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Residential HVAC question

HTTP404

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One bedroom in our house does not cool down like the others. Everything checks out with the ducting but it is the last room on the line. I noticed that the register in that room is closer to the door than usual. Looks like the builder decided to put this register in a different spot than the other houses of the same model. The question I have is, will moving this register to the far side of the room away from the door help improve air flow enough to make it worth the hassle? House is still under builder warranty.
 

Riverbound

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One bedroom in our house does not cool down like the others. Everything checks out with the ducting but it is the last room on the line. I noticed that the register in that room is closer to the door than usual. Looks like the builder decided to put this register in a different spot than the other houses of the same model. The question I have is, will moving this register to the far side of the room away from the door help improve air flow enough to make it worth the hassle? House is still under builder warranty.


Most likely improper ducting
 

Flying_Lavey

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One bedroom in our house does not cool down like the others. Everything checks out with the ducting but it is the last room on the line. I noticed that the register in that room is closer to the door than usual. Looks like the builder decided to put this register in a different spot than the other houses of the same model. The question I have is, will moving this register to the far side of the room away from the door help improve air flow enough to make it worth the hassle? House is still under builder warranty.
Possibly. But more than likely, no. Which direction does that room face? That, along with duct sizing and routing would most likely be the root of the issue. By your statement comparing the location to others of the same model, I'm assuming you are in a newer tract home?

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HTTP404

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Possibly. But more than likely, no. Which direction does that room face? That, along with duct sizing and routing would most likely be the root of the issue. By your statement comparing the location to others of the same model, I'm assuming you are in a newer tract home?

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Correct, newer tract home. I'm trying to come up with something to help that room out. In this model every other house I've been in has the register on the far side of the room over the window.
 

Inland Air Balance

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Can you feel the airflow from the register? Does it feel as strong as others in the house?
 

Bobby V

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Most likely improper ducting
Speaking of ducting. I have seen a lot of commercials for duct cleaning and how much dust they get out of the AC systems. Is this a scam or does it work.
 

Hammer

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If this a newer tract home under warranty, it would be safe to assume that there are mechanical drawings and the system was engineered properly and passed inspection.

I’d bet you you have a kink in the duct since it is in a different location than other homes of the same model or you have something in the duct like insulation.

Do you happen to have drawings of the home?


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grumpy88

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I need duct work checked to see if the house could be improved but who do you trust ?
 

Flying_Lavey

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If this a newer tract home under warranty, it would be safe to assume that there are mechanical drawings and the system was engineered properly and passed inspection.

I’d bet you you have a kink in the duct since it is in a different location than other homes of the same model or you have something in the duct like insulation.

Do you happen to have drawings of the home?


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Come on now Hambone.... we all know the engineered drawings BARELY pass muster on tract homes. Add in the piece workers installing it and the slightest inconsistency in the install leads to these kinda issues.

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azsunfun

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do you have obd registers that are adjustable , an most impotant , you have swamp cooling? differant duct sizing.
 

riverroyal

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It will help.
But to be honest dealing with the builder and letting them cut and patch the ceiling will create more problems. It will look like shit
Try one of these. Point the air away from the door. Cold air falls. This will help get the flow further into the room before being sucked out the door
Screenshot_20210621-204410_Chrome.jpg
 

HTTP404

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It gets decent air volume. The return is right outside this door so it might be 6' away. If the door is open seems like its sucked right out.
 

Hammer

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Come on now Hambone.... we all know the engineered drawings BARELY pass muster on tract homes. Add in the piece workers installing it and the slightest inconsistency in the install leads to these kinda issues.

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[emoji23] Id say this goes for almost all engineered drawings these days. Unless it’s design/build by The mechanical contractor.

I say kink in the duct from the register relocation.

To the OP. What does your warranty cover? Will they check the air balance?

You could always buy a cheapo anemometer (measures airflow) off of Amazon to see your air flow levels.

See if you have volume dampers in the duct, maybe that one is closed more than the others?

What is the size of the room and what city/state do you live in?


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Riverbound

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Speaking of ducting. I have seen a lot of commercials for duct cleaning and how much dust they get out of the AC systems. Is this a scam or does it work.

There are some scenarios where duct cleaning is necessary but would say the majority of the time it’s not needed. The commercials are a dramatization of a worst case scenario.
 

HTTP404

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[emoji23] Id say this goes for almost all engineered drawings these days. Unless it’s design/build by The mechanical contractor.

I say kink in the duct from the register relocation.

To the OP. What does your warranty cover? Will they check the air balance?

You could always buy a cheapo anemometer (measures airflow) off of Amazon to see your air flow levels.

See if you have volume dampers in the duct, maybe that one is closed more than the others?

What is the size of the room and what city/state do you live in?


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I would think this is under warranty if the thing was supposed to be in a different spot according to drawings. I had my AC guy check the ducting and he reports ducting is not obstructed.

I'm in Menifee CA,
 

Flying_Lavey

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[emoji23] Id say this goes for almost all engineered drawings these days. Unless it’s design/build by The mechanical contractor.

I say kink in the duct from the register relocation.

To the OP. What does your warranty cover? Will they check the air balance?

You could always buy a cheapo anemometer (measures airflow) off of Amazon to see your air flow levels.

See if you have volume dampers in the duct, maybe that one is closed more than the others?

What is the size of the room and what city/state do you live in?


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Meh... it all depends on who gets in first.... lol!

I love getting 3/4 of our main ducts in before the plumbers or electricians have hardly hung a single pipe. ;-)

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Bobby V

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Meh... it all depends on who gets in first.... lol!

