Zoning 101: The Potential Risks of Closing Registers

When it comes to priorities, nothing is more important to a homeowner than the comfort and safety of their living space. When you’re conducting a service call for a homeowner, what are the most common concerns they have about their current HVAC system? They may express concerns over high energy bills or frustration about poor circulation throughout their home – that it’s too hot in some rooms and too cold in others.  What is their current solution to the problem? Often, it’s by controlling the registers in various rooms of their home. Although it makes sense to shut off airflow to unused rooms and areas, most homeowners don’t know what potential risks and damages this may cause to their HVAC equipment. Closing registers or using magnetic mount vent covers is not without risk.

What are some of the potential risks of closing registers to control airflow?

First, the register control method can result in equipment failure due to the blower getting damaged, and it can also lead to frozen air conditioner coils and damage to the compressor.

Secondly, condensation and bacterial growth can occur in unoccupied rooms from a lack of air circulation. And lastly, there is also the potential to damage the heat exchanger due to restricted airflow without appropriate control, leading to unsafe operation.

It’s essential to inform the homeowner that the register control method will do more harm than good. It can potentially cause unexpected and expensive failures of the HVAC equipment. Properly zoning is the more cost-efficient choice as any of the potential risks and damages can be avoided from the beginning.

How HVAC zoning can help

Arzel zoning systems redirect air safely throughout the home by opening the dampers during off cycles, which allows the furnace blower to start or ramp smoothly rather than against a high static application. This smooth operation prevents the damage that occurs when the blower constantly starts and stops against high static from manually closed registers. This process enables a more effective operation of the existing HVAC system while improving airflow and circulation and lower energy bills when unoccupied areas are set back rather than turned off. Further on, select zone panels Arzel offers limit protections that will turn off your furnace or compressor while continuing to bring the supply temperature back to normal with a fan output, preventing freeze-up and overheating conditions that stress the HVAC equipment.

Our pneumatic zoning systems are quick and easy to install. They come with a limited lifetime parts warranty and a 100% comfort guarantee, which means that our zoning system will improve your customer’s comfort, or we will buy it back!

Don’t let your homeowner risk damage to their existing HVAC system to control comfort, and help them prevent significant, unexpected, and expensive repairs by offering them an Arzel Zoning system. Help them address their comfort issues the right way. It’s a risk-free investment and solution to your customers’ future comfort and the most effective, safest way to control comfort that, when appropriately designed, avoids the risks and damages that can occur from closed registers. It is more affordable than a new HVAC system, after all.