Duct Booster Fan: Do They Really Work?
The duct booster fan, also known as HVAC, boosts the room’s airflow. It circulates the air in the whole room to retain the same temperature everywhere. It needs a minute amount of energy to operate.
Generally, it helps resolve uneven temperature-related issues such as heating and cooling or cooling issues. It also performs essential functions such as heating, ventilation & air control.
The price of this kind of product is quite reasonable. You can easily pick them up at the market. But the challenge is knowing whether they will work or not.
A duct booster fan works excellently for home, office, grow room, and greenhouse usage. But sometimes, they don’t function effectively due to wrong selection and mismatching for your work.
This guide aims to help you understand the kind of duct booster fan you need and whether the device will work for you.
So, let’s delve in.
Does Duct Air Booster Fan Work?
Duct booster fans are designed to increase airflow through your home’s ductwork, and whether they are worth it depends on your specific situation and expectations.
Here are some points to consider when evaluating the value of duct booster fans:
Advantages of Duct Booster Fans
- Improved Air Flow in Remote Areas: If your home has rooms far from the heating/cooling unit and suffers from poor air circulation, a duct booster fan can help improve airflow in these areas.
- Energy Efficiency: By improving air circulation, these fans can help your HVAC system work more efficiently, especially in homes with long duct runs or multiple stories.
- Cost-Effective Solution: Unlike more extensive HVAC upgrades or modifications, installing a duct booster fan is generally less expensive and more manageable.
- Targeted Comfort: They can be handy in rooms with specific heating or cooling needs different from the rest of the house.
Disadvantages and Limitations
- Underlying HVAC Issues: If your HVAC system is improperly sized or your ductwork is poorly designed or damaged, a booster fan may not address the root cause of airflow problems.
- Noise: Some duct booster fans can be noisy, which might be a concern depending on their location and the noise sensitivity of occupants.
- Installation and Compatibility: Installation might require professional help, especially if electrical wiring is involved. Also, not all systems are compatible with booster fans, so it’s important to check this beforehand.
- Maintenance: Like all mechanical systems, duct booster fans require maintenance to ensure they operate effectively and do not become a fire hazard due to dust accumulation.
Effectiveness and ROI
- Assessing Needs: Before investing in a duct booster fan, it’s essential to assess whether poor airflow is due to blocked vents, dirty filters, or other issues that can be resolved without additional equipment.
- Professional Evaluation: Consulting with an HVAC professional can help determine if a booster fan is a suitable solution for your home or if other interventions (like ductwork modifications or HVAC system upgrades) are more appropriate.
Why Do You Need the Duct Booster Fan?
The booster fans for ductwork are effective solutions for everyday problems like high temperatures. It ensures air is evenly distributed in the room, thus maintaining the temperature. It also has an air pressure switch. Here are some why people use it:
To solve the uneven heat & cooling problem.
It is a common challenge that your house’s temperature will not be the same for every part. This situation is common in offices, greenhouses, grow rooms, etc. By using the duct booster fan, you can solve this problem.
This type of fan spreads the room’s air, reaching every corner of the room. So, during the hot season, the booster fan circulates the cool air in every part of the room and vice versa.
To maintain the HVAC of a room.
HVAC is an acronym for heating, ventilation & air conditioning. When you use the duct booster fan for your work, you can manage the HVAC quite easily.
These three conditions are critical factors for room environment management. A duct booster fan controls the temperature of the room air. You can use the fan as a suitable ventilator and control the ventilation system.
Although a central air conditioning system works well for the maintenance of a room, however, you have to ensure that every room of your system remains in the same air temperature and pressure. But with a duct booster fan, you can easily control this.
Easy to install and maintain
The installation and maintenance process of the duct booster fan is simple. Anyone can complete the task efficiently.
It is Cost-Effective
The duct booster fans are cost-effective and easy to install, maintain, and control. They also require a small amount of electricity to operate.
On the other hand, other processes of duct management are more costly than the booster fan.
The duct booster fan can complete the ductwork quite smoothly. If you want to manage your room’s HVAC in a low-budget and effective way, you may need the duct booster fan.
Why is the Duct Booster Fan Important for the Grow Room?
The grow room must maintain the ideal humidity, HVAC, and air balance. The grow room’s air factors are not controlled automatically. Therefore, you have to handle it wisely.
For this reason, the duct booster is the ultimate choice. Almost every grow room contains duct booster fans, which control the airflow entirely.
- The duct booster fan solves the uneven heating or cooling of the grow room.
- It functions as the exhausting system for the grow room.
- It helps to maintain the normal air pressure and flow of the plants.
- You can maintain the grow room’s humidity by exhausting or exchanging between the grow room air and the natural air. This is important for the grow room’s plants.
- It is an effective and money-saving device for the grow room.
How Does the Duct Booster Fan Work?
It is quite a simple process to understand. The duct booster fan has a strong motor that rotates at super-fast speed and increases airflow.
It has a power controlling system, motor controller, and fan blades. Some advanced duct fans have extra features such as a thermostat, remote control system, and other features.
The power controlling system ensures a suitable supply for the motor. The motor controller controls the motor’s speed. When the motor starts working, the blades rotate and increase the airflow. It also creates a low-pressure zone at the top of the duct. The air tries to maintain the static pressure and begins to move.
Different Types of Duct Fans and Duct Booster Fan Reviews
There are mainly two types of duct booster fans. They are registered as booster fans & inline duct booster fans. Read on to understand their differences and their mechanism.
Register Booster Fan
The register booster fan stays at the ceiling register of the room. You can also install it on the wall or floor—the installation process for this fan of simple and economical.
