Don’t Forget the “V” in Your HVAC System: Ventilation

HVAC System Ventilation

Some people say “air conditioner,” others say “AC unit,” and in the winter you may even call it “the furnace.” There are many different terms that are all speaking about the same piece of machinery: the HVAC. HVAC is an acronym that stands for Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning. Don’t forget the V! Many people worry whether their AC unit or heater is working properly, but give little thought at all to the ventilation in their restaurant, office space, or other commercial building.

Ventilation is essential for comfort inside your building and for better indoor air quality. Problems with ductwork in the ventilation system can lead to poor heating/cooling distribution, humidity swings, dusty and polluted air, and a plunge in HVAC energy efficiency. That means a drop in ventilation is going to cost you money in the form of higher monthly electric bills!

There are a few basic steps you can take to make sure you have air circulating properly around your commercial building:

#1 See that all the registers in the rooms are open and unblocked. You will want to move any furniture that is obstructing these vents. Closed vents will prevent air circulation and possibly damage the ductwork from the increase in air pressure.

#2 Change the air filter in the HVAC system if it’s clogged. A clogged filter chokes off airflow through the rest of the HVAC system. Changing your air filter about every 90 days is part of basic building maintenance. 

#3 Get professional duct sealing. This service requires a professional Kennewick, WA HVAC technician to access the ducts. He or she will find where they’re losing air pressure and create seals with a resin mastic or metallic sealing tape.

For most ventilation improvement work, you’ll need a professional HVAC technician to tackle the job, just like you would hire this person for repairs and replacements for the HVAC. If your building is suffering from the signs of bad ductwork in the ventilation system, like odors from the vents, low airflow, hot or cold spots, rattling noises, and a rise in utility bills, the best step is to schedule duct testing with the team at Coffey Refrigeration. This test is the basic way for us to find out if the integrity of your building’s ventilation system has been compromised with leakage and broken ductwork. Our technicians seal off the whole HVAC system and then change the pressure inside the ductwork. We can then register loss of air pressure due to leaks, and that allows us to identify if there are problems and where they are located. When we have our answers, we will get to work fixing the problem!

To request a HVAC technician come take a look at your building’s ventilation and ductwork, please call us at (509) 586-1519. We’ll be out soon!