeks. During the day we pull down the shades which are on the inside though.

The room doesn't have a return vent. The only return vent is just outside the door in the hallway.

We have a vent coming straight up to the ensuite bathroom. I blows cool pretty good and keeps the bath cool.

The vent in the bedroom blows hardly anything. It has to go around so many corners. I think what doesn't help is the fact that parts of the ceiling is extended into the attic like a V.

The ceiling fan helps to circulate some of the air but with my sinus's I can't have it running at night.

So I figured if I can supply more flow to the bedroom would help to keep it cooler or warmer in the winter.

As mentioned already I have almost the same problem on the back side of the house in my office.

I limited the flow on the lower floor vents quite a bit to push more air upstairs but it doesn't seem to make much of a difference.

[Walter]

Our bedroom is the furthest away from the furnace and it in the Summer it hardly cools down with the AC running and in the Winter it's doesn't heat as well either. Same goes for the office on the other end.

I've just tried one of those fans that you can plug in and place over the register on the vent. It comes on and turns on when the furnace is blowing. it seems to help but the noise even during the daytime is too much for us little on trying to sleep.

http://www.espenergy.com/booster_fan.htm

I found online that they have inline duct booster fans which I could install pretty much half way in the duct pipe.

Here are some examples http://www.espenergy.com/in_line_duct_fan.htm

I went to Home Depot and they said they don't sell them and they think the bulding code doesn't permit such an electrical contraption in the duct.

Anybody have any insight on this? Are they selling these in Ontario?

Home Depot does sell them and there are not code restrictions so go back and talk to a duty manager but you might also want to look at balancing the duct flow system. Each branch off the main rectangular duct should have a damper installed and what you do is close all the dampers and then starting at the furnace start opening the dampers with the branch closest to the furnace being opened the least.

This process is done when you are sure that your filters are clean, that the drive on your furnace fan is properly tensioned, that if you have an a/c unit installed that the duct coil is cleaned, etc. and most important of all that the output of the furnace is at design.

[Nic]

Sounds like a similar situation to us, we have a story and a half with the slanted cielings and it is very difficult to cool the upstairs. The best thing we have found is to close the door to the room during the day and have the ceiling fan suck air up, rather than blowing it down, in the summer. Unfortunately heat rises and your cold air will run out of the room and down the stairs, which is why we keep the door closed. With no return vent however, I don't know if you will get enough air flow into the room, but it won't cost anything to try.

Your new windows will help, particularly if you get low-e glass. I added a low-e film to our back screen door several years ago and it made a huge difference in the heat reflected.

[Thaiwoo]

Home Depot does sell them and there are not code restrictions so go back and talk to a duty manager but you might also want to look at balancing the duct flow system. Each branch off the main rectangular duct should have a damper installed and what you do is close all the dampers and then starting at the furnace start opening the dampers with the branch closest to the furnace being opened the least.

This process is done when you are sure that your filters are clean, that the drive on your furnace fan is properly tensioned, that if you have an a/c unit installed that the duct coil is cleaned, etc. and most important of all that the output of the furnace is at design.

The store I went to didn't have any. But then it seems they don't have a lot of stuff I've seen in other stores.

I've been playing with the damper settings for a while but nothing helps to bring more air upstairs to the two vents with the greatest distance. The downstairs is very cool even with most dampers or vents almost closed.

[Mouse]

Some people just give up the ghost, and buy a window unit for the upstairs.

But you still have to keep that air from doing the gravity thingie. ;)

[Tim]

our air con guy suggested a ceiling fan at the top of our stairs to draw/push hot air down towards our cold air return.
But since we're in major renos currently, I think the best solution is a return put in upstairs.

Try Walter's suggestion, balancing a system can have a dramatic effect. I did that last winter and it made a huge difference.

[Mouse]

Winter, sure. Hot air rises.

Summer is much harder.

[Thaiwoo]

our air con guy suggested a ceiling fan at the top of our stairs to draw/push hot air down towards our cold air return.
But since we're in major renos currently, I think the best solution is a return put in upstairs.

Try Walter's suggestion, balancing a system can have a dramatic effect. I did that last winter and it made a huge difference.

Like I said I throttled the downstairs quite a bit but still no real change upstairs. I'm just not getting enough flow to the two most distant rooms / vents.

We used to live in Virginia for a while and there I was able to adjust a damper as to how much was going up- and down stairs. Worked really great. Doesn't seem to work here because it's a different design.

Funny you mentioned the ceiling fan. Our family room is open to the second floor. I'm thinking of putting a large fan there. It sure would stir up the air between the two levels.

In our first house here in Ontario we had similar problems upstairs, but it was the whole upstairs. It was also the model home. At some point I wanted to pull a cable up from the basement to my office so I figured the return duct to the furnace would be a simple way to do it. Removed the duct cover and found just a hole in the drywall with no return. I did some more checking and found that the only working return was right above in the kitchen. There was total of three upstrairs return vents but they led nowhere!

[AMD]

Many builders like to use studs+drywall for returns instead of running metal ductwork up a couple of floors.

