Does your home have different temperatures in different rooms? Maybe your dining room is too hot to use in the summertime, your bedroom may be significantly warmer than the rest of the house, or your kitchen might feel like an oven when it’s sizzling out. When you try to adjust your thermostat, those rooms stay warmer than the rest of the house.
Temperature differences in your home can be uncomfortable, and you may wonder if there’s something wrong with your heating and cooling system. Although there can be several causes for uneven conditions, the problem may be unbalanced cooling units.
Keep reading to diagnose your issue and get indoor temperatures fixed quickly.
Several things can cause uneven temperatures in your home. Here are three areas you can check. Depending on the cause, uneven room temperatures may be a quick DIY fix, or you might need to call professional help.
Ask yourself if environmental changes or how you use a room could be the source of how warm it feels. The following elements can make rooms warmer:
Appliances like light bulbs, ovens and computers also create energy that can heat a room. Sometimes, rooms may be warm due to gradual changes. Take a step back and consider what environmental factors could make your room too warm.
Building design can also influence room temperature. Here are a few reasons that homes don’t stay cool:
Even with the best air conditioner, you won’t be able to keep your home cool during hot weather without insulation. Unless proper insulation was installed when they were built, home additions may be warmer than the rest of your house. You can help improve insulation by sealing any cracks around windows and doors, hanging fabric on the walls and laying down rugs.
Rooms with many windows often overheat due to poor insulation. Most glass lets heat right into your home. If you cover windows, you’ll notice a significant decrease in internal temperatures. Curtains and blinds are especially important for south-facing rooms, where sun exposure is strongest.
Your home may overheat because of your heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system. A few potential problems that could cause a warmer home. These include dirty air filters, closed vents, unbalanced HVAC systems, issues with ductwork, poor thermostat placement or poorly sized units.
To solve these issues, ensure your vents aren’t closed or blocked and clean the filters in your cooling unit. If those things aren’t the problem, it’s time to call a professional. An experienced technician can help you fix an unbalanced HVAC system.
Your heating and cooling equipment should be set up so that each room in your house has the same temperature. A heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system that operates this way is a balanced system.
In addition to effectively creating comfortable conditions, a balanced HVAC system is efficient and saves costs on your energy bill.
If your home has significant variations in indoor temperatures, your HVAC is unbalanced. Keeping your home cool will be more expensive, and you’ll probably overwork your cooling system while trying to maintain your ideal indoor temperature. This will shorten the life span of your HVAC equipment.
Different temperatures throughout your home are the most common sign that your HVAC is unbalanced. However, there are several other issues you can look for:
You may also notice that it takes a long time for your cooling system to change the temperature in your home. These are all signs that something is not right with your equipment. Your HVAC system likely either needs repair, maintenance or to be replaced.
If your cooling equipment is the culprit for uneven temperatures, you should call an HVAC technician to assess the situation. This isn’t a good time for a DIY approach. There are many different types of air conditioning systems, and a professional technician can quickly diagnose your specific issue and help you resolve the problem.
Your heating, ventilation and air conditioning system has several parts:
If a part isn’t working correctly, you could have unbalanced HVAC and experience warmer areas in your home. Sometimes, all your cooling system needs is repair or maintenance services to start running well again. However, some solutions may require you to replace parts of your system altogether.
Here’s more about the common causes of unbalanced HVAC.
Sometimes, homeowners have an air conditioning system that’s too small to cool their homes. If you use individual units, they need to match the size of the room they’re in. For a single air conditioning system like a heat pump, you need equipment that can handle the size of your whole home.
If you choose an air conditioning unit that’s too large for your home, it will cool the space without dispelling enough humidity to be comfortable. To determine the right-sized HVAC unit for your home, consider your square footage. HVAC unit power is measured in British Thermal Units (BTUs). You need to find a unit with the right BTUs for the size of your space.
Homeowners who live in the Southeast may need a higher BTU rating. You should also increase BTUs for rooms with electronics, sun exposure or rooms where multiple people sleep. It’s best to speak to a professional to find the right BTU rating for your location and home size.
Another common issue with air conditioning is poor duct design. If your ductwork isn’t distributing cool air efficiently, you might experience warmer rooms in your home. Have a professional look at your ducts to determine if something isn’t right. They may need a good cleaning, to be redirected or to be repaired.
Ducts can develop leaks. This means the cool air from your air conditioning system won’t reach its destination. Instead, you’ll be cooling the entirety of your home from the inside out! You’ll have a higher energy bill coupled with higher temperatures, and your HVAC equipment will work much harder than it should to keep your home cool.
Fixing your ducts may be all it takes to cool your house more efficiently. Although it might sound simple, ductwork should be left to professionals. Repairing the ducts in your home takes expertise, and professional technicians can resolve ductwork issues much faster than you can with a do-it-yourself approach.
