Tired of dealing with rooms being hotter or colder than they should be? You can try getting a room to a more moderate temperature by:
Replacing dirty air filters
Opening interior doors and supply vents
Sealing windows and outside doors
Closing door and window treatments
If those suggestions don't help, you may need help from a professional HVAC tech.
Want help making your rooms cooler or warmer? Call Reliable Heating & Air at (770) 594-9969 or schedule an appointment.
Our HVAC techs will inspect your cooling or heating system to diagnose the problem and help get you comfortable in no time. You'll also get the same five-star customer service we've been giving Atlanta residents for the past 40 years.
Tips for getting rooms to the right temperature
Replace dirty air filters
Air filter maintenance is one of the best things you can do to keep your HVAC system running as efficiently as possible. Dirty air filters clog your system, making it work harder to pull in air to heat or cool, and decrease its efficiency by up to 15%.
By replacing HVAC air filters regularly, your system can more easily pull in air to heat or cool. Regular filters (your average one-inch ones) should be replaced monthly and high-efficiency filters should be replaced every six to 12 months to maintain maximum efficiency.
Open interior doors and supply vents
Closing doors to rooms doesn't improve HVAC efficiency—it actually decreases the airflow throughout your home and can increase your utility bill. When you close a door to a room that is:
Ducted, meaning it has a supply vent, the conditioned air can't escape that room. So if it's a room closer to the HVAC system, it will be colder when the AC is on and hotter when your furnace or heat pump is on. And if the room is further from the system, it will be warmer when cooling and colder when heating.
Not ducted, the conditioned or heated air won't be able to get into that room, which means it will naturally be colder in the winter and warmer in the summer.
Also, closing supply vents doesn't increase the airflow into other rooms. Your HVAC system is designed to heat and cool a specific amount of square footage, so you'll want to keep all supply vents open to make sure your system is efficiently cooling and heating your home.
Plus, closing supply vents increases the pressure inside your ductwork, which can cause ducts to separate at the joints and decrease efficiency even more and require a duct repair.
Seal windows and outside doors
Over time, the seals on windows and doors can deteriorate or fall off. This causes gaps that allow outside air to get into the room, making it hotter or colder (depending on the time of year) than the rest of your home.
You can check for gaps by simply looking for light from outside or feeling for drafts around the window or door. To help close any gaps and keep air out, you can either replace the seals or add weather stripping to the window or door frame.
Close door and window treatments
Door blinds and window shades can do more than add ambience to a room—they can help keep out drafts and direct sunlight. To help keep the temperature where you want it, close any blinds, shutters or drapes.
If you don't have window treatments, installing these can help regulate a room's temperature. In fact, according to energy.gov, energy efficient window coverings can reduce heat gain in the summer by roughly 33% and reduce heat loss in the winter by 10%.
Still getting cold and hot rooms?
If you tried the suggestions above and still can't get your rooms to the right temperature, you may need to call an HVAC tech for help. The problem could be fixed by:
Sealing leaky ducts. Over time, your ducts can develop holes and cracks or become disconnected at the joints. This can cause conditioned air to escape the ducts into crawl spaces and attics. It can also cause the hot or cold (and not to mention dusty) air inside those areas to get pulled into the HVAC system, forcing your system to work harder than it needs to. A duct sealing will repair any holes or gaps in your ductwork to prevent these issues.
Repairing blower fan issues. If your blower fan isn't working properly, it can't effectively blow heated and cooled air throughout your home, which can cause hot and cold rooms. Sometimes, the fan becomes coated with dust and grime that can slow its operation. You can try turning off your system and carefully wiping the blower fan to see if that helps improve airflow.
Installing a zoned system. An HVAC zoning system uses separate thermostats to heat or cool parts (zones) of your home that naturally get hotter or colder. Zoned systems are great for when your AC isn't cooling upstairs or the furnace isn't heating upstairs. If you don't want to zone your system, an alternative would be to install a mini-split system, which is designed to cool or heat one room or area.
Replacing your unit with a properly sized one. An improperly sized unit (whether it's too small or too large) will result in increased energy bills, reduced system lifespan, and hot and cold rooms. Unfortunately, many HVAC techs will recommend AC or furnace sizes based on square footage alone. This should be one of many factors that go into sizing a system for your home. Our HVAC techs will properly size your system, looking at every single factor in your home that can cause heat loss, to get you one that effectively heats and cools every room.
Need help getting comfortable? Call Reliable Heating & Air.
Call us today at (770) 594-9969 or schedule an appointment for a free in-home estimate.
We offer the most reliable HVAC repairs in the Atlanta area. Our HVAC techs will thoroughly inspect your system to figure out why you're getting cold or hot rooms, and then give you an upfront quote before starting any work. We'll help you make your home comfortable again.