If you realize that you have hot and cold spots throughout your Central Point home, you’re not alone. This is a fairly common problem. While it may seem like a big problem, the good news is that the normal causes of hot and cold spots are normally easy to fix with a simple air conditioning service. The most likely causes for hot and cold spots are:
- Zero zoning or improper zoning
- Poorly designed or ineffectively sized duct systems
- Leaky or inefficiently insulated air ducts
- HVAC equipment that is too big or too small
Lack of Zoning or Improper Zoning
A zoning system splits your home into separate areas, known as “zones,” and means you’re able to customize the air temperature in each zone. The system involves multiple thermostats that control dampers in 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 meet the thermostat's settings. This might be the missing link to keeping that one freezing bedroom warm in the winter, or that smoldering sunroom comfortable all summer. Plus, when you utilize it with a programmable thermostat, zoning may mean home energy savings of up to 35 percent.*
Poorly Designed or Ineffectively Sized Duct Systems
Some homeowners experience hot and cold spots simply because their home’s duct system is not sized appropriately for the space that needs heated and cooled, or it’s designed the wrong way. We find this is especially normal in homes that were built before many of today’s tools and training were around. Unfortunately, even the most energy-efficient HVAC equipment can’t match 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 it should and shorten its life. The pros at Titan Heating & Air Conditioning 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 designed and sized properly for your home, it could still be the source of your home’s hot and cold spots. It’s commonplace for the ducts in a home to leak some over time. Pros like Titan Heating & Air Conditioning can look at your ducts and let you know if they should be sealed. They might also find that your ducts aren’t leaking, but they’re not adequately insulated. Fortunately, this is also a pretty routine fix.
Improperly Sized HVAC Equipment
So maybe your air duct system is just fine and you have a good zoning system, but you’re still feeling hot and cold spots through your home. Improperly sized HVAC equipment may be the issue. A system that is too small has to work harder to heat or cool your home, leaving you with hot and cold spots because it can’t keep up with the amount of space it needs to condition. Even a system that’s too big can cause problems because it’ll cycle on and off too often to do its job well.
No matter what’s causing the hot and cold spots in your home, Titan Heating & Air Conditioning can help. Just give us a call at 541-286-6617 and we’ll help you pinpoint the problem and decide if you need air conditioning service, or any other types of HVAC service that could help you keep your home comfy.
*Source: U.S. Department of Energy statistics