If you realize that you have hot and cold spots through your Los Angeles home, you’re not alone. This is a pretty common issue. While it may seem like a larger problem, the good news is that the common causes of hot and cold spots are typically easy to fix with a normal air conditioning service. The most routine causes for hot and cold spots are:
- No 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 determine the air temperature in each zone. The system is composed of multiple thermostats that control dampers in the ductwork of your forced-air system. The thermostats constantly read the temperature of their specific zone, then open or close the dampers to match up with the thermostat's settings. This might be the missing piece to keeping that one freezing bedroom warm in the winter, or that smoldering sunroom comfortable all summer. Plus, when it’s used with a programmable thermostat, zoning may mean home energy savings of up to 35 percent.*
Poorly Designed or Ineffectively Sized Duct Systems
Some homeowners experience 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 poorly designed. We find this is fairly commonplace in homes that were built before many of today’s tools and training were available. Unfortunately, even the most energy-efficient HVAC equipment can’t meet homeowners’ expectations if the duct system isn’t allowing it to do its job. In fact, a bad duct system could actually cause new equipment to work more frequently than needed and reduce its lifespan. The experts at AZ Air Conditioning and Heating can help you determine if your duct work is working for your home.
Leaky or Inadequately Insulated Air Ducts
Even if your duct system is properly designed and sized for your home, it may 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. Professionals like AZ Air Conditioning and Heating can check your ducts and let you know if they ought to be sealed. They could 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 experiencing hot and cold spots around your home. Improperly sized HVAC equipment could be the cause. A system that is too small has to work harder to heat or cool your home, meaning you have hot and cold spots because it can’t take care of 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 causing the hot and cold spots in your home, AZ Air Conditioning and Heating can help. Just give us a call at 800-296-5088 and we’ll help you figure it out and decide if you need air conditioning service, or any other types of HVAC service that will help you keep your home comfy.
*Source: U.S. Department of Energy statistics