Fall is here and that usually means an end to your air conditioner’s duties for the year, with your home’s heating system getting ready to take center stage for the next few months.
One problem that some people have in their homes – and more often than you might think – is that one room always seems to be colder than the others once the heat does kick in. And it’s rather puzzling for many homeowners. Why is that back bedroom so chilly or the second bathroom virtually a fridge when the rest of the room on the same floor usually seem rather warm and cozy?
There can be a number of different reasons for these inconsistencies, including any of the following:
Closed or Blocked Air Vents
Unopened or blocked air vents are a common cause of ‘room cold’. Maybe you shut a few a season ago and have forgotten to reopen them, or dust and debris are blocking up one that is, technically anyway, open. In addition, some people do not even realize that the placement of the furnishings in a room may be obscuring a vent and causing the inconsistent temperatures.
Make a point right now of doing a quick walk-through of your home to perform a ‘vent check’ and you may find the fix to this particular problem is as simple as vacuuming out a dusty vent or moving a sofa that’s blocking free airflow.
Inadequate Insulation
Because it is usually hidden from easy view a home’s insulation is easy to forget about. If a home is inadequately or unevenly insulated the performance of its heating system can be severely impacted. Not sure how much insulation your home has, or what is considered adequate for your area? Most utility companies offer a free energy audit at this time of year to help you find out.
Dirty Filters
Something as simple as a filter that has not been changed recently can be the cause of inconsistent heating performance. Now, as summer cedes to fall, is a great time to replace all of your filters ahead of the big heating season to come.
Poor Ductwork
No matter how new or how expensive your HVAC system is, in reality it is only as good as the ductwork that ‘powers it’. If one room is significantly colder – or hotter – than others, unbalanced or inadequate ductwork may be to blame. This is not usually an easy DIY fix, as a home’s ductwork is usually complicated stuff, but a good local HVAC company should be able to help here, beginning with a proper ductwork inspection.
Inadequately Sized System
Sometimes, if a home has undergone an addition after the HVAC system was installed the unit no longer has the tonnage to serve the additional square footage and ‘cold spots’ are likely to exist somewhere in the house. The answer here is, of course, often going to be a system upgrade but only a good HVAC professional can tell you for sure, and advise you about just what will be needed to bring things up to scratch.
If you have any questions about our range of services, please do not hesitate to contact us on 816-436-1000 or email us: service@arcticairkc.com. One of our friendly and knowledgeable staff members will be happy to assist you in any way they can and answer all your queries.