Are some rooms in your home colder than others? Heating unevenly occurs when some rooms feel comfortably warm while others are much cooler. Several reasons could be to blame for this temperature problem. Here, we’ll explore what could be triggering these temperature imbalances and provide tips on how you can fix the issue.
Something's Blocking Your Home's Vents
Your problem: Your furnace circulates warm air throughout your home via air and return registers. If these are closed or covered up, the restricted air movement creates hot and cold spots in your home.
How to fix it: Ensure all the vents are clear of obstructions, especially if certain rooms feel like they aren’t getting enough heat. Next, check to make sure there aren’t any furnishings, carpets or drapes blocking airflow. If a room is too hot, make sure the registers in the other rooms are uncovered and feel like they are putting out about the same amount of air. If a register is clear but not a lot of air is coming out, there may be a problem with a valve 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 keep your air clean. However, a dirty filter filled with these particles can severely restrict airflow, making your furnace work harder and causing uneven heating. If warm air can’t get through easily, rooms farther from the system can be colder.
How to fix it: Check and change the furnace's air filter every 30-90 days, especially in the winter when your heating system runs a lot.
There's Not Enough Insulation in Your Home
Your problem: Inadequate home insulation allows heat to leak out, especially in rooms nearest to outside walls or your home's attic. This makes these rooms challenging to keep as warm as you'd like, even when the rest of the home feels comfortable.
How to fix it: Shore up your attic insulation to stop 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.
Cold Air Is Getting in Through Doors and Windows
Your problem: Single-pane windows and old, leaky doors are often to blame for letting cold air inside, disrupting the indoor temperature. This problem is most often seen in older homes, which commonly have windows and doors that don’t seal as snug as they should.
How to fix it: Stop drafts in and around doors and windows by installing sealing tape or caulk. Insulated curtains and thermal blinds also help prevent cold air from getting in your home. When these simple fixes aren’t enough to prevent cold spots in your home, it may be time to look into replacing your windows and exterior doors.
Duct Leaks Are Letting Warm Air Out
Your problem: Ductwork carries heated air throughout your home. If your ductwork has a hole, warmth can leak out of the ducts before it gets to some rooms of your home.
How to fix it: Hire an HVAC specialist like one of our team members at Service Experts to inspect your ductwork for breaks, which can usually be sealed with duct tape or mastic sealant. In more severe cases, you may need air duct repair.
Your Thermostat Is in a Bad Spot
Your problem: The thermostat controls the heating system in your home. If it’s in a windy or unusually hot spot, it may give inaccurate readings, causing your HVAC system to run at the wrong times—and lead to uneven temperatures.
How to fix it: If your thermostat is near a windy window or energy-producing appliance, it might be a good idea to find a new place for it. An HVAC specialist from Service Experts can help you move it to a more central location where it can more accurately read your home’s average temperature. For extra convenience, opt for a smart thermostat, which gives you remote temperature control and programmable heating schedules.
Your Home Has an Incorrect Furnace Size
Your problem: A furnace that’s too small may struggle to heat all of your home, leaving some rooms colder than others. On the other end of the spectrum, a furnace that's too big often runs frequently, causing temperature fluctuations and excessive wear and tear that can shorten the lifetime of your heating and air system.
How to fix it: Have a heating and cooling specialist 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 quality, windows and other factors. If your furnace is oversized or underpowered, think about upgrading to the right size for better heating performance and energy efficiency.
Heat Only Reaches Some Floors of Your Home
Your problem: Heat rises, which means the second floor of your home is often warm while the main floor is colder.
How to fix it: Zoning your heating system is a way for you to control the temperature in different parts of your home with multiple thermostats and ductwork controls. This way, you can direct warm air exactly where you want.
It's Time for Routine HVAC Maintenance
Your problem: Like any appliance, your furnace needs regular maintenance to work smoothly. If you neglect to do routine care, your HVAC system may experience issues that lower energy efficiency and prevent it from heating your home evenly.
How to fix it: Schedule professional maintenance for your heating system annually—if possible in the fall before the heating season kicks off. Regular maintenance also helps identify and fix issues before they grow into potentially costly performance issues or catastrophic breakdowns.
Schedule Furnace Services in the U.S Today
No one likes to be in an ice-cold room. If an easy fix doesn't do the trick, count on Service Experts to get the job done right. Our ACE-certified technicians provide efficient, dependable solutions to all your comfort needs backed by a Service Experts Guarantee. Don’t let an uncomfortably chilly room get you down – call (866) 963-7996 today to schedule the U.S furnace services with the Experts at Service Experts.
