How To Prevent Cold Spots in Your Home
In a cold spot, the temperature will be noticeably lower than in other parts of the residence and the thermostat reading. You may have a single cold spot, or you may experience multiple temperature differences throughout the home. The underlying problem that causes cold spots when the heat is on may cause hot spots when the cooling is on, but this is not necessarily the case. Uneven temperatures have many sources, ranging from equipment malfunctions to fundamental issues with the home construction. Whatever the reason, persistent cold spots not only cause you discomfort but can lead to inflated heating costs in the short-term and over the long-term.
Regular Heating Maintenance and Duct Cleaning
Are you having your heating equipment inspected and tuned up each season? Are you having your ducts inspected and cleaned every several years or so? If you answered no to either of these questions, you’re not alone. In fact, many homeowners take an approach to their heating that is known as break-fix. The problem with this strategy is that you miss issues that cost you money and cause other problems but do not necessarily result in the heating failing. Among the most common causes of cold spots are improperly positioned thermostats and low refrigerant, and these are both issues that a skilled heating technician will identify easily and be able to correct. Bottom line is that a tune-up in autumn will rule out your furnace or other heating equipment as the cause of any cold spots.
Check All Air Vents and Filters
If your heating equipment has been tune-up and your air ducts well-sealed, the next step is to consider problems that you may inadvertently be causing. Heating and air conditioning systems are calibrated based on achieving a certain pressure balance. If that balance is disrupted, airflow is altered, and cold spots are a potential side effect of that interference. The most common way homeowners create this imbalance is not swapping out their dirty air filters. Your technician will change your air filter during a tune-up, and you may have a maintenance plan that includes filter replacement, but otherwise, you need to check it yourself. Every three months is the rule of thumb, but there are many factors in play, so you should inspect it monthly and change it whenever it is visibly dirty. Something else people do that causes imbalances is closing vents in unused rooms, which the average system does not support.
Identify and Eliminate Drafts
If the air filters and vents are unobstructed, the next step is to consider drafts. Leakage allows heated air to escape from the home, and this can lead to cold spots. Note that while an isolated draft will usually cause a cold spot in the immediate area, this is not necessarily the case if the problem is more widespread, such as in an older home. The most obvious culprits are doors and windows, but you should perform a comprehensive inspection inside and outside the home. Any found problems should be corrected with a temporary measure until a permanent solution is possible. If you suspect a draft but were unable to find it, move ahead to the next option: the home energy audit.
Schedule a Home Energy Audit
A home energy assessment is an excellent idea once a home is 10 to 15 years old and then every five years or so after that. These audits involve many different tests that cover heating, air conditioning, ventilation, and insulation. Your inspector will have various tools available to detect leakages, pressure imbalances, and so forth. When the test is complete, you will receive a report that itemizes the issues and estimates the costs associated with them. If you live in an older home with a number of problems, this allows you to correct them in a prioritized fashion. Typically, an audit will identify the cause of any cold spots, and your inspector may be able to recommend a temporary solution.
Depend on Your Local Heating Experts
Guaranteed Comfort Heating & Cooling has more than 25 years of experience serving homeowners in Windsor and throughout the surrounding areas. As your local heating experts, we perform installations, tune-ups, and repairs for furnaces, boilers, heat pumps, and heat recovery ventilation systems. Our company also offers a full range of air conditioning services and has team members that specialize in air cleaners, air purification systems, HEPA filters, and tankless water heaters.
Contact Guaranteed Comfort Heating & Cooling today for more information about any of these services.