Inline duct fan

[barronj]

are these worth installing?

I have a week side of the house, and it gets hotter than a pot of neck bones.

The A/C trickles out. I went in to the attic this morning, and did my best to see any obvious issues, but none were apparent. I was looking for a crushed duct or a rip, but I really couldn't get close enough to feel.

On the side of the house where it's coolest, that's where the a/c is installed. It blows snowballs in the master bedroom.

The thermostat is located between the front two bedrooms, where it's hottest. there's also some kind of return in the daughter's bedroom, not sure how it functions though. I think we have a bed in front of it?

A/C filter is cleaned regularly.

Any ideas will help. I have guests who stay in the front bedroom, and it's uncomfortable for them.

http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u27/cbarronj/Kearsarge.jpg

[ceyko]

You think you have a bed in front of it? Well do you?

I'm not an HVAC guy, but have struggled with some problems myself. Some things to check...

1. Go to each duct connection point and have the fan going...feel for leaky air.

2. Get a IR thermometer and check for hot spots. (I found some f'ed up insulation in my attic/some walls. Still have one actually that I dunno how to fix.)

3. Check for excessive bends in the duct work.

Hell, I think of it as if I were trying to run a bunch of sprinklers in the yard from a duct point of view. Past that make sure insulation is good and window seals are good.

[Big Studly]

if you have a damper on the supply grill in the master bedroom, close it some, keep closing it off until you see a difference. you may not, but it is a free alternative. Second, do not put an inline fan, replace the fan in the unit with one with a higher static pressure. Basically your system is incorrectly balanced, which is probably the case for all residential HVAC's. Only way to do it correctly is to play with the dampers on the supply grills if they have them or install some dampers in the duct work if there aren't any and adjust those. The last solution is to replace that fan with one that has higher static, or if you actually could get someone that knew what they were doing and your fan is belt driven, you could probably replace the pulley to get more out of it.

[jyro]

if you actually could get someone that knew what they were doing and your fan is belt driven, you could probably replace the pulley to get more out of it.

All residential evaporators made in the last 17 years use direct drive motors.


most likely your evaporator coil and fan blade need cleaning. The only way to do it right, since the coil is about 3" thick, is to take it out and go to the car wash. That way you're not just washing surface dirt down into the condensate pan to later stop up in the p-trap or drain line. Check the air inlet side of the coil. Sometimes , if the filter is at the coil, you can use a flashlight and mirror to look it over. Clean it good and it will blow like new. You have to remove the fan motor and housing to clean the blade. It has to come off the motor to do it right. If you leave any clumps of dirt on it, it will be out of balance and vibrate like crazy.

[barronj]

You think you have a bed in front of it? Well do you?

:) I do, but I checked, and it's elevated enough that there's zero obstruction to the grill.