Static Pressure-Why it Matters!

We get asked by many customers, "Why does your company/technicians perform static air test measurements?"

Our technicians measure the amount of static air pressure in the duct work on both the supply air side and the return air side. We have our technicians record the static air test reading on service and precision tune up calls and record the measurement of the invoice. 

The static air pressure measurement can advise the technician to any possible problems with the airflow.  When the total static airflow is too high (over .5WC total pressure reading), the technician will look at which “side” has an issue(s) or if both the supply air and return air side has issues.

Without getting too technical, what this means to you as a homeowner, is:

• Too high a reading on the return side can indicate that not enough air is being brought into the system. This can be caused by the return duct being too small, another return duct may be needed, or a duct may be crushed or pinched.
• Too low a reading on the return side can indicate that there is a disconnected duct or that the duct is too large.
• Too high a reading on the supply air side, can indicate a poor duct design (usually the case) and/or crushed or pinched duct work or even excessive duct runs.
• Too low a reading on the supply air side can indicate that a duct could be disconnected.

The good news is that once a problem is found it can and should be repaired to help keep you comfortable.

If the problems are not taken care of, several things can happen:

• Your home will not be as comfortable as it should.
• Your equipment life can be shortened from the added stress that improper air flow can cause.
• Your utility bills will be higher because your system is running more to keep up with the added stress that improper air flow causes.

This gives you a quick overview as to why taking static air pressure tests are an important part of any heating and cooling precision tune up and service work.