Have you noticed that your home has uneven heating and cooling?
AC repair companies like ETR in Tyler, Texas, hear about this common HVAC system issue regularly.
Fixing concerns with uneven heating and cooling in your home is more than just a comfort issue—it can also save you money.
If your home’s temperature suddenly seems to be fluctuating in ways that noticeably change the temperature in your home overall or from one room to another, it’s important you work to figure out why.
There are a few things you can check out yourself before you call in an HVAC maintenance company. However, it’s always recommended that a professional with state-of-the-art products and diagnostic equipment perform regularly scheduled air conditioning and furnace and heater maintenance, at least seasonally.
When was the last time you checked your vents?
Vents are an integral part of your furnace/air conditioner. Without working vents, your heating and cooling won’t work properly either. Are there household items such as chairs, tables, plants, or even clothing or blankets covering or blocking your vents? What about a carpet or rug? If the vents are blocked, you won’t have correct airflow, and the temperature won’t be able to run evenly.
Have you cleaned your vents recently?
It’s important to regularly clean ductwork and vents throughout your home to make sure they don’t become clogged with dust, dirt, and other household debris. Anyone who’s ever left this task for any length of time knows that vents can quickly become very dirty. What’s worse is that dust is then being blown out into your home for you and other household members to breathe. Yet another reason it’s a good idea to check and clean your vents and ducts on a regular schedule.
If you’re concerned about making this task happen on your own, make sure to call in a professional local HVAC company for help.
How to Manage Heat from the Sun
Especially in places like East Texas, which are often hot and humid, heat from the sun can do a lot to cause issues with the evenness of your home’s temperature. But the good news is too much sunlight entering your home has a simple and cost-effective fix.
If you have south-facing windows, certain rooms in your home might be getting blasted by the sun during the hottest parts of the afternoon. If you don’t have curtains closed over the windows, the sunlight might be dramatically heating up those parts of your home. This causes the temperature to be irregular and your AC unit to work overtime to compensate.
Especially before you go to work or out of town, it’s a good idea to close the shades in those rooms that receive the most sunlight, as well as turn on a ceiling fan to help circulate the room’s warm air.
If you don’t have shades or curtains on the windows of the rooms that receive the most sun, it’s a good idea to get some. The heat of a Texas summer sun can do a lot to raise the thermostat in your home—but it’s a fix you can both afford and handle yourself.
How is your home’s insulation?
In a warm climate like East Texas, people don’t always consider their home’s insulation. This is especially true if you just bought a home—do you know what kind of insulation it has? When the insulation was installed? Do the roof and attic also have insulation?
It’s commonly assumed that insulation is just for keeping the heat in a home during cold months, but it’s more complicated than that. Good insulation also helps keep your home cool, as during hot months, it provides the opposite function as in the winter by keeping the cool air inside and the hot air outside.
It’s particularly important to have a well-insulated attic or above-ceiling crawlspace. On hot summer days, heat accumulates in the upper rooms of a home, and without good insulation, it will hold there, raising the house’s temperature.
Some may have experienced the phenomenon of being in a home that seems to hold heat and maybe even feel hotter after the sun has already gone down—this is because the house isn’t properly insulated and is retaining heat, creating uneven heating and cooling and making it harder for your HVAC unit to work properly.
While insulation can seem like an investment, you’ll be glad you put the money and effort in when you see it pay off down the line in lower utility bills.
When was the last time an HVAC professional inspected and/or changed your air filter?
Air filters are another critical component of your HVAC unit that could be at fault if your house isn’t heating and cooling evenly.
Too often, people forget to clean or replace their filters when it’s time, which can cause a lot of problems.
Make sure you schedule regular maintenance for your HVAC unit to ensure the filters are clean and working properly.
Have you considered a programmable thermostat?
Sometimes, it can’t be helped that certain rooms fluctuate in temperature, but that doesn’t mean your whole HVAC unit has to work harder because of it.
Installing a programmable thermostat and utilizing a zoning system can do a lot to help keep your home’s temperature even from room to room—or whatever temperature you need in a certain room when you’re in it.
A zoning system helps you control the temperature in different areas of your house and combat issues such as the upstairs being warmer than the downstairs without overtaxing your whole air conditioner.
Contact your local HVAC company today and find out what programmable thermostat options might be available for your home.
If you’re having issues with uneven heating and cooling in your home, there are some potential issues you can investigate and fix yourself, but it’s also important to know when it’s time to call in the professionals.
Contact your local HVAC company today and keep your home environment even and comfortable in all seasons.