If you discover that you have hot and cold spots in your Auburn and Opelika home, you’re not alone. This is a fairly regular occurrence. While it may seem like a major problem, the good news is that the typical causes of hot and cold spots are typically easy to fix with a normal air conditioning service. The most common 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 divides your home into separate areas, known as “zones,” and means you’re able to set the air temperature in each zone. The system uses multiple thermostats that run 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 meet the thermostat's settings. This may be the missing link to keeping that one frozen 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 have hot and cold spots simply because their home’s duct system is the wrong size for the space that needs heated and cooled, or it’s designed the wrong way. We find this is especially commonplace in homes that were built before a lot of today’s tools and training were used. 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 frequently than necessary and reduce its life cycle. The pros at Farnell Mechanical, Inc. 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 designed and sized properly for your home, it might still be the cause of your home’s hot and cold spots. It’s common for the ducts in a home to leak some over time. Experts like Farnell Mechanical, Inc. can inspect 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 pretty 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 experiencing hot and cold spots around your home. Improperly sized HVAC equipment could be the issue. A system that is too small has to run harder to heat or cool your home, meaning you have 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 properly.
No matter what’s the cause of the hot and cold spots in your home, Farnell Mechanical, Inc. can help. Just give us a call at 334-524-2458 and we’ll help you pinpoint the problem and determine if you need air conditioning service, or any other types of HVAC service that could help you keep your home comfortable.
*Source: U.S. Department of Energy statistics