If you’ve got a room or two that’s colder or hotter than others in your home, then you have one (or both) of these two problems:
Air balancing is the process of adjusting the amount of cooled and heated air being delivered to each room in your home. Due to improper installation, your system may be unbalanced. Or you may have accidentally done something that’s impeding airflow to certain rooms in your home.
Heat gain/loss is inevitable for every room in your home. But some rooms gain/lose too much heat due to a variety of issues.
In this article, we’ll explain problems that fall into one of these two categories, and then explain how to fix them.
To make things easy for you, we’ll divide the problems up into ones you can solve and problems a professional needs to solve. That way, you can try to fix the problem yourself before calling someone like Coolray to fix your problem.
Problems you can solve
Dirty filter
A dirty filter blocks return airflow into your heating and cooling system, preventing enough air from being delivered to other rooms. Change the filter if it looks like this one on the right:
Clean filter (left) next to a dirty filter (right)
Related article: AC Troubleshooting: “Why Is My Central Air Conditioner Not Cooling?”
Closed/blocked supply air vents
You know all those metal grates with levers? Those are supply air vents. Find them and ensure that they’re open. Also, make sure they’re not being blocked by dust, drapes or furniture.
A supply vent that’s open—as it should be.
Related article: Why You Shouldn’t Close Your Air Conditioning Vents to Save Energy
Windows are open or cracked open
Open windows allow your conditioned air to leave and unconditioned air to get inside. Make sure the window is fully shut.
Leaving shades open
While open shades gives you a nice view and plenty of sunlight, it also allows heat to come and go as it pleases in your home. This causes the room where the window is located to be hotter or cooler than others. By shutting the shades, you’ll keep out more heat in the summer and keep more of it inside during the winter.
Problems an HVAC professional needs to fix
Air duct leaks
The room may be too hot or cold because too much air is being lost through the duct system due to air leaks.
This problem is pretty common. According to ENERGY STAR, the typical house loses 20-30% of the air that’s moving through the duct system due to leaks, holes, and poorly connected ducts. The result? Higher utility bills and difficulty keeping the house comfortable, no matter how the thermostat is set.
Leaks in the supply ducts.
Related article: The Cost of Leaky Ducts
Kinks in flexduct
Flexduct is soft ductwork that can bend. If that ductwork gets smushed or kinked, it’ll struggle to deliver air to whatever room it’s connected to. Think of moving air through kinked flexduct like trying to breath through a straw where someone has pinched the straw in the middle.
Some flex duct in a ceiling.
Related article: Are These Common Air Duct Problems Affecting Your Home’s Comfort?
Duct damper issues
Duct dampers are valves that control where air can and cannot go in your home. Issues with these dampers can cause your home to be unbalanced, causing some rooms to be hotter or colder than others.
Old, leaky single-pane windows
Single-pane windows (those with only a single layer of glass) often leave your rooms feeling chilly and dry in cold weather and overheated in warm weather. See a window professional about replacing them with energy efficient double-pane glass windows, which have two layers of glass.
Fan speed too slow
A professional may need to speed up your blower’s rpm to match the demand of your home.
Did you try to fix the problem yourself? Still having problems? Sounds like you need to contact an Atlanta heating & air conditioning professional. If you’re in our service area, we can help. Schedule an appointment online.
Coolray is your Atlanta-area home comfort expert with specialists in heating, air conditioning, air quality and plumbing. Have more questions? We’d be happy to help – just contact us online.
Get up-to-date current news, promotions and industry tips.