Nine Reasons Your Home Isn’t Heating Evenly
Does your home heat unevenly? Heating unevenly occurs when some rooms feel nice and cozy while others are significantly chillier. Several reasons could be to blame for this home comfort problem. Here, we’ll explore what could be causing these temperature imbalances and provide tips on how you can solve the problem.
Something’s Blocking Your Home’s Vents
Your problem: Your furnace distributes heated air throughout your home in supply and return registers. If these are obstructed or shut, the restricted air movement creates hot and cold spots in your home.
How to fix it: Confirm that all your home’s vents are unblocked, especially if certain rooms feel like they aren’t getting enough warmth. Next, check to make sure there aren’t any furnishings, rugs or drapes obstructing airflow. If a room is too hot, make sure the vents in the other rooms are clear and feel like they are putting out about the same amount of air. If a register is unobstructed but not a lot of air is coming out, there may be a problem with a control mechanism or the duct isn’t routing the air to the right place.
Your HVAC Air Filter Is Clogged
Your problem: Your furnace air filter traps dust, pollen and other airborne particles to provide clean and healthy air in your home. However, a dirty filter filled with these particles can drastically lower airflow, making your furnace work harder and leading to uneven heating. If warm air can’t get through easily, rooms farther from the heat source can be colder.
How to fix it: Check and replace the furnace’s air filter every 30-90 days, especially in the winter when your home’s heating system operates overtime.
There’s Not Enough Insulation in Your Home
Your problem: Inadequate home insulation allows heat to escape, especially from rooms exposed to outside walls or your attic. This makes some rooms challenging to keep as warm as you’d like, even when the rest of the home is nice and comfortable.
How to fix it: Enhance your attic insulation to keep heat from escaping from your home. If your existing insulation is in good shape, you may be able to simply add more on top of it.
You Have Drafty Windows and Doors
Your problem: Single-pane windows and old, leaky doors are notorious for letting cold air inside, cooling the indoor temperature. This problem is most common in older homes, which commonly have windows and doors that don’t seal as snug as they used to.
How to fix it: Avoid drafts in and around doors and windows by installing weatherstripping or caulk. Heavy-duty curtains and thermal blinds also help keep cold air out of your home. If you find that these simple fixes aren’t enough to prevent cold spots in your home, you may want to think about replacing your windows and exterior doors.
You Have Leaky Ductwork
Your problem: Ductwork carries heated air throughout your home. If your ductwork has a crack, warmth can leak out before it gets to some rooms of your home.
How to fix it: Hire an HVAC technician like one of our team members at Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning to inspect your ductwork for breaks, which can often be sealed with duct tape or mastic sealant. In more severe cases, you may need air duct repair.
You Need to Move Your Thermostat
Your problem: The thermostat controls the heating system throughout your home. If it’s in a cold or unusually hot spot, it may give inaccurate readings, causing your HVAC system to run at the wrong times—and create uneven temperatures.
How to fix it: If your thermostat is near a windy window or heat-generating appliance, it might be a good idea to find a new place for it. An HVAC technician from Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning can help you move it to an area more representative of your home’s actual temperature where it can more accurately gauge your home’s average temperature. For extra convenience, consider a smart thermostat, which gives you remote temperature control and programmable heating schedules.
Your Furnace Is the Wrong Size
Your problem: A furnace that’s too small may have difficulty heating all of your residence, making some areas colder than others. On the other hand, a furnace that’s too big often runs frequently, causing temperature fluctuations and increased wear and tear that can shorten the lifetime of your HVAC system.
How to fix it: Have a heating and cooling Expert evaluate the size and capacity of the furnace in your home compared to your home’s square footage, the climate where you live, the home’s insulation levels, windows and other factors. If your furnace is mismatched, think about upgrading to the right size for better heating performance and energy efficiency.
Heating Challenges of Multilevel Homes
Your problem: Heat rises, which is why the second floor of your home is sometimes comfortable while the main floor is chilly.
How to fix it: Zoning your heating system allows you to control the temperature in different parts of your home using independent thermostats and ductwork controls. This way, you can redirect warm air exactly where you want.
It’s Time for Routine HVAC Maintenance
Your problem: Like any system with moving parts, your furnace needs regular tune-ups to function smoothly. Without routine care, your HVAC system may end up with issues that lower energy efficiency and stop it from heating your home evenly.
How to fix it: Schedule professional maintenance for your heating system annually—ideally in the fall before the heating season starts. Regular maintenance also helps identify and fix issues before they cause potentially costly performance issues or total breakdowns.
Call the Experts at Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning for Furnace Service in Edmonton
No one likes to spend time in a ice-cold room. If an easy fix doesn’t do the trick, count on Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning to get the job done correctly. Our certified technicians provide efficient, reliable solutions to all your comfort needs backed by a 100% satisfaction guarantee. Don’t let another cold spot ruin your comfort—call 587-404-0790 today to schedule Edmonton furnace services with the Experts at Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning.