If you discover that you have hot and cold spots through your Newton home, you’re not alone. This is a relatively regular occurrence. While it may seem like a larger problem, the good news is that the typical causes of hot and cold spots are typically easy to fix with a normal air conditioning service. The most likely 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
- HVAC equipment that is too big or too small
Lack of Zoning or Improper Zoning
A zoning system breaks up your home into separate areas, known as “zones,” and means you’re able to set the air temperature in each zone. The system involves multiple thermostats that operate dampers inside the ductwork of your forced-air system. The thermostats constantly read 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 cold bedroom warm in the winter, or that hot box sunroom comfortable all summer. Plus, when you use 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 experience hot and cold spots simply because their home’s duct system isn’t sized correctly for the room that needs heated and cooled, or it’s poorly designed. We find this is fairly common in homes that were built before a lot of today’s tools and training were available. Unfortunately, even the most energy-efficient HVAC equipment can’t live up to homeowners’ expectations if the duct system isn’t permitting it to do its job. In fact, a shoddy duct system could actually cause new equipment to work more frequently than necessary and reduce its life cycle. The professionals at Brookwood Inc can help you figure out 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 at the root of your home’s hot and cold spots. It’s normal for the ducts in a home to leak a bit over time. Pros like Brookwood Inc can look at your ducts and let you know if they need sealed. They may also find that your ducts aren’t leaking, but they’re not correctly insulated. Fortunately, this is also a fairly 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 through your home. Improperly sized HVAC equipment could be the issue. 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 keep up with 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 well.
No matter what’s the cause of the hot and cold spots in your home, Brookwood Inc can help. Just give us a call at 641-316-9803 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 will help you keep your home comfy.
*Source: U.S. Department of Energy statistics