Hot and cold spots in a home can be maddening. Somebody somewhere is always uncomfortable, no matter how often you readjust the thermostat. Dogged attempts to maintain a consistent temperature throughout the house can also result in higher monthly cooling and heating costs.

The ultimate solution to hot and cold spots is identifying and eliminating root causes instead of making frequent thermostat adjustments. Here are some reasons why temperatures vary in certain houses, creating hot and cold spots, and what’s required to fix it.

• Duct leaks. Uneven air circulation caused by leakage in ductwork can create stubborn cold or hot zones. At least 25% of residences have excessive loss of conditioned air due to leaky ducts. Leaks at joints, rusty, corroded duct material, and even disconnected segments of ductwork are common. A duct-leakage test determines the extent and location of leaks, and duct sealing restores uniform heating and cooling to all parts of the home.
• Air imbalance. When an HVAC system is unbalanced, certain rooms receive too much conditioned air and others don’t get enough. Balancing the system involves measuring air volume into each room, then adjusting internal dampers inside ductwork so the CFM (cubic feet per minute) of air entering each room supports uniform temperatures throughout the house.
• Heat gain and loss. Openings in a home’s structure allow outdoor air to infiltrate in winter and summer, destabilizing indoor temps in affected areas. Air-sealing ranges from caulking cracks and gaps in walls and ceilings, renewing weatherstripping around doors and windows, and ensuring openings around plumbing, ducts, or electrical wiring entering the house are sealed.
• HVAC units are not properly sized. HVAC sizing involves a survey of factors that affect cooling and heating in a particular house. Industry-standard software is utilized to calculate the optimum BTU capacity of a furnace or air conditioner to ensure uniform heating and cooling throughout the home. Installing a new air conditioner or furnace should always be preceded by a sizing calculation performed by a qualified HVAC contractor.

For experienced advice and professional service to eliminate hot and cold spots in your home, contact Jackson & Sons.