Horizontal photo of female hand opening up heater floor vent with Red Oak Floors in background
There are many reasons why you might want to increase the air flow in your home. In the summertime, it can help to bring down the temperature. Throughout the year, it helps keep your house clean and free of pollutants. Dust can build up if it is not cycled out, and still air can also allow mold and mildew to build up, potentially causing health difficulties. You can buy various machines–like a central heating unit–in St. Paul, MN, to help you with your air flow troubles. Here are a few more simple ideas that can help you.
1. Open Air Passages
One of the cheapest and easiest ways to get air moving in your house is to simply crack open doors and windows. Obviously, it is preferable if you have screen windows and doors to keep out bugs and other pests, but either way, the ideas is that you need a way to actually get air into your house.
You probably already have vents installed in your home as an added air passage, but you may not be using them to their full capacity. It is possible that your vents are blocked by furniture, in which case you need to unblock them so that they can be used effectively.
2. Clean Your System
Similarly, your vents may get clogged with debris, so you may have to unclog them at some point in time. One part of your home that will routinely get clogged is the air filter in your HVAC system, which is why you need to change it regularly. A clean air filter works more efficiently and reduces your heating bill in the long run, so that’s an added bonus for you.
3. Install Fans
If all of this still isn’t enough to get the air moving, then the air may need a little help. Toward that end, you can install different kinds of fans throughout the house to increase air circulation. There are, of course, any number of ceiling fans or even floor fans that you can use in many of your rooms. Then there are a few special fans you can install in certain areas, such as exhaust fans.
Most fans blow air forward, but exhaust fans suck it backward. These are meant for areas with particularly warm air, such as kitchens and bathrooms. The warm, humid air is sucked out of the room, allowing cooler air to blow in. Since heat rises, another part of the house with a lot of hot air is the attic. You may want to look at attic fans if this is an issue for you, as these suck air out like exhaust fans.
The most important thing to remember no matter what kind of fans you use, is that you must turn them on occasionally. This may seem like a given, but you’d be surprised how many people we have to remind to regularly use the fans that they’ve installed.
4. Repair or Replace Malfunctioning Equipment
Of course, nothing works smoothly forever. Even if you are following all of our tips and doing your best to keep air flow moving as efficiently as possible, machinery will break down over time. If your old equipment becomes too damaged, you may have to get new equipment like a central heating unit from a St. Paul, MN, contractor. Many things can simply be repaired, though. For instance, you may occasionally have to seal leaks and holes in your ducts to keep air moving through without interruption.