How to Equalize a Vent

Open all the vents in the house fully with the heating and cooling systems turned off. Open the doors of all rooms with vents as well so the hot or cold air is free to travel throughout the home unimpeded.

Turn on your thermostat and set it high enough that the system stays on for an extended period of time. Wait at least an hour with the system running to allow each room to adjust its temperature.

Walk through each room in the house while the system continues running. If you're using the air conditioning, partially close the vents in the coldest rooms in the house, while leaving the vents fully open in the rooms that are warmer. If you're running the heater, adjust the vents in the hottest rooms while leaving the colder room vents open.

Set the thermostat to its normal setting once you have the vents equalized and each room is comfortable.

Repeat the procedure when you switch from using the heater to the air conditioning or vice versa. Equalize the vents twice a year when the weather gets hotter and when it gets colder for best results.