If you realize that you have hot and cold spots throughout your Bend home, you’re not alone. This is a fairly normal issue. While it may seem like a big concern, the good news is that the typical causes of hot and cold spots are typically easy to fix with a normal 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
- The wrong size of HVAC equipment
Lack of Zoning or Improper Zoning
A zoning system divides your home into separate areas, known as “zones,” and allows you to determine the air temperature in each zone. The system involves multiple thermostats that run dampers in the ductwork of your forced-air system. The thermostats are always reading the temperature of their specific 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 heat chamber 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 the wrong size for the space that needs heated and cooled, or it’s poorly designed. We find this is especially normal in homes that were built before a lot 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 allowing it to do its job. In fact, a bad duct system could actually cause new equipment to work harder than it should and decrease its lifespan. The professionals at Tri County Climate Control LLC can help you decide 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 might still be the cause of your home’s hot and cold spots. It’s commonplace for the ducts in a home to leak a bit over time. Pros like Tri County Climate Control LLC can inspect your ducts and let you know if they ought to be sealed. They might also find that your ducts aren’t leaking, but they’re not adequately insulated. Fortunately, this is also a fairly easy fix.
Improperly Sized HVAC Equipment
So there’s a chance your air duct system is just fine and you have a good zoning system, but you’re still noticing hot and cold spots around your home. Improperly sized HVAC equipment could be the issue. A system that is too small has to work harder to heat or cool your home, meaning you have 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 leave you with 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, Tri County Climate Control LLC can help. Just give us a call at 541-238-2797 and we’ll help you pinpoint the problem and figure out if you need air conditioning service, or any other types of HVAC service that will help you keep your home cozy.
*Source: U.S. Department of Energy statistics