If your central HVAC system doesn't keep every part of your home at the same temperature, it doesn't do its job correctly. Temperature imbalances in your home can stem from several issues, including a drafty home, issues with your ducts, or problems with the HVAC system itself.
Here is an overview of four problems that can cause home temperature imbalances so you can understand what you may be dealing with.
1. Poor Insulation
No matter how efficient your HVAC system is, it won't provide the heating and cooling your home needs if conditioned air is lost outside. Damage or gaps in your insulation can cause all of your furnace and air conditioner's hard work to go to waste and often makes the rooms nearest these drafty areas difficult or impossible to heat and cool effectively.
Warm air travels upward, so attic insulation problems can be especially problematic in the winter. You can visually inspect the insulation in your attic for holes or areas that appear to have been chewed by pests. Other insulation issues that can cause uneven temperatures in your home include drafty windows and doors and worn exterior wall insulation.
2. Duct Leaks or Blockages
Sometimes the leak that causes a temperature imbalance in your home is in your ductwork rather than your home's insulation. Your ducts vibrate as air is circulated through them, so, over time, gaps can develop between sections of ductwork. This is especially common at joints where the ducts have been routed around corners.
Duct blockages will also throw off the balance of air in the system and prevent hot or cool air from reaching the rooms where it's needed. Duct leaks and blockages will usually affect specific rooms that are supplied by the branch of ductwork where the problem is located. An HVAC contractor can inspect your ducts and find hidden leaks and blockages behind your walls that could be causing uneven temperatures.
3. Undersized Return Ducts
The return ducts in your home perform an important function by routing air back to your air handler to be heated or cooled and circulated again. When your return ducts are undersized or there simply aren't enough of them, your HVAC system has to fight against the unconditioned air in each room to provide adequate heating or cooling. The rooms furthest from your air handler will usually suffer the most in this case.
Installing new return ducts is a comprehensive project, but it will pay for itself with the increased efficiency and improved comfort that you can enjoy in your home. In the meantime, you can try to leave doors open in any rooms that have a problem with consistent temperatures. This will naturally allow more air to circulate back to the HVAC system and may reduce the problem until new ducts can be installed.
4. Improperly Sized HVAC System
If you are confident that your home is well-insulated and your ducts are in good shape, the next place to look is your HVAC system itself. You may experience uneven temperatures in your home because your furnace and air conditioner are the wrong sizes.
An undersized HVAC system will struggle to circulate enough air to heat or cool your entire home. Conversely, an oversized system will heat or cool too quickly, and the area near your thermostat may reach the desired temperature before the rest of your home does. If your HVAC system cycles on and off too quickly or runs for extremely long cycles, consult an HVAC professional about the size of your system.
Home temperature imbalances are a more complex issue than many homeowners realize. If you are dealing with inconsistent temperatures in your home, contact us at
Action Heating & Plumbing
so we can determine the cause and help you find a solution!
