If you discover that you have hot and cold spots throughout your McHenry home, you’re not alone. This is a relatively normal problem. While it can seem like a larger problem, the good news is that the common causes of hot and cold spots are usually easy to fix with a normal air conditioning service. The most likely causes for hot and cold spots are:
- Zero 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 breaks up your home into separate areas, known as “zones,” and allows you to determine the air temperature in each zone. The system uses multiple thermostats that operate dampers inside the ductwork of your forced-air system. The thermostats are always reading the temperature of their designated zone, then open or close the dampers to match up with the thermostat's settings. This might be the key 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 can 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 room that needs heated and cooled, or it’s designed the wrong way. We find this is pretty commonplace in homes that were built before much 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 harder than it should and decrease its life. The professionals at Jett's Heating & Air 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 properly designed and sized for your home, it may 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. Pros like Jett's Heating & Air 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 adequately insulated. Fortunately, this is also a generally easy 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 experiencing hot and cold spots throughout your home. Improperly sized HVAC equipment may 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 correctly.
No matter what’s the culprit of the hot and cold spots in your home, Jett's Heating & Air Inc. can help. Just give us a call at 815-410-1128 and we’ll help you pinpoint the problem and determine 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