What to Do About Uneven Heating in Your Home?
Your furnace is running, and your thermostat is reading your desired temperature, yet some areas of your house are still icy. This is known as uneven heating, and in addition to making you uncomfortable, it can lead to excessive heating bills and repairs. Here are some of the common ways you can solve uneven heating in your home.
Check Your Air Filter
If your system can’t circulate enough air, it won’t push the heat all the way through your home, leaving the parts closer to the furnace warmer. The furnace filter is the first thing that’ll cause an airflow restriction since its job is to remove contaminants from the air.
If you have uneven heating, check to make sure your filter is clean and that it’s the right size. Your filter may last several months, depending on its size and your air quality. Plan to check it monthly so that you get it changed before it restricts your home’s airflow and causes uneven heating.
Seal Up Your Ducts
Another common issue that causes uneven heating is leaks in your ducts. These happen because of small movements and vibration while your system runs, slowly wearing on mounting hardware or at duct joints.
Your heated air will leak from these small holes into areas you don’t intend to heat. The rooms from that point on will receive less heat than intended, leaving them cool.
Have a professional seal your ducts to make sure they will get the air where it needs to go. Go a step further, and have your ducts insulated to make sure the heat doesn’t transfer through the ductwork itself.
Bring Down the Heat
Heat naturally rises, which means most of what you’ve just paid for is settling in at your ceiling. This is especially problematic if you have high ceilings. You’ll likely notice rooms with high ceilings may seem cooler than the rest of the house.
Your ceiling fans are a critical tool for bringing the heat back down to the level where you’ll enjoy it. On the side of the fan or on your remote, if your fan is equipped with one, is a switch to change the direction the fan spins.
In the winter, you want the fan spinning clockwise to draw cool air up and force the warmer air down. This prevents the windchill effect you appreciate over the summer when you want to set your fan spinning counterclockwise. You’ll only need to run the fan on low to get the benefit of bringing your heat back down to the level where you relax.
Check Airflow Restrictions
The heat circulates around your house because your system creates a subtle airflow while it’s running. It draws air in through the return vent, creating low pressure, while pushing out hot air at the supply vents, creating high pressure. Air seeks to maintain even pressure, so this moves it throughout your home.
Blocked or closed vents and closed doors inhibit this air movement, leaving some rooms warmer. Check your vents to make sure they are open and that each has at least 6 inches clear above and around it to allow for the pressure to do its job. Likewise, keep your doors open as much as possible to allow air to move through your home and even distribute the heat.
Upgrade to a Zoned System
Zoned systems are another great way to help your system more efficiently distribute heat. These run from a single furnace but selectively distribute heat where it’s needed.
A technician will create different zones around your home, each with its own thermostat. When the thermostat registers that the zone is cooling off, it not only signals the furnace to start but then opens the dampers for that zone. Any zones not needing heat keep the dampers closed, directing the heat to only those areas where it’s needed.
Zones allow you to keep different zones at slightly different temperatures. More importantly, this ensures you’re keeping your home more evenly heated by not trying to heat the whole house all the time.
People around Somerset depend on Jeffries Heating & Air + Plumbing to keep them comfortable throughout the year. Our team provides air conditioning and furnace maintenance, repair, and installation combined with a variety of residential plumbing services. Call to schedule your furnace service appointment with one of our expert technicians today.