Many of us who own forced air heating and cooling systems have problems with uneven temperatures in our homes, whether the problem occurs from room to room or from one level of your house to another.

Some of us deal with the problem by keeping sweaters handy as you move from one area of the house to another – but that routine gets old pretty quickly. The far better solution is to fix the root cause of uneven heating and cooling – or at least reduce it to manageable levels.

Let’s take a look at some common causes of temperature imbalance in your Long Island home – and what to do to manage them.

Why You Have Uneven Heating And Cooling

In a forced air system, hot and cold zones in your home are typically caused by one or more of three factors: poor airflow within your HVAC equipment, insufficient insulation, or air leaks in the home. More specifically, causes include:

• Interrupted airflow between the furnace or A/C and vents
• Leaky or poorly installed ductwork
• A mis-sized heating or cooling system
• Drafts
• A thermostat giving inaccurate readings (often due to placement)

The challenge is that these problems aren’t always easy to diagnose without the right tools and training. A licensed HVAC technician can test and assess your system to help you identify the real cause of your heating issues and determine the best course of action to take to solve the problem.

7 Uneven Home Temperature Solutions

If you’re experiencing uneven heating and cooling in your home, here are some possible solutions an HVAC professional might suggest, in order from the simplest to the most complex:

1. Manage your vents – Close vents in rooms. This redirects conditioned air to rooms you use most.
2. Check air filters regularly – In a forced air system, a blocked air filter will make it difficult for your blower to force air through your ductwork; inhibited air flow means less conditioned air reaches your living space. Try replacing your air filter before moving on to more substantial measures.
3. Seal air leaks – Caulk leaky window and door frames, install doorsweeps, and add weatherstripping to door jambs to reduce drafts.
4. Add insulation to unconditioned spaces – Most homes – especially older ones – are under-insulated. Insulation is one of the best investments you can make in home comfort; if your home is not insulated to recommended R-Values, consider adding more. Here are some guidelines about where and how much insulation to add to your home.
5. Consider sealing your ductwork – As much as 15 percent of the air you paid to heat could be lost on the way to vents via leaks in your ductwork. Consider investing in a professional ductwork inspection: since many leaks are located behind walls and in hard to reach spaces, it’s not a DIY job.
6. Add a zone controller or mini-split system – A zone controller allows you to control temperatures on each floor of your home independently using multiple thermostats. If your heating or cooling system can be configured this way, it could solve an uneven heating problem. Another way to go would be to install a ductless mini-split system as a source of supplemental heating and cooling – to learn more about this option, contact us.
7. Service your equipment regularly – When it comes to even heating and cooling – or any other issue regarding the performance of your HVAC system – regular maintenance by an HVAC expert is key. If you live year-round in your home, service your equipment every year. If you have a vacation home that you use seasonally, you might not need heating or cooling service more than once every other year.

Experiencing uneven heat in your home? Burt’s Reliable can help. Contact us today to learn more about heating and cooling system service in Long Island’s East End and North Fork!