If you discover that you have hot and cold spots through your Payson home, you’re not alone. This is a fairly normal issue. While it can seem like a big issue, the good news is that the normal causes of hot and cold spots are usually easy to fix with a straightforward air conditioning service. The most common causes for hot and cold spots are:
- Zero zoning or improper zoning
- Poorly designed or ineffectively sized duct systems
- Leaky or inadequately 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 can set the air temperature in each zone. The system uses multiple thermostats that operate dampers within the ductwork of your forced-air system. The thermostats are working nonstop, reading the temperature of their designated zone, then open or close the dampers to match up with the thermostat's settings. This could be the missing link to keeping that one frozen bedroom warm in the winter, or that heat chamber sunroom comfortable all summer. Plus, when it’s used 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 isn’t sized correctly for the room that needs heated and cooled, or it’s improperly designed. We find this is fairly common 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 match homeowners’ expectations if the duct system isn’t letting it do its job. In fact, a poor duct system could actually cause new equipment to work harder than necessary and shorten its life. The professionals at North Mechanical Heating and Cooling 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 at the root of your home’s hot and cold spots. It’s commonplace for the ducts in a home to leak a bit over time. Experts like North Mechanical Heating and Cooling 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 adequately insulated. Fortunately, this is also a generally easy fix.
Improperly Sized HVAC Equipment
So there’s a chance your air duct system is just fine and you have a good zoning system, but you’re still feeling hot and cold spots throughout your home. Improperly sized HVAC equipment could be the cause. A system that is too small has to run harder to heat or cool your home, meaning you have 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 mean 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, North Mechanical Heating and Cooling can help. Just give us a call at 928-263-8570 and we’ll help you pinpoint the problem and figure out if you need air conditioning service, or any other types of HVAC service that can help you keep your home cozy.
*Source: U.S. Department of Energy statistics