Do register boosters help?

11 years ago

I have a spare room that gets quite warm in the summer due to 2 south facing windows and only 1 a/c vent. It is the smallest bedroom so I guess it only needed one vent. This room is not used often enough to justify spending $ on modifying any ductwork or anything.

Sometimes my kids' rooms get warm during the day when I have the a/c set back. The upstairs is always warmer anyway (hoping the new 2-stage system helps with that). I noticed they have taken their small window fans (the kind that fits in the window and can bring air in or out, we use them on cool nights when we don't need a/c) Anyway they put them on the floor in front of their vents and I guess they think it helps.

Today I was reading that a proper floor diffuser is important and that the cool air should reach a certain height etc. (sure wish I had 2-zones, my mom's house has ceiling vents is amazing for a/c--but I wont pay for it) I found these powered floor diffusers online and wondered what the opinions were on them for the occasional hot rooms, and whether they would be any better than the fan on the floor that my kids improvised. http://www.amazon.com/Suncourt-HC500-B-Flush-Register-Booster/dp/B001WT11Y2/ref=sr_1_16?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1345229406&sr=1-16&keywords=floor+registers

I might ask about booster fan in the vent from my hvac guy, but I don't expect it to be cheap. Any ideas on cost? It would be great if they could put the fan int he duct, but have a power cord to an outlet. I bet wiring it is a large part of the cost...

Also, until I get my new hvac...should my old single stage 10seer a/c have the fan setting on auto or "on". I always thought the "on" would use more energy....

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Comments (5)

mike_home
11 years ago
Booster fans on registers or in-line with the duct work do no much to improve the temperature in a room. A room fan does make you feel cooler because of the wind chill effect of the air moving over your skin. The fan can be placed anywhere in the room.

It is best to keep the fan on the auto setting when using the AC. The humidity tends to rise if the fan is in the on position. You can experiment with this. A single speed fan will consume a fair amount of electricity.
cindywhitall
Original Author
11 years ago
The fan being "on" did seem to make the upstairs a bit cooler. It hasn't been humid this week, so I didn't notice that. Of course I don't want to,run the bill up so since you say the fan will eat up electric I won't leave it on unless I need to.

Is the somewhat more even temp a result of the fan being on? When the fan runs is that what draws the air into the returns as well? We have return in each bedroom and hall, so I can see how running the fan would help.

Is this the reason why the 2stage with variable blower makes it more even temps? I assume the variable fan is not as expensive to run as my current one (probably one speed?) I still find it odd that the new system is meant to run longer, yet be more efficient (cheaper to run). One more thing, did I read somewhere that the fan will run for a few minutes every hour even when furnace or compressor is not?

Iam getting the carrier 59tp5 100 k and the acb7 4ton. maybe not the best, but way better the my single stage 10 seer! The coil matches (looked it up, but i know the nj rebate requires everything 2 match and they calc eff. I think it will be 16.2 ) the Honeywell 8321 (might be 8320 I don't have it in front of me).

Thanks for the education. Don't tell me I should have this or that, because the papers are signed!
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mike_home
11 years ago
Running the fan continuously will help even out the air temperature through out the house. If you have a 2-stage furnace, then setting it on low speed is sufficient. The Carrier variable speed motor is fairly efficient. It will probably cost a few dollars per month to run the fan 24/7.
Elmer J Fudd
11 years ago
Mike,

Doesn't running a fan continously also increase heat gain (or loss, depending on the season) if ducts and hvac equipment are in unconditioned spaces?
mike_home
11 years ago
That's a good point. Where I live it is rare to see duct work in an attic. I tend to forget duct work can run in an unconditioned space. So it may be counterproductive to run the fan during very hot or cold times of the year if your duct work is not well insulated.