8 Ways to Eliminate Cold and Hot Spots in Your Home
8 Ways to Eliminate Cold and Hot Spots in Your Home
Are some parts of your home cooler or warmer than others even after cranking up your air conditioning or heat? You are not alone. Unfortunately, cold and hot spots in a living space are common and annoying. Many people depend on central HVAC units to create comfortable living environments during hot and cold weather. If you’re experiencing big differences in your home’s heating or cooling, your HVAC unit or any other related devices may not be functioning effectively.
The formation of hot and cold areas causes disparities in the overall temperature of your living space. Cold spots are worse because they prevent your family from enjoying consistent heating and cooling while increasing energy bills. Several issues may cause uneven heating or cooling in your residence. Figuring out the root cause can help you solve the problem more easily. Below are some tips you can implement to eliminate cold and hot spots in your home.
1. Increase Insulation
Insulation plays an important role in retaining warmth in your living space, especially during the cold winter season. If your house has poor insulation, warm air might escape via the walls. You can check if your exterior walls are properly sealed by turning off power from the main switch and removing faceplates from each electrical outlet. Ensure you do that in each room in your house because insulation can vary from one room to another.
If your exterior walls have no insulation, you can consider installing foam insulation, which allows you to upgrade your house with minor renovations. Likewise, check your home’s attic for proper insulation. Try rolling out several insulation batts between the supports to prevent hot air from escaping through your ceiling.
Proper duct insulation also prevents warm air from seeping out when moving from the furnace to your air ducts. If your ductwork is poorly insulated or has leaks, a skilled expert can help to seal and insulate it. If you suspect an issue with your home’s insulation, it would be best to hire a skilled technician to inspect your residential property. These experts know what to look for during inspection and will advise you on the important steps to take if there are any problems.
2. Clean or Change Your Air Filters
Dirty air filters are the main culprits of airflow problems. If your filters are clogged, your HVAC unit will have to work harder to push air through them. A dirty filter puts a lot of strain on your equipment but also causes reduced airflow. Less airflow usually means that your home’s temperature will take longer to regulate. If you are experiencing uneven cooling or heating in your living space, check your filters and change them, if necessary, before looking into deeper issues. Experts recommend cleaning reusable filters or changing disposable ones every one to three months.
3. Upgrade Your Thermostat or Change its Location
Inaccurate readings or the wrong placement of your thermostat can make the furnace go off before adequately warming your living space. If your home’s thermostat is old, it might inaccurately read your residence’s temperatures. Your HVAC technician can evaluate your thermostat’s performance during routine furnace tune-ups to check for this problem. Also, if the thermostat is working correctly but located in a warm part of your house, it’ll tell the furnace that it has attained the desired temperatures long before it has adequately warmed your space. Consider investing in a wireless device that’s easy to place in the colder parts of your residence to get more accurate temperature readings.
4. Invest in Multi-Zone Heating
Zoning is probably one of the best ways to prevent uneven cooling and heating in your home. It involves installing separate thermostats in each room with air ducts. This way, you can adjust temperatures for every room separately. Zoning will help prevent cold and hot spots on your property, saving you money in the long run.
5. Check Your Air Vents
Blocked or closed registers and vents might also cause warm and cold spots in your residence. Closing off registers and ventilation can prevent your HVAC unit from working as it should. Generally, your HVAC unit outputs a similar amount of airflow every time. Closing your registers and air vents does not save energy and might lead to more serious issues, including blower motor problems and duct leaks.
Go around your house and ensure that all your registers and air ventilations are free of obstructions. Sometimes drapes, furniture, and other items inadvertently block airflow. Also, check behind furniture and underneath rugs to ensure air flows freely from your return and supply vents.
6. Adjust Your Ceiling Fans
Using ceiling fans can reduce energy efficiency and increase your home’s comfort throughout the year. Making simple adjustments to the speed and rotation of your fans can make a significant difference in indoor air circulation. During the summer and spring months, you can run the ceiling fans at a higher speed in a counterclockwise way to push cooled air down. During winter and fall, you can reverse the direction of your fans’ blades clockwise at the lowest setting to redistribute warm air in your space.
7. Have Your HVAC System’s Size Evaluated
Your cooling and heating equipment needs to be properly sized to provide even cooling and heating in your residence. That means it should have enough capacity to accommodate your home’s cooling and heating demands. If your furnace, heat pump, or air conditioner is undersized, it’ll struggle to meet the desired temperatures, resulting in cold and hot areas in your house.
Likewise, if your HVAC is oversized, it’ll heat or cool too quickly, leading to uneven temperatures in your house. Additionally, since the unit will not run long enough, it will not regulate humidity well. If your HVAC is wrongly sized, the only thing you can do is replace it with a properly sized unit for your home.
8. Seal Drafts Around Doors and Windows
A broken seal can result in drafts around your doors and windows. When a seal breaks or cracks, insulation will become compromised, allowing air to seep between the panes and into the house. As a result, your living space will develop warm and cold spots. To help keep cold air outside and heated air inside, you can install weatherstripping around your exterior windows and doors. You can also consider caulking around the windows but make sure you use the right caulk for interior or exterior surfaces.
Contact Us for Professional Assistance
Uneven heating is quite common in many American homes, particularly as a house gets older. And it’s not something you want to leave unattended for a long time. Working with experienced professionals is one of the best ways to get an energy-efficient home that’s comfortably temperate throughout your rooms and the hallways. If you’re experiencing cold and warm spots in your residential property, your cooling and heating equipment may not be operating effectively. Our dedicated team of HVAC professionals at Black Lion Heating & Air Conditioning has the knowledge, skills, experience, and tools to ensure that your equipment operates efficiently.
We also offer other services such as air quality assessments, furnaces, heat pumps, air conditioning, duct cleaning, gas fireplaces, ductless AC, water heaters, and electrical services throughout Kirkland, WA, and its surroundings. Contact us to know more about uneven cooling and heating in your home or order any other service.