Increasing Air Circulation in Your Charleston, SC, Home

Proper air circulation is crucial in any home in Charleston, SC, since it helps drive out impurities, lets fresh air in, regulates temperature and creates a safe environment. Today, most people opt to build well-insulated and energy-efficient homes to save on heating or cooling bills, but tightly-sealed houses can accumulate stagnant air. Here are five ways to get air moving in your house to promote comfortable living.

1. Use a Ceiling Fan for Improved Air Circulation

The simplest way to improve airflow in your house is to use ceiling fans in your rooms. During hot months, set the fans to run in a counterclockwise direction to recirculate cool air.

When used along with an air conditioner, fans help circulate cooler air faster. Although they don’t lower the house temperature, they create a wind-chill effect on your skin and keep the air circulating well.

2. Schedule Preventive HVAC Maintenance

You can also use your HVAC system to increase the air circulation in your house. When you set your HVAC unit to the fan option, it draws interior air and passes it through the filters. The system will thus clean the air before recirculating it back into the house.

If you want to get the most out of your syste, you need to plan for routine maintenance to ensure that the air flows as it should. Energy Star notes that clogged air filters slow airflow, so you need to clean or change them every two to three months. If you have pets or reside in a very dusty area, you may need to change the filters more often.

When ductwork has a crack or leak, it can accumulate debris which impedes airflow. It’s only through duct cleaning that you can fix this issue.

During servicing, an expert can spot and fix other issues that could be slowing your HVAC unit operation and limiting airflow during peak use. The best times to plan for HVAC maintenance are in the spring and fall before peak seasons.

3. Ventilate Your House

As Energy Saver explains, ventilation moves outdoor air into a building and distributes it throughout the rooms to provide healthy air by diluting and driving out pollutants. The most obvious way to increase air circulation throughout your house is by opening your doors and windows. This allows for cross-ventilation, which creates a gentle breeze and brings fresh air from the outside inside your home.

However, if you live near highways or in crowded areas, open your windows only when there is less traffic, early in the morning and late at night. If you don’t have fans in the bathroom and kitchen, you can install exhaust fans in your kitchen and bathroom to draw out fumes and damp air, allowing cooler air to blow into the house. An exhaust fan helps lower the humidity level in your house and removes contaminants from the house as well.

4. Air Circulation and Attic Vents

Most homeowners tend to ignore attic ventilation. This is a mistake because insufficient ventilation lets the attic trap stagnant air, which seeps into your entire house, lowering the air quality. Remember that you need whole-house ventilation to maintain constant airflow.

Have a professional install an attic fan to draw out indoor air and replace it with fresh outdoor air. Alternatively, you can choose to install a ridge vent in your house to boost air circulation in the attic. However, this type of installation is complex and requires technical skills and knowledge, so have a professional do it.

5. Rearrange Your Furniture

Rearranging your furniture can also create a positive effect on your house air circulation. Make sure there isn’t anything blocking the vents since you want to create a direct air pathway into your rooms.

By following the tips above, you can improve the airflow in your home to keep the occupants comfortable in spring, summer and beyond. While there are various simple adjustments that you can do on your own, more complex tasks require a professional approach. If you need help in improving your indoor air quality, call us at M & B Heating and Air.

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