If you realize that you have hot and cold spots throughout your Rockford home, you’re not alone. This is a pretty common problem. While it might seem like a larger concern, the good news is that the typical causes of hot and cold spots are typically easy to fix with a straightforward air conditioning service. The most routine causes for hot and cold spots are:
- Zero zoning or improper zoning
- Poorly designed or ineffectively sized duct systems
- Leaky or inefficiently 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 means you’re able to set the air temperature in each zone. The system involves multiple thermostats that run dampers within the ductwork of your forced-air system. The thermostats are always reading the temperature of their assigned zone, then open or close the dampers to meet the thermostat's settings. This might be the missing link to keeping that one freezing bedroom warm in the winter, or that hot box sunroom comfortable all summer. Plus, when you use 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 experience hot and cold spots simply because their home’s duct system is not sized appropriately for the room that needs heated and cooled, or it’s poorly designed. We find this is pretty common 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 match homeowners’ expectations if the duct system isn’t letting it do its job. In fact, a shoddy duct system could actually cause new equipment to work harder than necessary and shorten its life cycle. The pros at Temperature Doctors Heating & Cooling, Inc 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 designed and sized appropriately for your home, it might still be at the root of your home’s hot and cold spots. It’s common for the ducts in a home to leak some over time. Professionals like Temperature Doctors Heating & Cooling, Inc can look at your ducts and let you know if they ought to be sealed. They may also find that your ducts aren’t leaking, but they’re not correctly insulated. Fortunately, this is also a fairly simple fix.
Improperly Sized HVAC Equipment
So possibly 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 cause. A system that is too small has to run harder to heat or cool your home, which leaves hot and cold spots because it can’t take care of 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 well.
No matter what’s causing the hot and cold spots in your home, Temperature Doctors Heating & Cooling, Inc can help. Just give us a call at (815)914-6197 and we’ll help you figure it out and figure out if you need air conditioning service, or any other types of HVAC service that can help you keep your home comfy.
*Source: U.S. Department of Energy statistics