5 Ways Uneven Home Cooling/Heating Can Be Solved

If your multi-story house is suffering from uneven home cooling or heating, you are not the only one. A number of different factors in your house come into play, including dirty filters, ductwork problems, and system age can reduce the ability of your system to evenly cool or heat all of the various areas of your home.

Use The Air Vents For Controlling And Redirecting Air

Look around to check whether you have any dirty or blocked vents. Your registers and vents may cause uneven cooling if furniture or something else is blocking them. It can also occur if debris and dust accumulate on them. Then you can use your vacuum to loosen the debris and remove it.

Air can also be redirected to certain areas of your house by partially (but not completely) by closing some of the first floor vents. That way, more air is redirected to the second floor and higher. That will help to alleviate the buildup of pressure inside the system that would occur if you fully closed the vents on the first floor.

Switch the Fan to “On” from “Auto”

Check the thermostat. The fan switch can be toggled between “on” and “auto.” There are also a few other fan control settings on some modern thermostats. If your home has uneven cooling/heating, try to turn the switch over to the “on” position instead of the “auto” one. Here is the reason why:

When the system fan is set to “on,” it circulates air and stays on, even once the system cooling cycle turns off. That works to continuously circulate the air inside your house to help to even the temperatures out between your home’s first floor and second floor.

Depending on the kind of furnace blower that you have, operating the fan will add some to your electricity usage of around $5 to $20 per month.

Check Your Air Ducts for Air Leaks

Whenever your duct system has an air leak, the air that is intended for a certain destination will bleed off before it arrives. Tears, holes, and leaks in your ducts definitely will cause your central air system to have to work harder in order to make up for the air that is missing. In turn, that can cause even more problems. Even if think that leaks may be contributing to your home’s uneven cooling, have the ducts inspected by a professional.

Install Additional Insulation In Your Attic

The insulation in your attics serves two purposes. It keeps the cool air inside and the hot air outside. If you do not have the proper quality or amount of insulation, then you might not be getting the full comfort and benefits of the cool air.

In the meantime, hot air will stay behind. In these situations, a noticeable difference can be created between a home’s upstairs and downstairs, make sure your attic has the right amount of insulation. Also, be sure the insulation has the right R-value for your region and type of home.

Use A Zoning System to Control Different Areas

It is a bigger investment to have a zoning system. However, it can also be one of the more efficient ways to combat the problem of uneven cooling/heating. This type of system allows you to control the temperature directly on various floors or areas. Compare that with having just one thermostat that controls the cooling of the entire house.

There are numerous configurations that can be used by a professional HVAC contractor to set customized zone up in your house.  The number of zones that you will need is going to depend on the layout and size of your house as well as the current cooling and heating situation. Generally speaking, usually, a zoned system is going to be the best option for people who want to have complete control over the cooling when summer starts.

Is Even Comfort Being Delivered by Your A/C System?

Usually, uneven home cooling indicates there is a problem. Some of the above solutions you can try on your own, while others, such as having a zoning system installed, needs to be done by professionals. In the worst-case scenario, you may decide that your system needs to be replaced. If the central air conditioning system is 10-12 years old or older, it might be losing efficiency and more problems being caused than what it is worth.

High-efficiency, newer units can solve uneven cooling problems easily when properly installed and sized.

Talk to the JD Swallow Heating and Cooling professionals to help you decide whether you should keep your system or replace it. Contact us today!