What You Can Do to Stop Uneven Heating
Have you ever walked into one room and noticed it feels 10 degrees colder than the rest of your home? Uneven heating is a common problem during winter, and it can be caused by a variety of underlying issues. To solve your uneven heating, you need to be able to identify cold spots and figure out what’s causing them to appear. Here are some helpful solutions for dealing with uneven heating.
Run Your Ceiling Fans on Reverse
Since heat rises, many homes with taller ceilings end up with cold air around the floor. If you have ceiling fans, this is very easy to fix. All you need to do is press the switch on the top of your ceiling fan. This reverses rotational speed, so it pulls air upwards. The end result is cold air being pulled up, while warm air gets pushed down to where you can feel it. Just make sure to avoid turning your ceiling fan on too high, or it can create a breeze that makes you feel chilly.
Improve Your Insulation
Not all cold spots are due to a faulty HVAC system. Especially in older homes, there can be drafts around doors, windows, floors, and corners. These drafts let cold air leak into your home, making certain areas feel especially chilly. A home energy audit can help to identify areas that can use more insulation. Often, fixing the problem is as simple as applying some weatherstripping or spritzing a little spray insulation into corners. You might find that your home feels snug and toasty once you do a few simple repairs.
Set Your HVAC Fan to “On” Instead of “Auto”
The typical HVAC system only runs the fan when your heat is turned on. However, it can be helpful to run the fan even without the heater running. This turns on the blower motor so it circulates air throughout the home. Circulating air for longer will help to mix your air, preventing it from settling into hot and cold areas. All you need to do is switch the thermostat fan setting to “On.” If desired, you can even install a smart thermostat that will run the fan for a set amount of time.
Supplement Your Heat With a Space Heater
If you just have one spot that’s not warm enough, consider investing in a space heater. These small heaters can warm up areas of around 150 square feet in size. They are great for warming up a corner that refuses to ever heat up. Just keep in mind that space heaters are inefficient at heating large spaces, so they’re only a good idea if you just need to warm one or two chilly areas.
Add Zoned Heating
Some home designs are just impossible to heat evenly with a single heater. For example, if your home is very long or has multiple stories, some spots will always end up a little warmer or cooler. In these cases, you might want to try a zoned HVAC system. This lets you set different areas of your home to different temperatures. For example, you could set the heat in your always-hot upstairs to 65 degrees Fahrenheit while having the heat in your chilly downstairs set at 72 degrees.
Reassess Your HVAC System
In some cases, hot and cold spots are due to a problem with your HVAC system. Often, the issue is your ductwork. If your ductwork was poorly designed, it might not be circulating air around your entire home. This can make air collect in spots, causing hot and cold areas. Another common problem is an oversized HVAC system. If your system is overpowered, it quickly dumps a bunch of hot air in a few spots, triggering your thermostat to shut off so you don’t get to run the system long enough to mix air evenly. In all these sorts of cases, you might want to talk to an HVAC expert about upgrading your heat.
Any time you are dealing with uneven heating, it’s a good idea to get a technician to look at your system. BELOMAN of Belleville can assess your heater and help you find solutions to your problem. We also help with a variety of other heating and cooling services including repairs, maintenance, and installations. Give us a call today to learn more.
