When you turn on your heating system during the winter, you expect to have an even distribution of warmth. Professionally installed HVAC systems are designed to avoid hot and cold spots around the house. There will always be some differences, such as rooms upstairs that are harder to ventilate.
But if you’re experiencing more serious temperature differences, it’s a good idea to look into it. The problem may be one that requires a Houston, TX, HVAC contractor to correct.
Possible Causes of Uneven Temperatures
We’ll focus on heating in this post, since you’ll use your heater more often than your AC at this time of year.
- You haven’t scheduled regular maintenance: It’s easy to remember to arrange for AC maintenance in spring, but too often people forget about maintenance in fall for the heater. Leaving the heater to decline and get dusty and dirty will cut into its performance level—and often the first sign of this is uneven heating.
- The thermostat is malfunctioning: If a thermostat is miscalibrated by only a few degrees, it can mean inadequate comfort throughout the house because the heating system will either turn off too early or run too long. Professionals will need to recalibrate the thermostat to fix this.
- Faulty zone controls: Does your house have heating and cooling zones that can be manipulated separately from each other? If you have zone control, then trouble with one or more of the thermostats or the dampers inside the ducts might be cutting off rooms from the flow of conditioned air.
- Leaky air ducts: This is a common one people often miss. Air leaks inside ductwork can allow up to 30% of the conditioned air in the ducts to seep out. This not only wastes energy, it also means rooms receiving less of the heated air their supposed to get.
- Malfunctioning air handler: The air handler is the component in the HVAC cabinet that draws in air from the house, through the heater, and then into the ducts. If the blower fan loses power, it will cause airflow to drop and lower heat levels.
- Short-cycling: This is when a heater or AC keeps shutting off too early in its cycle. Because the system doesn’t stay on long enough, warmth won’t reach all the rooms. Many problems can cause short-cycling, so have a technician check out the system and find the specific source.
- Poorly sized heater: If this is a new heating system, you may have gotten one that’s too underpowered. Only let professionals install a system to avoid this mistake. Unfortunately, the only cure for an undersized heater is to replace it.
- Dying heating system: Is your heater over its manufacturer’s expected lifespan? The uneven heating may be a warning that it’s losing capacity. Have experts analyze the heater and offer advice about whether you should have a new one installed.
Trust our technicians to give you honest answers and swift solutions, no matter the trouble with your HVAC system.
At AC Comfort, your comfort is our business! Call us if you’re having trouble with proper home comfort.