Why You Shouldn’t Close Your AC Vents

Closing air vents puts back-pressure on your entire HVAC system. We refer to this as external static pressure. Too much static pressure is a leading cause of air conditioner and component failures. In essence, you’re making the problem worse.

Think about static pressure like heart disease and plaque buildup in your veins. Too much plaque buildup and you strain your heart to the point of a heart attack. Your ducts are the veins of your HVAC system, and the compressor is the heart.

Closing your air conditioning vents can:

• Reduce the efficiency of your HVAC equipment.
• Increase your utility bills.
• Damage or permanently ruin expensive motors, circuit boards, and the compressor in your AC unit.
• Raise the humidity (moisture) levels in your home damaging structural elements of your home and furnishings.
• Decrease your overall comfort throughout your home.

The Difference Between a Vent and a Register

Although we all grew up calling them vents, air registers are the name of the device connected to air supply ducts. Vents are most often used for ventilation (exhaust) and the return air side of a duct system and are permanently open. They cannot be closed because they have fixed veins or bars. Vents are also known as return grills, exhaust grills or just grills and are most often “stamped” out of metal.

If I Shouldn’t Close My Vents, What Should I Do?

If the comfort issues you’re experiencing in your home are a minor inconvenience, try the following to see if it’s enough:

• Leave all bedroom doors open to allow for better airflow throughout the home.
• Use ceiling fans or a box fan to help circulate the air. Just know that fans cool people, not spaces.
• Reduce the amount of sunlight entering the room, especially during the hottest part of the day.

If the comfort issues are more serious you likely have larger problems with your HVAC system (equipment, ductwork, or both). If that’s the case:

Fix Your Ductwork.

This is a permanent solution as opposed to a workaround or Band-Aid.

Comfort issues caused by ductwork deficiencies are almost always repairable; it just requires hiring the right air conditioning company to do it. Even in homes where ductwork is inaccessible there are other options such ductless heat pumps and zoning systems.

Until then – don’t close your AC vents! Leave your vents open and call a professional at Air Management HVAC today to answer all your questions.