If you realize that you have hot and cold spots through your Southern California home, you’re not alone. This is a relatively normal issue. While it can seem like a major concern, the good news is that the typical causes of hot and cold spots are typically easy to fix with a simple air conditioning service. The most common causes of hot and cold spots are:
- Lack of zoning or improper zoning
- Poorly designed or ineffectively sized duct systems
- Leaky or inadequately insulated air ducts
- Improperly sized HVAC equipment
Lack of Zoning or Improper Zoning
A zoning system breaks up your home into separate areas, known as “zones,” and means you can set the air temperature in each zone. The system uses multiple thermostats that control dampers in the ductwork of your forced-air system. The thermostats constantly read the temperature of their designated zone, then open or close the dampers to meet the thermostat’s settings. This might be the missing piece to keeping that one cold bedroom warm in the winter, or that smoldering sunroom comfortable all summer. Plus, when you utilize it with a programmable thermostat, zoning can mean home energy savings of up to 35 percent.*
Poorly Designed or Ineffectively Sized Duct Systems
Some homeowners end up with hot and cold spots simply because their home’s duct system isn’t sized correctly for the area that needs to be heated and cooled, or it’s designed the wrong way. We find this is fairly commonplace in homes that were built before many of today’s tools and training were used. Unfortunately, even the most energy-efficient HVAC equipment can’t match 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 needed and decrease its life. The professionals at Econo Air can help you determine if your ductwork is working for your home.
Leaky or Inadequately Insulated Air Ducts
Even if your duct system is properly designed and sized for your home, it could still be at the root of your home’s hot and cold spots. It’s commonplace for the ducts in a home to leak a bit over time. Professionals like Econo Air can look at your ducts and let you know if they need to be sealed. They might also find that your ducts aren’t leaking, but they’re not properly insulated. Fortunately, this is also a fairly simple fix.
Improperly Sized HVAC Equipment
So possibly 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 may be the issue. A system that is too small has to run harder to heat or cool your home, which leaves hot and cold spots because it can’t take care of 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 correctly.
No matter what’s the culprit of the hot and cold spots in your home, Econo Air can help. Just give us a call at 714-710-1070 and we’ll help you decide what the issue is and figure out if you need air conditioning service or any other types of HVAC service that can help you keep your home comfortable. You can even schedule an appointment with us online if it’s more convenient for you.