If you discover that you have hot and cold spots in your Arlington home, you’re not alone. This is a relatively regular problem. While it might 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 routine causes for hot and cold spots are:
- Lack of zoning or improper zoning
- Poorly designed or ineffectively sized duct systems
- Leaky or inadequately insulated air ducts
- The wrong size of HVAC equipment
Lack of Zoning or Improper Zoning
A zoning system breaks up your home into separate areas, known as “zones,” and means you can customize the air temperature in each zone. The system involves multiple thermostats that control dampers within the ductwork of your forced-air system. The thermostats are working nonstop, reading the temperature of their assigned zone, then open or close the dampers according to 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 can 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 room that needs heated and cooled, or it’s improperly designed. We find this is pretty common in homes that were built before many of today’s tools and training were used. 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 bad duct system could actually cause new equipment to work more often than necessary and shorten its life. The professionals at Service Max Heating & Air Conditioning 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 might still be the source of your home’s hot and cold spots. It’s normal for the ducts in a home to leak a bit over time. Professionals like Service Max Heating & Air Conditioning can look at your ducts and let you know if they need sealed. They could also find that your ducts aren’t leaking, but they’re not properly insulated. Fortunately, this is also a fairly routine 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 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, 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 mean problems because it’ll cycle on and off too often to do its job well.
No matter what’s causing the hot and cold spots in your home, Service Max Heating & Air Conditioning can help. Just give us a call at 360-255-5857 and we’ll help you figure it out and figure out if you need air conditioning service, or any other types of HVAC service that can help you keep your home comfy.
*Source: U.S. Department of Energy statistics