I love getting 3/4 of our main ducts in before the plumbers or electricians have hardly hung a single pipe. ;-)

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You guys don’t coordinate your plans with other trades? B.I.M. is great for coordination.
 

azsunfun

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Meh... it all depends on who gets in first.... lol!

I love getting 3/4 of our main ducts in before the plumbers or electricians have hardly hung a single pipe. ;-)

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nothing like drywallers, walling thermostat location, and plumbers stubbing drain a foot back on wrong side, then the great stucko guys with 3" staples🤨
 

702sandman

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See if they can have the hvac company that installed the system bring out a flow hood and check the cfm’s in that room to what the engineered plans call for than if it matches or within the range then you can have them get the engineer involved so he can figure out why its not cooling in there according to what he has designed. If the cfm is lower than they need to look for kinks or design variation During install. I always have my guys follow the plans so we have a leg to stand on if there’s a flow issue.
 

Flying_Lavey

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You guys don’t coordinate your plans with other trades? B.I.M. is great for coordination.
We do. But when most every single plumber doesn't give a fuck what is coordinated and the sprinkler guys think they are God's right hand, it's WAY easier to just get our shit in at the location and elevation discussed before another trades can change their minds as it happens EVERYTIME otherwise.

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cakemoto

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We do. But when most every single plumber doesn't give a fuck what is coordinated and the sprinkler guys think they are God's right hand, it's WAY easier to just get our shit in at the location and elevation discussed before another trades can change their minds as it happens EVERYTIME otherwise.

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Sprinkler guys always go first, AC guys second plumbers and electricians below us. For 7 years all buildings I’ve done this way.
 

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See if they can have the hvac company that installed the system bring out a flow hood and check the cfm’s in that room to what the engineered plans call for than if it matches or within the range then you can have them get the engineer involved so he can figure out why its not cooling in there according to what he has designed. If the cfm is lower than they need to look for kinks or design variation During install. I always have my guys follow the plans so we have a leg to stand on if there’s a flow issue.


Lol…It’s residential…there is no engineered plans, or engineer.
 

Flying_Lavey

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Sprinkler guys always go first, AC guys second plumbers and electricians below us. For 7 years all buildings I’ve done this way.
If we waited for that to happen that way, like it used to pre-recession, we would never meet a deadline. Every single project I have done here in Tucson, the Sprinkler guys are at LEAST 3 weeks behind everybody else. We are doing a 33,000+ sq.ft. out patient clinic TI job right now where we have been on site for over a month and the sprinkler guys JUST showed up this last Thursday for the first time. We have installed 3/4 of our mains in anticipation of them running over the top, plenty of clearance for it. They decided to run underneath. Now this is a job with 8'x3' return mains and slightly smaller medium pressure supply mains so its not like its a lot of smaller branch lines where we can jump up and down to avoid things so their typical process of running right in the middle of the space would not work here and that is EXACTLY what every sprinkler and plumber we have worked with here has done when they are allowed to hang their materials first.
 

Bobby V

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If we waited for that to happen that way, like it used to pre-recession, we would never meet a deadline. Every single project I have done here in Tucson, the Sprinkler guys are at LEAST 3 weeks behind everybody else. We are doing a 33,000+ sq.ft. out patient clinic TI job right now where we have been on site for over a month and the sprinkler guys JUST showed up this last Thursday for the first time. We have installed 3/4 of our mains in anticipation of them running over the top, plenty of clearance for it. They decided to run underneath. Now this is a job with 8'x3' return mains and slightly smaller medium pressure supply mains so its not like its a lot of smaller branch lines where we can jump up and down to avoid things so their typical process of running right in the middle of the space would not work here and that is EXACTLY what every sprinkler and plumber we have worked with here has done when they are allowed to hang their materials first.
The reason us sprinkler guys are usually behind is we have to design our own plans after we are awarded the project and have a long time going thru plan check. Then we have to fab / weld our pipe The MEP trades are usually already designed in the bid drawings. Been doing this almost 40 years and it will never change. We prefer to do work with GCs that know how to run a job and knows how to coordinate the trades and who goes in first. We don't mind other trades installing their hangers in a high / low type install, but put your duct or plumbing pipe don't be upset if your material gets damaged. :cool:
 
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Bobby V

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Sprinkler guys always go first, AC guys second plumbers and electricians below us. For 7 years all buildings I’ve done this way.
Yep. That's how it is supposed to work. But some GC's don't give a shit about their subs. :rolleyes:
 

702sandman

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Lol…It’s residential…there is no engineered plans, or engineer.

here in vegas every house has to have a man J and S done now along with a plan. Especially if it’s a builder lol I would think this is standard in az and Cali ??
 

Riverbound

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here in vegas every house has to have a man J and S done now along with a plan. Especially if it’s a builder lol I would think this is standard in az and Cali ??

J and S are strictly for determining heat load/loss (J) and system sizing (S). Air distribution would be under manual (D)

Ca surprisingly doesn’t require any of these done
 

702sandman

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J and S are strictly for determining heat load/loss (J) and system sizing (S). Air distribution would be under manual (D)

Ca surprisingly doesn’t require any of these done

so in Cali a builder that is submitting a new development wouldn’t have to submit a Man J,S and D ? That’s crazy
 

Riverbound

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so in Cali a builder that is submitting a new development wouldn’t have to submit a Man J,S and D ? That’s crazy

Agreed. But nope. Some municipalities are starting to ask for it. But currently the only requirement is to be title 24 compliant.
 
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