How To Prevent Cold Spots in Your Home
If you are experiencing some significant differences in the cooling in your home, your HVAC system or any other related component might not be operating efficiently. Disparities in the general temperature of your house are caused by the formation of cold and hot spots. Cold spots are a major hassle because they prevent your household from enjoying consistent cooling and heating while increasing energy costs. The following are some steps you can take to eliminate cold spots in your residence.
1. Replacing Your AC Filters
Your air conditioner’s filters do not only help to improve indoor air quality, but they also allow the central air in your property to flow freely. Dirty filters are to blame for the cold spots in your home. Therefore, ensure you check and change them regularly.
If you are not sure where to find the filters, how to check them, or even how to change them, an experienced HVAC professional can walk you through the entire process. Keeping your air filters in good repair and clean will increase your cooling and heating system’s efficiency, enhancing your overall indoor comfort.
2. Rearranging Your Room
One of the simplest solutions for spaces with heating disparities is to rearrange the furniture. Check to see if there are any blocked vents. If you have got long drapes or large pieces of furniture over that room’s vents, they will undoubtedly hinder proper air circulation, making some parts of the room a bit chilly. If the vents are not blocked, then look for some ways to improve airflow. It would help if you left open space around the vents so that air can circulate more freely.
3. Increasing Insulation in Your House
Insulation plays a significant role in retaining heat in your home, particularly during the winter months. If your residential property does not have proper insulation, some heat might escape through the walls. To check if your property is properly sealed, turn off the power from the main switch and remove the faceplates from every electrical outlet to check the exterior walls’ insulation. Ensure you do this in every room in your residence because insulation might vary from one space to another.
If there is no insulation in your exterior walls, then you can consider blowing foam insulation into your walls, enabling you to upgrade with minor renovations. Also, check your attic for good insulation. Here, you can try rolling out some insulation batts between your supports to prevent heat from escaping via your ceiling. The other important thing that will prevent the hot air from leaking when making its way from your furnace to the air ducts is duct insulation.
A skilled professional can help to insulate and seal your ductwork. If you suspect that there is a problem with your house’s insulation, you need to hire an experienced professional to inspect your property. These professionals know what to look for and will advise you on the necessary steps you need to take if there are any issues.
4. Upgrading Your Thermostat or Changing Its Location
Inefficient placement of your home’s thermostat or improper readings can make your furnace switch off before your house is adequately warm. If you are utilizing an old thermostat, it might be reading the temperatures in your residence inaccurately. Your HVAC contractor will evaluate the performance of your thermostat during a routine furnace tune-up to check for this issue. If your thermostat is working well but located in a naturally warm spot in the house, it will tell your furnace that its job is finished long before it has sufficiently warmed your residence. Consider upgrading to a wireless thermostat that is easy to place in your residential property’s colder areas to get more accurate readings.
5. Checking Your Fireplace or Chimney
If you have got a fireplace in your house, it can cause fluctuating cold and hot areas depending on whether you have lit the fire or not. When you are not using the fireplace, you always need to ensure that the damper is firmly closed to avoid experiencing chilly spots in your home. If you do not have a fireplace, you might want to consider a chimney balloon instead. This option presents a flexible installation that completely blocks air circulation in the chimney, preventing hot air inside of your residence from escaping through the ventilation shaft.
6. Sealing Your Doors and Windows
If you are experiencing a cold spot near a window or door, check around these openings for cracks. You can effortlessly seal cracks around doors and window frames using caulk. You can also prevent hot air leaks around the bottom parts of your windows and doors with weatherstripping. According to statistics, weatherstripping can significantly reduce your cooling and heating costs by up to 30% while minimizing drafts that might lead to discomfort.
7. Investing in Multi-Zone Heating
This is probably the best way to prevent cold spots in your O’Fallon, MO, home. Zoning involves installing thermostats in every room that has air ducts. This allows you to adjust temperatures for each room separately. Not only does zoning help to prevent cold spots, but it will also let you save some money.
8. Scheduling Regular Tune-Ups
There is always a concern that your furnace is the main reason you are experiencing cold areas. Your HVAC system might also be the wrong size for your property, which can lead to many issues in and of itself. A cold spot in your residence is usually a sign that your heater is not operating at maximum efficiency. It might not have enough power capacity to keep the entire residence warm. Therefore, it would be best to schedule a tune-up with an experienced HVAC contractor to avoid cold spots. The technician will clean, oil, and tighten all of the essential parts of the entire system.
Routine tune-ups can give a poorly maintained unit the boost it requires to eliminate all of the cold areas in your house. Furthermore, your HVAC technician can give you a heads up on other problems, such as a system that requires some replacement parts or one that is improperly sized. They will also tell you if your furnace requires some repairs or if replacing it with a newer model makes more sense.
Get Professional Assistance Today
Cold spots are common in many homes, especially as a house gets older. They are not something you want to leave unattended. Working with an experienced professional is one of the best ways to achieve an energy-efficient residence that is comfortably temperate throughout the hallways and rooms. If you are experiencing cold pockets in your home, your cooling and heating system is not working effectively. The dedicated team of heating professionals at Hoff Heating & AC in O’Fallon has the skills, knowledge, and experience to ensure that your unit works at optimum efficiency.
We also offer other services such as furnace installation, heat pump installation, HVAC installation, ductwork fabrication, indoor air quality tests, energy analysis, and servicing of furnaces, heat pumps, and air conditioners. If you reside in O’Fallon and your cooling and heating system is not serving your needs, contact Hoff Heating & AC today to schedule an appointment.