How to Fix Uneven Heating

Do you sometimes walk from one room of your house to another and realize that you are suddenly sweating? This situation is referred to as having hot and cold spots, and it essentially means that you’ve got uneven temperatures in your home for one reason or another. Hot and cold spots can present themselves in a variety of ways, and every one of them is annoying. Sometimes, one specific room will always be colder or warmer than the rest of the house. In other scenarios, the entire lower floor of a house will consistently receive less conditioned air than the upper levels. There are even certain cases in which the temperatures around a home seem to be all over the place and entirely random.

Many homeowners assume that their hot and cold spots are caused by a malfunctioning HVAC unit. While that is a possible cause, it is only one of many potential reasons for uneven household temperatures. If your household is dealing with this frustrating problem, you can try some of the following remedies. Odds are, one of them will do the trick.

Change the Setting on Your Thermostat

In most cases, it is prudent to have your household thermostat set to “Auto.” When it is on that setting, the heating and cooling systems will always shut off on their own as soon as they are finished with a cycle. That ensures that your home is not wasting a bunch of energy or putting more mileage than necessary on your HVAC equipment. That said, if your household is experiencing hot and cold spots, you may want to switch your thermostat to the “On” setting. When the thermostat is set to this position, the system’s fan will continue circulating air around your house even after cycling has been completed.

If you leave your thermostat set to “On” and forget to turn it off, you will likely see your monthly electricity bills rise, and it may increase the risk of a system breakdown. So, the key is to keep a close watch on your HVAC system. Let it continue to circulate cool or warm air for a short while after it finishes its cycle, and then turn it off. That extra time spent circulating air may be what’s needed to even out the temperatures throughout your household. If it turns out that something else is causing the problem, you won’t have done any harm, and you can continue trying other troubleshooting methods.

Get Your Ducts Cleaned

Think of your home’s air ducts as roads, and each area of your house as a destination. When your HVAC unit is attempting to cool down or heat up the house, it needs to move conditioned air along those roads and to each of the destinations. However, if any of those roads are blocked, some or all of the air will not make it to where it is heading. In the case of hot and cold spots in your home, it is usually an accumulation of dust, dirt, pollen, dander, and even mold that is playing the role of a roadblock. These contaminants gradually build up in your ductwork over time, and in addition to uneven temperatures, they can impact the efficiency and health of your HVAC appliances.

Professional duct cleanings are always a wise investment, and scheduling one could be what is required to take care of your home’s hot and cold spots. Plus, while your ductwork technicians are working, they will be checking the air ducts for any leaks or other damage. Sometimes, uneven home temperatures are caused because large quantities of conditioned air are consistently escaping through ductwork leaks.

Inspect and Clean Your Vents

If your air ducts are the roads and the rooms of your home are the destinations, that would make your air vents the driveways. Once the cool or hot air has made it all the way through the ducts, the vents are the last obstacles before it reaches your living space. However, the interior of those air vents is also susceptible to the buildup of dust, debris, and other contaminant particles. If one vent is clogged, it will undoubtedly have an impact on the comfort level of that part of your home. There is also the potential for your air vents to be blocked by exterior objects. If you are experiencing hot and cold spots, make sure that no one has inadvertently moved a piece of furniture directly in front of a vent.

After you have ensured that all of your vents have open space around them to circulate air, you should clean the interior of each one. All you will need is a screwdriver to remove the cover panels and a vacuum with an extension hose to remove the contaminants. Whether it fixes your uneven temperatures or not, it would be wise to get into the habit of completing this task every month.

Invest in Attic Insulation

If you are observing that there is a climate difference between the lower and upper sections of your household, attic insulation may be able to remedy the issue. Without attic insulation, much of the air your HVAC unit circulates may collect at the top of the house. If you have worn-out or damaged roofing, some of that warm or cool air can even escape. With high-quality attic insulation, that air will be kept to the middle and lower parts of the house, which should result in more even temperatures overall. There are multiple kinds of attic insulation on the market, but the most popular and effective is spray foam insulation.

Schedule an HVAC System Tune-Up

It is possible that your hot and cold spots are simply being caused by a struggling HVAC unit. If your heating or cooling system is malfunctioning or operating inefficiently, it is entirely possible that the air circulation is being affected. If your HVAC system is more than 15 years old or has something seriously wrong with it, you will most likely need to invest in a repair job or even a new unit. In some cases, though, a professional maintenance visit may do the trick.

You can enlist one of our expert HVAC technicians to handle your tune-up. In addition to potentially fixing your hot and cold spots, you can expect to enjoy some or all of the following household benefits:

• Better home comfort
• Lower monthly energy bills
• Improved indoor air quality
• Longer HVAC unit lifespan
• Fewer repair jobs needed

When it comes to heating, cooling, and indoor air quality, residents of the region know that they can always depend on our skilled team. We want to create a lasting impression and provide dependable and affordable service to all of our customers. If you would like to learn more about our quality services or schedule an appointment, give us a call today.