If you discover that you have hot and cold spots throughout your Greensburg home, you’re not alone. This is a relatively normal problem. While it may seem like a big issue, the good news is that the common causes of hot and cold spots are typically easy to fix with a straightforward air conditioning service. The most common causes for hot and cold spots are:
- Zero zoning or improper zoning
- Poorly designed or ineffectively sized duct systems
- Leaky or poorly insulated air ducts
- HVAC equipment that is too big or too small
Lack of Zoning or Improper Zoning
A zoning system breaks up your home into separate areas, known as “zones,” and allows you to determine the air temperature in each zone. The system involves multiple thermostats that operate dampers within the ductwork of your forced-air system. The thermostats are working nonstop, reading the temperature of their specific zone, then open or close the dampers to match up with the thermostat's settings. This might be the key to keeping that one cold bedroom warm in the winter, or that hot box sunroom comfortable all summer. Plus, when you utilize it with a programmable thermostat, zoning can mean home energy savings of up to 35 percent.*
Poorly Designed or Ineffectively Sized Duct Systems
Some homeowners experience hot and cold spots simply because their home’s duct system is not sized appropriately for the space that needs heated and cooled, or it’s designed the wrong way. We find this is pretty commonplace in homes that were built before much of today’s tools and training were available. Unfortunately, even the most energy-efficient HVAC equipment can’t match homeowners’ expectations if the duct system isn’t letting it do its job. In fact, a bad duct system could actually cause new equipment to work more often than necessary and reduce its lifespan. The experts at Wallpe Heating & Cooling can help you determine if your duct work is working for your home.
Leaky or Inadequately Insulated Air Ducts
Even if your duct system is properly designed and sized for your home, it might still be the cause of your home’s hot and cold spots. It’s commonplace for the ducts in a home to leak a bit over time. Experts like Wallpe Heating & Cooling can look at your ducts and let you know if they ought to be sealed. They might also find that your ducts aren’t leaking, but they’re not correctly insulated. Fortunately, this is also a generally simple fix.
Improperly Sized HVAC Equipment
So there’s a chance your air duct system is just fine and you have a good zoning system, but you’re still feeling hot and cold spots around your home. Improperly sized HVAC equipment might be the issue. A system that is too small has to operate harder to heat or cool your home, which leaves hot and cold spots because it can’t handle the amount of space it needs to condition. Even a system that’s too big can mean problems because it’ll cycle on and off too often to do its job correctly.
No matter what’s the cause of the hot and cold spots in your home, Wallpe Heating & Cooling can help. Just give us a call at 812-663-7252 and we’ll help you decide what the issue is and determine if you need air conditioning service, or any other types of HVAC service that will help you keep your home comfortable.
*Source: U.S. Department of Energy statistics