4 Causes of Hot or Cold Spots In Your Home

Conquer Differing Temperatures in Your Home

Do you have a room that always feels hot — or one that is much draftier than the others in your home? Your house should have a uniform room temperature throughout, which is why it can be frustrating to find that certain areas feel warmer or colder than they should be.

No matter what time of year you notice disparate temperatures, you should investigate the problem as soon as you find it — it could end up saving you a ton of money on your heating or air conditioning, not to mention you won’t have to randomly bundle up (or take off some layers) in particular rooms! Identifying what’s causing this issue can help you get back to an ideal temperature in no time.

Here are a few of the most common causes of hot or cold spots, and what you can do to fix them or prevent them from happening:

Why Hot or Cold Spots Are Happening

Although we’ve heard plenty of spooky stories about ghosts causing cold spots, the real causes are far less supernatural. The same goes for hot spots. They’re both due to certain flaws that are happening within the home’s heating and cooling systems, which also include the windows, the insulation, and more.

These flaws could include:

1. Your HVAC is too large or too small for your home. Whether your home is old or new, it’s worth taking a look to see if your HVAC unit is the right size to heat and cool it properly. A small HVAC in a large house would be working ineffectively, and a large HVAC in a small house would struggle to properly dehumidify.
   
   Either way, it’s a recipe for inconsistency and can wreak havoc on how humid or dry your home feels. You should get an expert’s consultation on exactly what size HVAC system your home needs— particularly if you’ve been renovating and adding on units.

1. The air ducts might not be working properly. If your home’s air ducts have holes or cracks, they could be letting warm or cool air escape. Also, this means your HVAC has to work even harder, since faulty air ducts — even if they’re simply loose or not connected correctly — can lose up to 40% of your heated or cooled air.
   
   Dirty air ducts are another issue, as debris that’s built up within the ducts can affect air flow from room to room. In this case, you can clean or replace the duct filters yourself, or call in a professional to take care of it. A professional can also assess if there are any cracks in your ducts — again, you can seal those yourself, but it’s a smarter move to have an expert fix them, especially since it can save you from more damage down the line.

1. Your home has an insulation problem. Since ductwork is typically made of metal, it needs to be insulated to ensure that it can carry the warm or cool air further away from the HVAC unit. If the pipes aren’t properly insulated — or if they aren’t insulated at all — this can cause random hot or cold spots as the temperature leaks. It’s also an issue if you have exposed ducts in areas like basements or attics.
   
   A trained professional can take a look at all areas of your home and note where there should be more insulation around the ductwork — and they can also check to see if your windows and doors need stronger seals to prevent drafty leaks.

1. You need better zoning. If you’ve got a large home, it may be difficult for your HVAC’s output to reach every single area. This is where zoning comes in: It allows you to set different temperatures for different rooms, which is especially handy when the heat rises within a multi-level home.
   
   Setting the temperature from room to room can also save money on your heating and cooling bills. And it allows everyone to choose how warm or cool they’d like their bedroom to be! A similar solution is to go ductless, which will give you an even higher level of customization.

Get the Right Fix

You shouldn’t have to live with hot or cold spots in your home, particularly when it’s an annoyance that could also be costing you money. Although it could be as small an issue as a dirty duct filter, it could be something as serious as an embattled HVAC straining itself to service a larger home.

Whatever the problem may be, contact Bob Jenson for an evaluation and consultation — we’ll make sure you’re not too hot and not too cold, but just right!