Three Easy Ways to Troubleshoot Uneven Heating
If you have one or more rooms in your home that always seem to be a little colder than the rest of your house, you are probably dealing with uneven heating. Although it’s not an emergency, it can be frustrating and may even be causing high electricity bills.
Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to troubleshoot this common issue.
#1
Check Your Vents
Vents should always be unobstructed and left fully open! Check your house thoroughly to make sure none of your floor or wall vents are covered by rugs or furniture. Similarly, partially closing vents in an effort to redirect air is not recommended. Closing (or partially closing) vents will actually put more pressure in your air ducts, which encourages leaks in your ductwork and excessive wear on your system.
If your vents have dust buildup, turn off the system and remove the covers to wash. While the covers are off, inspect the inner vent with a flashlight and use a vacuum to clean out the duct.
#2
Clean Your Return Grates
Remember this when you change your air filters every three months: The grates that hold the air filters might be overdue for a cleaning. You can remove them and clean with soapy water, and vacuum inside the duct before putting everything back. Remember to turn off your system before starting this process!
#3
Test Your Thermostat
If you’ve cleaned all your vents and grates and you can’t identify other culprits like poorly-insulated doors and windows, the problem might be your thermostat. You can test to see if it’s working by attaching a thermometer to the wall next to it. Make sure to add some material like a towel behind the thermometer so the reading isn’t affected by the temperature of the wall. After 15 minutes, the thermometer and thermostat should report the same temperature.
If the readings are more than a few degrees apart, you might either have a faulty thermostat, need new batteries, or your thermostat needs to be recalibrated.
If it’s faulty, you should call in an expert to diagnose the problem more thoroughly.
If it needs to be recalibrated, you might be able to do it yourself! Check the owners manual for instructions specific to your thermostat. Remember, you can always call a professional to help too!
Other long-term solutions:
If your thermostat is in a sunny area of your home, near a door, or near the kitchen, there’s a chance that direct sun, outdoor air, and heat from appliances might be skewing its ability to gauge and moderate the temperature of your home. Luckily, thermostats can be relocated! If you decide to take this route, make sure to choose an interior wall safe from sources of heat or cool air.
If you feel like your heating system isn’t quite cutting it, or you’d like to have more control over temperature in select rooms like your bedroom or home office, set up a free consultation with one of our comfort experts.
If you need help troubleshooting the uneven heating in your home or are interested in installing a mini split system, reach out to our team at 434-298-2151.
