Uneven heating can be a problem for new homeowners and seasoned ones alike. You’ll notice that certain rooms or spots in your home may feel much colder than others. By evaluating the list of causes below, we’re sure you’ll be able to identify the culprit and fix it to get back to enjoying a fully warm home.

Lack of Insulation

Probably one of the most common culprits of uneven heating is a lack of proper insulation in a cold spot. Insulation is meant to create a large barrier between the cold temperatures outside and the warm temperatures inside. Each area of the country has a designated insulation R-value that is recommended to provide adequate insulation for the temperatures that it experiences. If you’re lacking the proper insulation R-value around the cold spot in your home, it’s necessary to beef up your insulation.

Fix Air Drafts

Another common culprit of uneven heating is the air draft. These tend to develop near windows and doors throughout your entire home. Head to the cold spots in your home and run your bare hand along all the window and door frames. If you feel a gust of cold air, you have an air draft that needs to be remedied. Use weather-stripping, a door sweep, or something similar to block out the air draft and fix your uneven heating issue.

Leaky Ducting

The ducting that runs throughout your home is meant to deliver the warm air produced by your furnace to all the rooms throughout your home. When your ducting develops leaks, that hot air can seep out into your wall and floor cavities. The bigger the leaks get, the more hot air you will lose to these cavities. It’s best to contact a professional to seal up those leaky ducts before they get even worse. When your ducting is properly sealed, all the warm air from your furnace can be delivered to the various rooms throughout your home.

Clogged Air Filter

Your furnace filter is great for keeping dust and debris out of your furnace and improving your indoor air quality. However, when your air filter reaches the end of its lifespan, it will become clogged. This makes it harder for air to be forced through the filter as it’s clogged with debris. Your furnace can struggle with airflow, and this can result in uneven heating throughout your home. To fix this problem, simply remove the clogged furnace filter and replace it with a new one. It’s best to check your filter once a month to see if it needs to be replaced.

Obstructed Vents

There are vents throughout your home that connect to the ducting that runs throughout your floors and walls. All of these vents require adequate space so that air can flow freely in or out of the vent. Whenever you place items like furniture in front of your vent, it can cause a restriction in airflow. Take a few minutes and check the vents of the cold rooms throughout your home. Move any obstructions and make sure the vent grates are open.

Poorly Maintained Furnace

When your furnace is not operating at peak condition, it can produce less heat. This typically results in the rooms closest to your furnace getting warm while the ones furthest away remain cold. Over time, you’ll notice that more and more rooms in your home won’t get up to the proper temperature. The best way to fix this issue is to get your furnace serviced by a professional on an annual basis to get it prepared to operate at peak condition throughout the entire winter season.

Aging Furnace

As your furnace approaches the end of its lifespan, its heat output is going to diminish slowly. If you’ve noticed that the rooms furthest from your furnace are not heating up like they used to, it could be due to your aging furnace. Furnaces are designed to last between 15 and 20 years. If your furnace is 15 years old or older, it’s time to think about upgrading to a new one.

Undersized Furnace

If you’re spending your first winter in your new home, it can come with a lot of surprises. When you notice that your home is heating unevenly, it could be a problem with the size of your furnace. An undersized furnace won’t be able to adequately produce the heat necessary to get all of the rooms up to your desired temperature.

You can easily check to see if your furnace is undersized by comparing its heating output to that of what your home needs. Your furnace should state its heating output on its access panel in the form of BTUs. To get your home’s heating needs, you’ll want to multiply the total square footage of your home by 20 BTUs. If your furnace doesn’t meet or exceed your home’s heating needs, then it’s time to upgrade your existing system.

Poor Home Design

Sometimes, it can be easy to get caught up in all of the cool features that can be constructed in your new home that you forget to think about how your HVAC system is going to handle them. If you have features like vaulted ceilings or a wall of windows, then it’s likely that your furnace is going to struggle with properly heating these rooms. It’s best to contact one of our HVAC professionals to learn about the different solutions that are available for your individual situation, like zone heating technology.

System Short Cycling

Every time that your furnace kicks on, it’s supposed to run through an entire heating cycle before it shuts off. If you hear your furnace constantly kick on and off without going through an entire heating cycle, then it’s short cycling. This rapid on and off movement doesn’t give your furnace enough time to produce adequate heat for your home. This can result in partially heated rooms. Furnace short cycling can be caused by a number of different issues, including a faulty thermostat, dirty air filter, or an oversized unit. You should contact one of our experienced furnace professionals to identify and fix the cause of your short cycling issue.

Ducting Restriction

If you notice that the rooms that aren’t receiving heat are the last on your ducting line, it could be an indication that there’s a restriction in the line. It’s not uncommon for dirt and debris to get piled up inside of your ducting and restrict adequate airflow. Additionally, animals can invade your ducting and cause airflow restrictions. To evaluate and solve this problem, you should get your ducting cleaned by a professional. They will be able to remove the restriction so that warm air can reach those last rooms on your ducting setup.

Excellent Heating Services

Summit Heating & A/C provides excellent heating services to the entire Denver, CO area. We’re also here for all of your cooling, plumbing, and indoor air quality needs. Call us today to schedule an appointment with our experienced service technicians.

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