turning off vents

[tpass001]

Hi,

We are a couple living in a 5 bedroom appartment. The top floor where we spend most of our time has a separate ac unit from the one in the basement. it is a split foyer house.

So in order to reduce electricity bill, i shut the ac vents off in the rooms that we dont spend too much time in during the week. but doing this i noticed some clanking or rattling sound coming fromthe vent in the master bedroom. hearing that i turned the vents open again.

is this sound normal???

plesae let me know.

Thanks.

top.

[16x80]

tpass001

Welcome to the Home Repair Forums

Well shutting down the rooms you don't use can be harmful in the long run.

I will explain. The unit is designed to move a certain amount of air called [u]cfm</u>, By shutting down vents it is forced to move more air thru the other open vents which increase the air's velocity making it move faster. (probably moving metal in your case causing you to hear clanging) The unit then has to work harder to move the same amount of air in turn causes stress to be put on both the indoor blower and the outdoor unit.

So the debate is on! Do you or don't you shut down vents? Well one is OK, two is borderline, three is a no no. Its a tough call!

In the short run you might save yourself a buck or two. I would suggest a set back thermostat if your so inclined to use one. You can set it to a higher temp in the summer and a lower temp in the winter when your not home. You will save much more energy that way.

16x80