If you realize that you have hot and cold spots in your Mechanicsburg home, you’re not alone. This is a pretty common occurrence. While it might seem like a big problem, the good news is that the common 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:
- Lack of zoning or improper zoning
- Poorly designed or ineffectively sized duct systems
- Leaky or poorly insulated air ducts
- Improperly sized 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 inside the ductwork of your forced-air system. The thermostats are always reading the temperature of their specific zone, then open or close the dampers according to the thermostat's settings. This might be the missing link to keeping that one frozen bedroom warm in the winter, or that smoldering sunroom comfortable all summer. Plus, when it’s used 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 isn’t sized correctly for the area 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 permitting 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 lifespan. The professionals at H & H Service Company 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 the cause of your home’s hot and cold spots. It’s common for the ducts in a home to leak a bit over time. Experts like H & H Service Company can check your ducts and let you know if they ought to be sealed. They might also find that your ducts aren’t leaking, but they’re not correctly 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 noticing hot and cold spots around your home. Improperly sized HVAC equipment might be the issue. 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 mean problems because it’ll cycle on and off too often to do its job correctly.
No matter what’s the culprit of the hot and cold spots in your home, H & H Service Company can help. Just give us a call at 717-220-4502 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 can help you keep your home comfortable.
*Source: U.S. Department of Energy statistics