Air & Hydronic Balancing

Air & Hydronic Balancing

Air & Hydronic Balancing

HVAC balancing is the practice of combining air and water balancing to ensure that a HVAC system functions optimally.

 What Exactly is Air Balancing?

Balancing HVAC air flow includes measuring, adjusting and distributing the flow of air in HVAC systems within residential and commercial buildings so that air flow is adequate throughout all spaces.

Air balancing contractors, like Rapid Duct Testing, conduct air balancing services to achieve balanced air heating and cooling. This involves testing heating and air conditioning systems, also referred to as a TAB inspection, when the process predominantly pertains to balancing the air flow of all supply and HVAC vents in commercial buildings.

An engineer formulates a heat load calculation based on the room size, orientation, and heat of the equipment in the room to determine how much airflow (cubic feet per minute) the HVAC system needs to enter a room to overcome the heat load.

Rapid Duct Testing strives to render airflow balancing that will ensure the HVAC system delivers within 10% of the engineer’s heat load calculation.

Air balancing contractors utilize National Balancing Council Standards to do a HVAC static pressure test, adjust belts and pulleys, measure amps, RPMs, temperatures, and volts to ensure the blower motor will not burn out. Then a certified report is submitted.

What is Involved in The Process?

To determine if the air flow is sufficient in each room, a thorough review of the building design and an assessment of the construction implementation is completed. Then, several types of tests are performed including the following:

  • HVAC and combustion testing
  • Airflow measurements of HVAC and exhaust systems
  • Measurement of amps, RPM’s, statics, temperatures and volts
  • The volume of air to flow out of each diffuser is established
  • Balancing air flow on each exhaust and supply grille

If anomalies are found, they are corrected by the HVAC installer.

Why Air Balancing?

HVAC air balancing is conducted to ensure that the HVAC system meets the expectations of the original design to function at the best level possible.

Airflow balancing ensures so that occupants will have maximum comfort anywhere inside the building.  With advancements in technology, today’s HVAC systems are more intricate than their predecessors and require HVAC air balancing to function at maximum efficiency. Due to the complex nature of today’s equipment, it is vital that an air balancing contractor have extensive experience so that the building’s occupants will be comfortable for years to come.

What is Hydronic Balancing?

Hydronic balancing assesses and balances the water flow on all air handling unit coils, boilers, cooling towers, chillers and pumps to ensure that there aren’t any fluid imbalances, inefficiencies or equipment failure. In doing so, the technician may discover that a water pump adjustment or other adjustments need to be conducted to get the balance right.