If you realize that you have hot and cold spots throughout your the Rio Grande Valley 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:
- Lack of zoning or improper zoning
- Poorly designed or ineffectively sized duct systems
- Leaky or poorly 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’re able to customize the air temperature in each zone. The system uses multiple thermostats that operate dampers in the ductwork of your forced-air system. The thermostats are working nonstop, reading the temperature of their assigned zone, then open or close the dampers according to the thermostat's settings. This might be the key 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 could mean home energy savings of up to 35 percent.*
Poorly Designed or Ineffectively Sized Duct Systems
Some homeowners have hot and cold spots simply because their home’s duct system is not sized appropriately for the space that needs heated and cooled, or it’s improperly designed. We find this is pretty common in homes that were built before much of today’s tools and training were used. Unfortunately, even the most energy-efficient HVAC equipment can’t live up to homeowners’ expectations if the duct system isn’t allowing it to do its job. In fact, a poor duct system could actually cause new equipment to work more often than it should and reduce its life cycle. The professionals at Cytech Heating & Cooling L.C. 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 appropriately for your home, it could still be at the root of your home’s hot and cold spots. It’s normal for the ducts in a home to leak some over time. Experts like Cytech Heating & Cooling L.C. can look at your ducts and let you know if they need sealed. They might also find that your ducts aren’t leaking, but they’re not adequately insulated. Fortunately, this is also a pretty 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 feeling hot and cold spots throughout your home. Improperly sized HVAC equipment might be the culprit. 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 keep up with the amount of space it needs to condition. Even a system that’s too big can cause problems because it’ll cycle on and off too often to do its job properly.
No matter what’s the cause of the hot and cold spots in your home, Cytech Heating & Cooling L.C. can help. Just give us a call at 956-630-3522 and we’ll help you decide what the issue is and determine if you need air conditioning service, or any other types of HVAC service that can help you keep your home cozy.
*Source: U.S. Department of Energy statistics