If you realize that you have hot and cold spots throughout your Wausau home, you’re not alone. This is a relatively normal occurrence. While it can seem like a larger problem, the good news is that the typical causes of hot and cold spots are usually easy to fix with a straightforward 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 inefficiently 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 uses multiple thermostats that run dampers within 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 according to the thermostat's settings. This may be the missing link to keeping that one cold bedroom warm in the winter, or that heat chamber sunroom comfortable all summer. Plus, when you use it with a programmable thermostat, zoning could 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 space that needs heated and cooled, or it’s designed the wrong way. We find this is fairly 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 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 more often than necessary and shorten its life. The pros at Gilray Heating and Cooling can help you figure out 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 may still be at the root of your home’s hot and cold spots. It’s commonplace for the ducts in a home to leak some over time. Experts like Gilray Heating and Cooling can inspect your ducts and let you know if they need sealed. They may also find that your ducts aren’t leaking, but they’re not adequately insulated. Fortunately, this is also a fairly simple 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 experiencing hot and cold spots throughout your home. Improperly sized HVAC equipment could be the culprit. 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 handle the amount of space it needs to condition. Even a system that’s too big can mean problems because it’ll cycle on and off too often to do its job well.
No matter what’s the cause of the hot and cold spots in your home, Gilray Heating and Cooling can help. Just give us a call at 715-301-0727 and we’ll help you pinpoint the problem and determine if you need air conditioning service, or any other types of HVAC service that could help you keep your home comfortable.
*Source: U.S. Department of Energy statistics