If you realize that you have hot and cold spots through your Lexington home, you’re not alone. This is a relatively regular occurrence. While it may seem like a larger issue, the good news is that the normal causes of hot and cold spots are usually easy to fix with a simple air conditioning service. The most common causes for hot and cold spots are:
- No zoning or improper zoning
- Poorly designed or ineffectively sized duct systems
- Leaky or poorly insulated air ducts
- Improperly sized HVAC equipment
Lack of Zoning or Improper Zoning
A zoning system divides 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 within the ductwork of your forced-air system. The thermostats are always reading the temperature of their assigned zone, then open or close the dampers to match up with the thermostat's settings. This could be the missing piece to keeping that one freezing bedroom warm in the winter, or that hot box sunroom comfortable all summer. Plus, when it’s used with a programmable thermostat, zoning may 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 is the wrong size for the space that needs heated and cooled, or it’s improperly designed. We find this is fairly commonplace in homes that were built before many of today’s tools and training were available. Unfortunately, even the most energy-efficient HVAC equipment can’t meet homeowners’ expectations if the duct system isn’t allowing it to do its job. In fact, a shoddy duct system could actually cause new equipment to work harder than needed and decrease its life. The experts at James Heating & A/C, 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 designed and sized properly 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. Pros like James Heating & A/C, Inc can inspect your ducts and let you know if they need sealed. They might also find that your ducts aren’t leaking, but they’re not correctly insulated. Fortunately, this is also a pretty 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 feeling hot and cold spots throughout 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, which leaves 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, James Heating & A/C, Inc can help. Just give us a call at 336-853-6070 and we’ll help you decide what the issue is and determine if you need air conditioning service, or any other types of HVAC service that can help you keep your home comfortable.
*Source: U.S. Department of Energy statistics