When your central air conditioning system produces uneven home cooling, uncomfortable temperatures spread upstairs, downstairs, and throughout your home. Uneven cooling is a common complaint in two-story or multi-story homes and is also a sign of HVAC system problems. Ductwork leaks, poor attic insulation, dirty HVAC filters, blocked vents, and the need for air conditioner repair services or professional replacement make it difficult to control air conditioning in a home.
Keep all areas of your home at the perfect temperature with even air conditioning and heating – Thomas & Galbraith share how! These tips help you solve heating and cooling troubles and deliver heating air conditioning across your home evenly.
Your air conditioning system may produce uneven cooling in your home due to various faults. Issues with air ducts, HVAC equipment, and more can cause a central air system to fail at cooling a home evenly.
Vents Are Blocked: Room vents distribute cold air from supply ducts. When vents are blocked, rooms do not receive the cool air intended for that area. Vent covers can be blocked by carpeting, furniture, and other items, or louvered vent covers could be left in the closed position. When air hits the blocked vent, it will redirect to other surrounding areas of your home with opened vents. Rooms with open vents then receive an abundance of cold air while spaces with closed vents don’t receive air conditioning to replace hot air.
Leaks in Air Ducts: Supply ductwork carries cool air from the air conditioner to spaces throughout the house. When leaks are present in the ducts, cold air passes out of the duct and hot air is able to seep into the duct system. The result is warm air flowing to your living areas and poor comfort management.
Low Attic Insulation: If your attic doesn’t contain enough insulation, cooling can easily escape the home. When the attic has low insulation, heating, and cooling loss is a problem year-round.
Dirty Air Conditioning System Filters: The filters for an air conditioner allow free movement of air throughout the central air conditioning and heating unit. Filters become dirty as they extract contaminants from the air. Once dirty, filters need to be replaced or else they create a blockage that prevents the air conditioner from moving enough air through the HVAC system to keep indoor spaces cool.
Central Air Conditioning Unit Short Cycling: When a cooling cycle only lasts a couple of minutes, the air conditioner does not generate enough cold air to send throughout the house and thus it is difficult to control the temperature of each room. This is an HVAC issue called short cycling which leads to energy waste and system damage.
Old Cooling Unit: When uneven cooling is a constant problem, it’s likely you are due for air conditioner replacement. Over the years, your air conditioner loses its ability to efficiently cool indoor spaces. A room in a home or area of a floor that is located farthest from the unit experiences more heat while a room closer to the air conditioner is more likely to stay cool.
Because heat rises, it is difficult to cool a two-story or multi-story home with a conventional central air conditioning system. An upstairs room in the house feels hot even though a room downstairs stays cool and comfortable. Even though a thermostat is set to deliver enough cold air to keep the lower floor comfortable, there is no way to account for the differing needs of the upper floor. A zoning system must be installed to allow individual comfort control between each floor and area of the house.
If unequal cooling in your home makes your family uncomfortable, remedy uneven home cooling with these tips and services.
Move through each room of your home and check each vent for obstructions. Remove furniture, rugs, and other items, and check louvers in the register cover to make sure they are open. Clear registers allow the free flow of cool air into the room.
When your HVAC fan is set at AUTO, it runs only during a cooling cycle. At your thermostat, switch fan settings to ON instead of AUTO. The ON fan setting keeps air circulating through the house even when the air conditioner is off. The AUTO fan setting conserves electricity but running the fan more often could help you maintain even comfort conditions across your home.
Call for professional duct sealing service to eliminate air leaks and solve uneven home comfort caused by energy loss in your ducts. Sealing service closes gaps and openings in air ducts so your ductwork retains the cool air made by your air conditioner and delivers it to the intended living areas.
Adding insulation to your attic, under the floor, and in other areas of the home will address energy loss that leads to poor comfort control. Increase insulation R-value across your address to cool your home more evenly.
An important part of air conditioning maintenance is installing a new filter once the existing one becomes dirty. When you have a clean filter in your system, it’s easier for your AC unit to keep temperatures consistent in the house.
If you notice short cycling from your cooling system, call for professional repair services right away. A technician can eliminate malfunctions causing short cycling to protect your equipment and preserve even cooling in your home.
When you call your HVAC professional, ask about a zoning system for your home. Zone control is the perfect solution for a two-story home with hot rooms upstairs and cool or comfortable spaces downstairs. Installed with new air conditioning equipment or your existing unit, a zoning system uses a series of dampers as well as an individual thermostat in each zone to control cool air. Adjust the temperature on the thermostat in one area to provide more cool air in that space only. Each area receives the comfort needed without disrupting comfort in other living spaces.
When your existing AC equipment doesn’t evenly cool your home, it’s time to replace it. With a new model installed, your home has the power to manage indoor conditions in every area without struggle.
Thomas & Galbraith helps Cincinnati homeowners implement pro tips for better comfort management in all areas of the home. For cooling maintenance, repair, and installation service, call us today!