If you realize that you have hot and cold spots in your Rapid City home, you’re not alone. This is a relatively common occurrence. While it can seem like a big issue, the good news is that the typical causes of hot and cold spots are typically easy to fix with a straightforward air conditioning service. The most routine causes for hot and cold spots are:
- Lack of zoning or improper zoning
- Poorly designed or ineffectively sized duct systems
- Leaky or inadequately insulated air ducts
- HVAC equipment that is too big or too small
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 set the air temperature in each zone. The system involves multiple thermostats that control dampers in the ductwork of your forced-air system. The thermostats constantly read the temperature of their assigned zone, then open or close the dampers according to the thermostat's settings. This may be the key to keeping that one frozen bedroom warm in the winter, or that hot box sunroom comfortable all summer. Plus, when it’s used with a programmable thermostat, zoning could mean home energy savings of up to 35 percent.*
Poorly Designed or Ineffectively Sized Duct Systems
Some homeowners have hot and cold spots simply because their home’s duct system isn’t sized correctly for the room that needs heated and cooled, or it’s designed the wrong way. We find this is fairly commonplace in homes that were built before much of today’s tools and training were around. Unfortunately, even the most energy-efficient HVAC equipment can’t live up to homeowners’ expectations if the duct system isn’t letting it do its job. In fact, a shoddy duct system could actually cause new equipment to work harder than needed and reduce its life cycle. The professionals at Street Heating and Cooling 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 might still be the source of your home’s hot and cold spots. It’s common for the ducts in a home to become leaky over time. Pros like Street Heating and Cooling can inspect your ducts and let you know if they need sealed. They could also find that your ducts aren’t leaking, but they’re not correctly insulated. Fortunately, this is also a generally routine fix.
Improperly Sized HVAC Equipment
So possibly your air duct system is just fine and you have a good zoning system, but you’re still noticing hot and cold spots through your home. Improperly sized HVAC equipment could be the culprit. A system that is too small has to run harder to heat or cool your home, meaning you have hot and cold spots because it can’t keep up with the amount of space it needs to condition. Even a system that’s too big can leave you with problems because it’ll cycle on and off too often to do its job correctly.
No matter what’s causing the hot and cold spots in your home, Street Heating and Cooling can help. Just give us a call at 605-206-3915 and we’ll help you figure it out and determine if you need air conditioning service, or any other types of HVAC service that can help you keep your home cozy.
*Source: U.S. Department of Energy statistics