You can easily handle the rectangular register fan. It is only a plug-and-play system to work. You can also add a remote control system, thermostat, etc. Nice and quiet.
The only disadvantage of the register booster fan is that it’s pretty noisy. It creates a lot of noise when it runs, which is discomforting.
We recommend ones with variable fan speed.
Inline Duct-Booster Fan
However, it is an excellent alternative for ductwork. The inline duct booster fan is a cylindrical booster fan. It is a heavy-duty fan. It is advisable to place this fan between the HVAC source and the selected room(s). It produces less noise than the register fan. The rectangular fan also has a thermostat.
For the installation process, you may need an expert electrician. Because some hardware and wiring works are required, installing it in the right location is crucial.
There are various kinds of inline duct booster fans. You have to select the suitable one for your workplace as your choice. Otherwise, it will not be beneficial for you.
Here are some types of inline duct booster fans:
- Inline duct exhaust fan
- External mount duct fan
- Centrifugal duct fan, Mixed flow fan
- Rodon fan, Multi-port ventilation fan
- Axial fan
- Propeller fan
These types also have different sizes for various kinds of uses.
A recessed duct fan is another type of quiet ductwork fan. This kind of rectangular fan fits into the wall. You can easily maintain this fan like the register booster fan. Read here to learn more about the best booster fans for ductwork.
How to Install a Duct Booster Fan?
For the installation, you don’t need any sophisticated machinery or tools for this process. You may have these things in your house.
- 4-in-1 screwdriver
- Wirecutter
- Wire tape
But only for the inline duct booster; you may opt for help from the electrician. I have divided the whole into these steps for ease of understanding.
Select the right installation place
It is the first and foremost step in installing a duct booster fan. The efficiency of this machine mostly depends on it. If you choose the right place for the duct fan, it will provide the required services. Otherwise, it can be a loss project for you.
It is ideal for installing the duct booster near the problematic room. Try to fit it on the ceiling or wall to avoid the waste of the room’s space. Some people prefer putting it on the floor. You must ensure the installation point can quickly get the electric supply line for the fan.
Check all the connections and the fan carefully.
It is necessary to check the connection and the fan throughout the start of the primary installation process. If any problem remains in the connections, you can solve it easily before the installation. Otherwise, it will become more complex to solve.
Check the outer surfaces of the fan. If you find any problem, you can replace the fan easily before the installation.
Create space for the duct booster fan to install
You can efficiently complete the job if there is space for the ductwork fan where you want to install it. But most of the time, people don’t find this facility. For this work, it is ideal to seek help from a professional.
Ensure a safe power supply
The duct booster fan cannot give proper output without a reliable and continuous power supply. An unsafe supply system or connection can bring disasters. So, it is mandatory to ensure a safe power supply for the fan.
Check the duct booster fan after finishing all the steps.
Run at least two trials to ensure all things are fine. The installation process is finished if the duct booster fan works properly during trial periods. Now, you will get the ductwork and the HVAC works from the booster fan.
If you want to benefit from the duct booster fan, you must install it correctly. Otherwise, you will face some problems maintaining the ductwork.
How to Choose the Best Duct Booster Fan?
It would be best to consider some factors before choosing a duct booster fan for your work. They are the fan model, CFM capacity, static pressure (air pressure switch), and loudness limit. It will be the most suitable if you find all of these in the right proportion in a duct booster fan for your work.
Fan model
All the duct booster fans’ work output is the same. However, they are different in their size, capacity, method, and other features. It is necessary to understand what you need. The budget is another critical thing for the selection process. It varies from person to person.
It is ideal for reading the user manual and learning the feature benefits, pros, and cons of the fan models before buying it.
CFM capacity
CFM stands for cubic feet per minute. It is an ideal way to determine the air-exchange capacity of a fan. A proper building code might have the information required CFM for a particular structure. Every model of the duct booster fan shows the CFM capacity as a feature of it.
You can calculate the CFM for a room by using this formula. CFM = Room Volume/change per minute.
Here is a CFM list of workspace rooms that will help you understand what you need for your work.
- Boiler rooms need 1-3 min./change
- Factories need 2-7 min./change
- Laboratories need 2-5 min./change
- Living rooms need 1-3 min./change
- Grow rooms need 2-5 min./change
Static Pressure
The static pressure measurement is a vital fact for the selection process. To measure the static pressure, you can use a manometer. The average static pressure of the duct fan system is less than 2 inches SP.
You must select the right fan to maintain the room’s average static pressure. The duct booster fan produces a low-pressure region at the top of the exhausting area. The static pressure also depends on the air velocity.
You have to measure your room’s static pressure and bring the right fan that works efficiently under this pressure. You can find the information in the duct booster fan manual.
Loudness limit
The standard duct booster fans create noise, and it is a regular thing. But excessive noise can bring trouble to your work. This varies from person to person. Try to choose the duct booster fan that makes less noise when running.
Comparing
Comparing can bring a good result for you. By comparing, you can save money and get a more suitable fan for your ductwork. If you compare the duct booster fan for your work, you can quickly learn the benefits and drawbacks of those fans. It will save you valuable time also.
Final Words
Using a duct booster fan with the thermostat can give you more comfort in the case of a room’s atmosphere control. The ductwork is important for your house, grow room, and other workspaces.
When you can maintain the ductwork using the right duct inline booster fan, why don’t you use it? These fans are cheap and need the lowest maintenance work. They also use a small amount of electricity to run, which is good.
The duct booster fan is an excellent solution for the room’s HVAC airflow system. If you can find a suitable one for your work, it will work for you.
I believe you have understood the kind of booster fan you need for your work and what should be done before you start using it.
See also: Best Grow Tent Fan Reviews, Buyers Guide & Our Top 6 Best Picks.