Don't close too many vents - insufficient airflow can cause the indoor coil to freeze up. (or worse, compressor damage)

[Thaiwoo]

Many builders like to use studs+drywall for returns instead of running metal ductwork up a couple of floors.

I know. The onea was talking about wouldn't go anywhere. The only return opening was to the kitchen and from the there it was supposed to go upstairs but it didn't!

[tommo]

There are window tinting kits which can make a huge difference. (most of the a/c load is from passive solar heat gain)

How much are the window tinting kits? I have a very large bedroom window that is allowing a lot of heat gain. I'm wondering if it's easy to install because I have a half a circle on top of the window. Plus, I need a ladder to reach that window.

[AMD]

I have yet to install that kind of thing, so I wouldn't know.

Not sure about price either, but I have read about it.

More info available here (http://www.thesunshieldpros.us/yourself-frames.html).

[Number6]

I tried taking the actual vent out of the floor in our bedroom last night to increase the air flow and incrediblely it actualy helped. I was surprised to feel how much more air comes up without the vent impieding it.

[Mouse]

Floor vents suck in the summer.

If they did it right you would be able to switch from floor to ceiling with the seasons. That way gravity is your friend.

[Thaiwoo]

I tried taking the actual vent out of the floor in our bedroom last night to increase the air flow and incrediblely it actualy helped. I was surprised to feel how much more air comes up without the vent impieding it.

I did that about a week ago. At this point everything helps.

[Thaiwoo]

If they did it right you would be able to switch from floor to ceiling with the seasons. That way gravity is your friend.

The house we had in Virginia had floor vents on the main floor and ceiling vents on the upstairs. It actually worked pretty good. The furnace was in the garage since we had no basement. There was a damper in the duct work to adjust the flow between up and down stairs. Once I had it figured out I marked it and I could switch over easily.

[Mouse]

Get a long, narrow box (like the kind 8' florencent tubes come in), cut out both ends and stand it on top of your floor vent.

:d

[Thaiwoo]

I shopped around and checked more Home Depot's. No duct booster fans. Checked Home Hardware they sell them but none in stock for my size. Millwork didn't have them either. Off to Princess Auto where they had plenty in stock.

Bought two of them with the hope of utilizing them for the bedroom and office. Installed one for the bedroom. it has two speeds settings. I hooked it up to the higher setting.

Down in the basement where it is installed you can hardly hear it running but upstairs oh man it's like a mini jet engine. It sure helps cooling down the room but the noise is very anoying. I tried the lower speed setting which didn't make much of a difference.

I set the second one up on the workbench and gave it a run. It runs very quiet until you start partially covering the inlet side with the hand. The fan starts speeding up and and gets in a nice humm. I imagine the same thing happens in the duct.

While I like the cooler room I just can't live with the noise. Back they go.

I guess next project will be a large ceiling fan in the family room.

[Mouse]

Maybe you've got some restriction in the duct channel??

[Dr.Dan]

I'm thinking that too... either a restriction in the ductwork, or you installed it way too close to the room outlet.

How long is the run? how far along the run did you install it?

Are you *sure* that the dampers that you played with is actually fully open in this duct??

[Mouse]

Try running a garden hose down through it, and see if you can get all the way to the basement.

Just keep twisting to the right (of left) to get around corners.

[Number6]

I did that about a week ago. At this point everything helps.

I've had the floor vents pulled for the past week and I'm very happy with the result. The upstairs has got to be a couple of degrees cooler. I guess that makes sense when you think about it, removing the vent increases the size of the actual opening considerably and a lot more cool air makes it through.

[Mouse]

I've done that too.

Just be careful where you put your feet. ;)

[Thaiwoo]

I'm thinking that too... either a restriction in the ductwork, or you installed it way too close to the room outlet.

How long is the run? how far along the run did you install it?

Are you *sure* that the dampers that you played with is actually fully open in this duct??

From what I can tell there's no blockage in the vent. I had for a little while a cable pulled through the vent. It took me a fishing tape and a lot of patience to get it around all the bends.

Like I said the duct is the longest run in the house, it has almost twice as many bends than the rest of them. The duct booster fan worked and it cooled down considerably with a nice flow, so I rule out a blockage. The damper is open too. I had it installed about half way in the duct which is still in the basement just before it goes around a 90 deg. bend towards the upstairs.

The only thing that bothered us was the noise. The fan itself with no restriction was fairly quiet but then the duct carries any noise very well. When I was holding the hand on the back of the fan and covered up maybe a third of the intake the fan sped up and started doing a humming noise. So I think the same thing happens in the vent even with some flow from the furnace.

Too bad then it worked well. Was even thinking of leaving it in and run some wiring from the bed room and a switch or some wireless remote switch to run it during the day when nobody is in there. But then if it isn't running it will cause a restriction the rest of the time.

[ve3sab]

All those bends in the ductwork are the likely cuplrits. When putting in our new clothes dryer we had to place it so as to have minimum number of 'elbows' in the exhaust conduit.

The install tech said max recommended was 2-90 degree turns. Said more than that would significantly reduce air flow and present fire hazzard. I assume similar reduction would apply to the furnace/AC situation.