Dampers are the component in your HVAC unit that control how much heated or cooled air flows into a certain area. They can be operated manually or automatically. If there is something wrong with the damper in your unit, you won’t get the most efficient performance from your climate control system, and your rooms might end up too warm or too cold for comfort. Here’s how to check if your damper is working correctly.
- Identify what kind of damper you have. If it’s manual, you can find an adjustment knob near the duct work; if it’s automatic, there will be a control motor.
- Identify what register the damper is connected to and check the airflow out of that register while operating the unit.
- For manual dampers: adjust the damper to “closed” and see if airflow out of the registers has stopped. Then adjust it back to “open” and see if the air is flowing again. If the air is flowing when the damper is closed or vice versa, then something is definitely wrong.
- For automatic dampers: Turn on the unit and check for too much or too little airflow and difficulty with keeping the room at the correct temperature. These are symptoms of a malfunctioning damper.