The location of your thermostat matters since it triggers your HVAC system. If your thermostat is in a cool part of your house, it may not turn your air conditioning on as often as needed. The best place for your thermostat is a room that represents the temperature of your whole home.
A poorly calibrated thermostat can cause issues with your cooling system. To check your thermostat’s calibration, try putting a thermometer near it. If they are reading very different temperatures, your thermostat should be recalibrated. You can check the manual for instructions on how to recalibrate it.
Homeowners with a large home should use a zoning system to regulate indoor temperatures. Zoning separates your home into different areas, with individualized temperature control for each one. You should have a professional technician zone your home since doing this incorrectly can overwork your HVAC system.
If your air conditioning system is new or has just been repaired, you might wonder how to protect it from becoming unbalanced. Keeping your cooling system in good shape will save energy costs and keep your home comfortable during extremely hot weather. Here are several steps you can take to keep your HVAC system balanced:
You should always have a professional install a new air conditioning system. They can help you decide what equipment is right for your home, how many BTUs it needs and whether you should use a zoning system. During installation, professional technicians can ensure everything is working correctly.
After your cooling system is installed, make sure you schedule regular maintenance. Ideally, you should have your HVAC system serviced twice every year — once in the spring and once in the fall. Scheduling regular tune-ups will help you catch problems before they start affecting your life.
If twice is too much for you, schedule a maintenance appointment in the spring so you’re prepared for the heat of summer.
Any time you change the size of your home, you should also consider upgrading your cooling unit. More rooms mean more space to cool, and your HVAC system may become overworked.
Some homeowners put a ductless unit in home additions to avoid this problem. If you install ducts, you’ll need to double-check the BTUs on your cooling system.
Still have questions? Here are several frequently asked questions about fixing an unbalanced HVAC system.
The total price to repair an unbalanced system depends on your specific issue. It can also vary depending on your location, how many technicians are available in your area and the time of year. During busy seasons, it may be more expensive to have your ductwork repaired or your HVAC system rebalanced.
Until a professional looks at your cooling system, they won’t know exactly what’s wrong. Replacing parts, cleaning your ducts and purchasing a larger air conditioning unit all have varied costs. Once a technician has examined your HVAC system, they can give you options and estimates for fixing the unbalanced heating issue in your home.
Some HVAC companies will give you a fixed estimate before their inspection so you can know what to expect. After they diagnose the issue, you can decide the most cost-effective solution for your home. Go with a company that offers transparent pricing for the most advantageous option.
It’s not difficult to fix an unbalanced HVAC system. You should start by checking that your air conditioning vents are open, filters are clean and the thermostat is correctly calibrated. These solutions are quick and easy, and all things you can do yourself.
If those steps don’t solve the problem, you should call a professional service technician. Depending on the issue, they may be able to solve it quickly. If it’s more complicated, they can help you determine the root problem and find the most cost-effective solution. Root causes can range from damaged ductwork to a cooling unit that’s not powerful enough for your home.
It’s not a good idea to ignore an unbalanced HVAC system. Here are some of the risks:
Eventually, your HVAC equipment may break down because it’s being overworked. That’s not something you want to experience in the heat of summer! If you notice something off with your air conditioning, now is the best time to check it out. Early intervention is usually the least expensive and easiest to repair.
Concerned about your air conditioning system? Call Strada Air Conditioning & Heating and get support from HVAC experts in the Southeast. We pride ourselves on quality service, transparent pricing and happy customers. Our professional technicians can help you with HVAC installation, maintenance and repair.
Our goal is to restore your peace of mind with quality equipment and industry expertise. We offer 24/7 emergency phone support so you can react quickly if something goes wrong in your home. At Strada Air Conditioning & Heating, we’re driven by the core values of commitment, accountability and honesty.
We’re confident that after one service appointment, you’ll know — you oughta call Strada!
Are you ready to get started? Contact us today to schedule an appointment and fix the air conditioning in your home.
Joe Strada, owner of Strada Electric, Security & Air Conditioning, started working at the young age of 14. He’s never attended college, but he has spent his life dedicating his time and energy to his trade and providing high-quality services to his customers. At 19, Joe started working at a well-known air conditioning company and developing his commitment to excellence. He has state certifications in electric, plumbing, air conditioning, residential building and general contracting. During his years of training and experience, Joe noticed a sincere need for a dependable electrical contractor in Florida who embodied the same dedication to customer service in which he believed. In 2003, Joe co-founded Strada Electric, Security & Air Conditioning. Since then, the company has been in the business of providing peace of mind to customers. We offer expert electric, security and air conditioning solutions for homes and businesses, leveraging our experience to deliver professional and responsive service with reliability and respect.
