Zoned HVAC Systems
Do You Have a Zoned HVAC System in your Home?
When you have only one furnace and you have multiple thermostats, then most likely your home will be zoned.
This means you will have electric zone dampers located at your furnace that will control certain areas of your home. The most common zoned system we run across in Airdrie is the upstairs will have its own thermostat and then the main floor and basement 1 thermostat controlling these 2 levels together.
The Best Type of Zoned HVAC
In some cases, some homes actually have 3 thermostats, one per floor, which is the “Cadillac“ of HVAC systems. This type of zoning allows the best temperature control throughout your home. (Trust me, if you are building a new home ask for this system. For the extra cost when building a home the difference between proper temperature throughout your home will prove worth the investment). Yes this means your basement will be a perfect 20-21 degrees Celsius, and not cold.
Does Your Zoned HVAC System Work Correctly?
We found 32% of the zoned systems have been wired incorrectly and/or are not working properly. This means from day 1 when it was installed by others we found some zones have had the wiring backwards; resulting in the main floor calling for heat and sending the heat upstairs!
We have talked to customers, who have said that it seems like it was always an inconsistency of temperature and never working properly. After we corrected these issues, they were so happy with the way it worked afterwords - (the way it was intended to be).
How to Troubleshoot or Test Your Zoned HVAC
The best way to troubleshoot a zoned HVAC system yourself is to turn off all your thermostats, set to the off position and the fan setting to auto.
Then go to your first thermostat upstairs and turn the fan to “ON”. Now airflow should be coming out of your top floor vents only. Verify that by going throughout your homes levels to check all of the other floor vents.
If there is air coming through other vents at the same air pressure, then possibly your damper system is not wired properly, improper ductwork installation or a damper motor has failed.
Then follow the same steps throughout the other thermostats to confirm.
If you do not understand this or do not want to deal with this, we are there for you to do this if requested.
Just another tip coming from Airdrie Air to keep you comfortable and to help you save money and by making sure your system is operating properly.