If you discover that you have hot and cold spots through your Carson City home, you’re not alone. This is a fairly normal issue. While it can seem like a big problem, the good news is that the normal causes of hot and cold spots are normally easy to fix with a simple air conditioning service. The most routine causes for hot and cold spots are:
- No zoning or improper zoning
- Poorly designed or ineffectively sized duct systems
- Leaky or inadequately insulated air ducts
- HVAC equipment that is too big or too small
Lack of Zoning or Improper Zoning
A zoning system splits your home into separate areas, known as “zones,” and means you can determine the air temperature in each zone. The system is composed of multiple thermostats that control dampers within the ductwork of your forced-air system. The thermostats are working nonstop, reading the temperature of their assigned zone, then open or close the dampers to meet the thermostat's settings. This may be the missing link to keeping that one cold bedroom warm in the winter, or that heat chamber sunroom comfortable all summer. Plus, when you use it with a programmable thermostat, zoning may mean home energy savings of up to 35 percent.*
Poorly Designed or Ineffectively Sized Duct Systems
Some homeowners end up with hot and cold spots simply because their home’s duct system is the wrong size for the area that needs heated and cooled, or it’s designed the wrong way. We find this is pretty normal in homes that were built before much of today’s tools and training were around. Unfortunately, even the most energy-efficient HVAC equipment can’t meet homeowners’ expectations if the duct system isn’t allowing it to do its job. In fact, a poor duct system could actually cause new equipment to work more often than necessary and shorten its lifespan. The professionals at Anderson Heating & A/C can help you decide 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 source of your home’s hot and cold spots. It’s common for the ducts in a home to become leaky over time. Experts like Anderson Heating & A/C can check your ducts and let you know if they should be sealed. They may also find that your ducts aren’t leaking, but they’re not adequately insulated. Fortunately, this is also a generally simple fix.
Improperly Sized HVAC Equipment
So maybe your air duct system is just fine and you have a good zoning system, but you’re still feeling hot and cold spots through your home. Improperly sized HVAC equipment could be the culprit. A system that is too small has to work harder to heat or cool your home, leaving you with hot and cold spots because it can’t keep up with the amount of space it needs to condition. Even a system that’s too big can cause problems because it’ll cycle on and off too often to do its job properly.
No matter what’s causing the hot and cold spots in your home, Anderson Heating & A/C can help. Just give us a call at 775-230-7628 and we’ll help you decide what the issue is and decide if you need air conditioning service, or any other types of HVAC service that will help you keep your home cozy.
*Source: U.S. Department of Energy statistics