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Steps for installing a zoned HVAC system
- Install AA batteries in the motorized vents to replace current manual vents in all the rooms in your home. You may need a screwdriver to remove some of the vents.
- Install plug-in sensors in outlets in each room of your home.
- Connect wireless hub to your router using an Ethernet wire.
- You may need to replace your existing thermostat and install a programmable thermostat compatible with this system.
- Download the app on your smartphone and monitor the temperature in each room. You’ll be able to control your desired temperature up or down.
Learn More: How to Create Zones in a Forced-Air HVAC System
Pro Tip: Richard Trethewey, This Old House plumbing and heating expert, points out that when zones close off, pressure can build up in the supply trunk. To prevent noise and whistling, he recommends installing a bypass damper—a weighted damper between the supply trunk and the return trunk. “Instead of having to try to fight its way through the registers,” Trethewey explains, pressure lifts the damper so “some of the air would come right back into the return” and recirculate quietly.
The intelligent vents may look similar to standard floor registers, but they’re engineered differently. Pop off the face plate and you’ll find a circuit board with a small radio inside—all powered by normal AA batteries that last 3 to 5 years. There are no wires to run. The vents, sensors, and hub all communicate wirelessly, collecting temperature data continuously and sending it to the hub, which mashes all that information together to deliver room-by-room temperature control.
For traditional duct-mounted zoning dampers, Richard Trethewey demonstrates that blade-style motorized dampers can be daisy-chained together using simple telephone jack cords. If two branches serve the same floor, wiring them together means both dampers open and close in unison when the thermostat calls. Each damper also features an indicator light to confirm whether it’s open or closed, making troubleshooting straightforward.
