If you discover that you have hot and cold spots in your Troy home, you’re not alone. This is a fairly regular issue. While it might seem like a major problem, the good news is that the common causes of hot and cold spots are normally easy to fix with a simple 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 poorly insulated air ducts
- The wrong size of HVAC equipment
Lack of Zoning or Improper Zoning
A zoning system splits your home into separate areas, known as “zones,” and means you can determine the air temperature in each zone. The system involves multiple thermostats that operate 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 to meet the thermostat's settings. This may be the missing link to keeping that one frozen bedroom warm in the winter, or that hot box 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 end up with 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 common in homes that were built before much of today’s tools and training were available. 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 it should and decrease its life. The pros at Edington 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 properly designed and sized for your home, it may still be the cause of your home’s hot and cold spots. It’s commonplace for the ducts in a home to leak some over time. Professionals like Edington Heating & Cooling Inc can inspect 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 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 experiencing hot and cold spots through your home. Improperly sized HVAC equipment could be the cause. A system that is too small has to work 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 correctly.
No matter what’s causing the hot and cold spots in your home, Edington Heating & Cooling Inc can help. Just give us a call at 937-558-9478 and we’ll help you decide what the issue is and figure out if you need air conditioning service, or any other types of HVAC service that could help you keep your home cozy.
*Source: U.S. Department of Energy statistics