If you discover that you have hot and cold spots through your Phoenix home, you’re not alone. This is a fairly regular problem. While it may seem like a larger issue, the good news is that the typical causes of hot and cold spots are normally easy to fix with a simple air conditioning service. The most common causes for hot and cold spots are:
- No zoning or improper zoning
- Poorly designed or ineffectively sized duct systems
- Leaky or inefficiently insulated air ducts
- HVAC equipment that is too big or too small
Lack of Zoning or Improper Zoning
A zoning system breaks up your home into separate areas, known as “zones,” and means you’re able to customize the air temperature in each zone. The system uses multiple thermostats that run dampers within the ductwork of your forced-air system. The thermostats constantly read the temperature of their assigned zone, then open or close the dampers to meet the thermostat's settings. This could be the key to keeping that one freezing bedroom warm in the winter, or that hot box sunroom comfortable all summer. Plus, when you use it with a programmable thermostat, zoning could 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 space that needs heated and cooled, or it’s improperly designed. We find this is pretty commonplace 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 match homeowners’ expectations if the duct system isn’t letting it do its job. In fact, a poor duct system could actually cause new equipment to work harder than needed and shorten its lifespan. The experts at Integrity AC & Heating 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 could still be the source of your home’s hot and cold spots. It’s commonplace for the ducts in a home to become leaky over time. Pros like Integrity AC & Heating LLC can look at your ducts and let you know if they should be sealed. They may also find that your ducts aren’t leaking, but they’re not adequately insulated. Fortunately, this is also a fairly routine 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 might be the cause. A system that is too small has to run harder to heat or cool your home, meaning you have hot and cold spots because it can’t handle 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 the culprit of the hot and cold spots in your home, Integrity AC & Heating LLC can help. Just give us a call at 602-971-0567 and we’ll help you decide what the issue is and decide if you need air conditioning service, or any other types of HVAC service that could help you keep your home cozy.
*Source: U.S. Department of Energy statistics