Have you ever moved from your living room to the bedroom, and your whole body went from freezing to sweating just like that? It’s an uncomfortable feeling that can be hard to manage if you can’t find the cause for such unbalanced temperatures in the house. Not only does this usually result in putting more power to the HVAC to cool down or heat a particular part of the house to compensate, but it also causes a higher bill and a host of other issues that could impact the life span of your system. If you have uneven temps in your house, go through this checklist so you can find the root of the problem and fix it.
- Make sure your vents and ducts are well-maintained.
The vents and ductwork of your home are responsible for the circulation of indoor air in the house. With a flawed system, your ventilation will suffer, and you will be more prone to uneven temperatures and even unclean air. Make sure your vents are not blocked, so clear this out. As for your ducts, you will want to ensure that it is regularly maintained to have no air leakage. That makes room for dusty build-up, higher bills, and that pesky temperature issue.
It’s a good measure to get an air duct cleaning service and some vent clearing done to make sure everything is in order. While you’re at it, you’ll want to make sure that you have the right size for your ductwork. Whether it’s too big or too narrow, this can cause noises and issues with pressure.
- Check to see if your air conditioning is faulty.
There could be a lot of problems that can be linked backed to your air conditioning unit since it’s easy to neglect as it is just left running over time. In terms of what causes uneven temperatures, you first want to make sure that all your components are functioning as they should. One of the common causes for cold and hot spots in the house caused by the AC is a broken thermostat. The room temperatures won’t match your settings, and your system can go haywire.
Other issues include a damaged cooling system chugging along. You should also consider the age of your hardware here, as some units are too old and no longer have enough power to cover the entire space of the home. In this case, cleaning or an upgrade should be an investment to consider because it can lower your energy consumption by up to 15%.
- See if your insulation is the problem.
One of the main jobs of your home’s insulation is to regulate the temperatures of the house. That could be another problem linked to the age of the components as wear and tear eventually take its toll and degrades the insulation. If properly installed and maintained, your insulation should trap the air into your home and balances out the dissipation of heat. If you’ve got tears and the like, it will make some areas colder than others.
Another thing to check here is whether your insulation is too thin or improperly installed. These can be even worse and makes it a glorified barrier that is not doing anything to regulate your home’s temperature throughout. It also can likely be linked to any energy bills hiking up.
- Look if you have air leaks from windows or doors.
Doing this may be one of those issues that often gets overlooked unless it’s a noticeable gap or breakage, so you’ll want to be warier in this aspect. First, check around for any signs of damage on the caulking around the relevant areas. Even if you haven’t had a particularly rough brush with the weather, this wears down in a few years naturally, especially as it is still exposed to the elements. If you have weather strips, check on the status of those as well. Next, you’ll want to make sure the air leak is not happening because of a poorly installed window or door.
It may also seem like a fundamental consideration but think about the level of natural light that comes into specific rooms. If you have a particular section of the home that gets a lot of sunlight streaming in without much protection from your windows or curtains, then it will permeate and cause some warmth in the room. If the issue lies with the sun, there are ways to keep it out of the home.
If you can go through each of those steps, you’ll likely find the culprit behind your uncomfortable house issue.