If you’re battling uneven temperatures in your home, there’s likely an issue with your furnace or air conditioner. Check for these common causes of hot and cold spots.
1. A Dirty Air Filter
If the air filter in your furnace or air conditioner is clogged, your system won’t be able to pull air through efficiently. The lack of airflow can cause hot and cold spots around your home. You should check your filter once a month for visible dust and dirt. Change the filter any time it looks dirty or at least once every three months.
2. Obstructed Air Vents
Your air vents should be unobstructed to provide you with steady airflow throughout the home. Hot and cold spots may be the result of air vents that are closed or blocked. Make sure there are no window hangings around your vents. Keep the area around floor vents clear so the air has an unobstructed path from the vent to the main part of the living space. Ideally, you can identify a free path for airflow throughout the entire house.
3. Lack of Insulation and Sealing
Proper insulation and sealing keeps air inside the home where you want it. Make sure you have good insulation in the attic so air doesn’t escape through the sealing. You can add insulation around outlets and light switches as well. Place weather-stripping beneath windows and doors so you have a good seal when they’re closed. Check the weather-stripping annually and replace it when it becomes worn or cracked.
4. Improper Thermostat Location
Your thermostat should be located in the middle of your home. This will give it the most accurate temperature reading. You can also set up a system with multiple sensors throughout the house sending signals to your thermostat. If you have just one sensor, and it’s near a window or door, you won’t get an accurate reading. This leads to uneven temperatures.
5. Ductwork Issues
Problems with your ductwork can lead to incorrect temperatures around the house. If the ductwork wasn’t custom designed for your home, it may have more twists and turns than necessary. This makes it difficult for the air to travel quickly and effectively throughout the house.
Ducts also develop leaks over time. Holes and cracks allow air to escape between rooms. This leads to uneven temperatures, as the cooling or heating isn’t able to reach its destination in every room.
6. Poorly Sized Furnace or Air Conditioner
If your furnace or air conditioner is improperly sized, it won’t be able to maintain even temperatures throughout the house. Whether the system is too big or too small, the result is often hot and cold spots in the further reaches of the home.
If you’re dealing with hot and cold spots in your home, contact Del-Air today. We can help you diagnose the issue with your heating or AC system and come up with a solution that will deliver even comfort.
