If you find that you have hot and cold spots through your West Columbia home, you’re not alone. This is a pretty regular problem. While it may seem like a big concern, the good news is that the common causes of hot and cold spots are typically easy to fix with a simple 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
- 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 is composed of multiple thermostats that operate dampers inside the ductwork of your forced-air system. The thermostats constantly read the temperature of their designated zone, then open or close the dampers to meet the thermostat's settings. This might be the key to keeping that one frozen bedroom warm in the winter, or that heat chamber sunroom comfortable all summer. Plus, when you use 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 have hot and cold spots simply because their home’s duct system is not sized appropriately 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 harder than necessary and decrease its life cycle. The professionals at Tri City Fuel & Heating Co., 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 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. Pros like Tri City Fuel & Heating Co., Inc. can inspect your ducts and let you know if they should be sealed. They could also find that your ducts aren’t leaking, but they’re not properly 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 operate harder to heat or cool your home, leaving you with 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 well.
No matter what’s the culprit of the hot and cold spots in your home, Tri City Fuel & Heating Co., Inc. can help. Just give us a call at 803-265-4208 and we’ll help you pinpoint the problem and determine 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