Cold Rooms? Nine Ways to Fix a Home That’s Heating Unevenly
Does your furnace struggle to heat your entire home evenly? Heating unevenly happens when some rooms feel comfortably warm while others are noticeably chillier. Several reasons could be to blame for this home comfort challenge. Here, we’ll explore what could be causing these temperature imbalances and provide tips on how you can fix the problem.
Something’s Blocking Your Home’s Vents
Your problem: Your furnace circulates heated air throughout your home using supply and return registers. If these are blocked or shut, the restricted air movement creates warm and cold spots in your home.
How to fix it: Ensure all your home’s vents are unblocked, especially if some rooms feel like they aren’t getting enough heat. Then, check to make sure there aren’t any decor, rugs or drapes obstructing airflow. If a room is too hot, make sure the vents in the other rooms are uncovered and feel like they are putting out a similar amount of air. If a register is open but not a lot of air is coming out, there may be a problem with a valve or the duct isn’t forcing the air to the right place.
Your HVAC Air Filter Is Clogged
Your problem: Your furnace air filter catches dust, pollen and other airborne particles to keep your air clean. However, a dirty filter filled with these particles can drastically lower airflow, making your furnace work harder and causing uneven heating. If warm air can’t get through easily, rooms farther from the furnace or other heating system can be colder.
How to fix it: Check and swap out the furnace’s air filter every 30-90 days, especially in the winter when your home’s heating system operates often.
Your Home Needs More Insulation
Your problem: Inadequate home insulation lets warm air leak out, especially from rooms nearest to outside walls or your home’s attic. This makes these rooms harder to heat, even when the rest of the home is nice and comfortable.
How to fix it: Shore up your attic insulation to prevent heat from rising out of your home. If your existing insulation is in good shape, you may be able to simply add more on top of it.
You Have Drafty Windows and Doors
Your problem: Single-pane windows and old, thin doors are notorious for letting cold air into your home, cooling the indoor temperature. This problem is most common in older homes, which commonly have windows and doors that don’t close as snug as they should.
How to fix it: Avoid drafts in and around doors and windows by installing sealing tape or caulk. Thermal curtains and thermal blinds also help prevent cold air from getting in your home. However, if these simple fixes aren’t enough to prevent cold spots in your home, it may be time to look into replacing your windows and exterior doors.
Duct Leaks Are Letting Warm Air Out
Your problem: Ductwork transports heated air to all the rooms in your home. If an air duct has a hole, warm air can escape before it gets to some rooms of your home.
How to fix it: Hire an HVAC technician like one of our team members at Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing to inspect your ductwork for leaks, which can usually be sealed with duct tape or mastic sealant. In more severe cases, you may need duct replacement.
Your Thermostat Is in a Bad Spot
Your problem: The thermostat manages the heating system throughout your home. If it’s in a drafty or unusually hot spot, it may give misleading readings, causing your HVAC system to run at the wrong times—and create uneven temperatures.
How to fix it: If your thermostat is near a windy window or heat-emitting appliance, it might be a good idea to find a new place for it. An HVAC technician from Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing can help you move it to an area more representative of your home’s actual temperature where it can more accurately gauge your home’s average temperature. For extra convenience, opt for a smart thermostat, which gives you remote temperature control and customized heating schedules.
You Need a Different Size of Furnace
Your problem: A furnace that’s too small may not heat all of your home, making some rooms colder than others. On the other hand, an oversized furnace often cycles on and off constantly, resulting in temperature fluctuations and increased wear and tear that can shorten the lifetime of your heating and cooling system.
How to fix it: Have a heating and cooling Expert assess the size and capacity of the furnace in your home compared to your home’s square footage, the climate where you live, the home’s insulation levels, windows and other factors. If your furnace is mismatched, think about upgrading to the right size for better heating performance and energy efficiency.
Heat Only Reaches Some Floors of Your Home
Your problem: Heat rises, so the second floor of your home can be heated while the main floor is cool.
How to fix it: Zoning your heating system allows you to control the temperature in different parts of your home with separate thermostats and ductwork controls. This way, you can redirect warm air exactly where you want.
You Need to Schedule Regular HVAC Maintenance
Your problem: Like any system with moving parts, your furnace needs regular tune-ups to function smoothly. Without routine care, your HVAC system may experience issues that reduce efficiency and prevent it from heating your home evenly.
How to fix it: Schedule professional maintenance for your furnace annually—ideally in the fall before the heating season kicks off. Regular maintenance also helps identify and fix issues before they result in potentially costly performance issues or catastrophic breakdowns.
Schedule Furnace Services in Canada Today with Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing
No one likes spending time in a cold room. If you aren’t able to fix this yourself, count on Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing to get the job done right. Our ACE-certified technicians provide fast, trustworthy solutions to all your comfort needs backed by a 100% satisfaction guarantee. Don’t let another cold spot get you down—call 866-397-3787 today to schedule Canada furnace services with the Experts at Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing.