If you discover that you have hot and cold spots throughout your Ballwin and St. Charles home, you’re not alone. This is a fairly common issue. While it might seem like a major problem, the good news is that the typical causes of hot and cold spots are normally easy to fix with a straightforward 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 poorly insulated air ducts
- The wrong size of HVAC equipment
Lack of Zoning or Improper Zoning
A zoning system splits your home into separate areas, known as “zones,” and allows you to customize the air temperature in each zone. The system involves multiple thermostats that run dampers within the ductwork of your forced-air system. The thermostats constantly read the temperature of their designated zone, then open or close the dampers according to the thermostat's settings. This could be the key to keeping that one freezing bedroom warm in the winter, or that heat chamber sunroom comfortable all summer. Plus, when you utilize it with a programmable thermostat, zoning could 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 isn’t sized correctly for the area that needs heated and cooled, or it’s designed the wrong way. We find this is pretty commonplace in homes that were built before many 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 permitting it to do its job. In fact, a poor duct system could actually cause new equipment to work more often than it should and reduce its life. The experts at Air Alliance Team 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 may still be at the root 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 Air Alliance Team can check your ducts and let you know if they need sealed. They may also find that your ducts aren’t leaking, but they’re not correctly insulated. Fortunately, this is also a generally easy 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 noticing hot and cold spots throughout 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 leave you with problems because it’ll cycle on and off too often to do its job well.
No matter what’s causing the hot and cold spots in your home, Air Alliance Team can help. Just give us a call at 636-206-4250 and we’ll help you decide what the issue is and figure out if you need air conditioning service, or any other types of HVAC service that will help you keep your home comfy.
*Source: U.S. Department of Energy statistics