By design, a central heating system should warm every part of your house to the same degree. Although, for various reasons, one or more rooms may be warmer or cooler than the rest of the house. Bloomington Heating & Air explains what causes these heat imbalances and how you can solve them.
Winter Heating Issues & Solutions
Your home may have uneven indoor temperatures for several reasons. Once you pinpoint the cause, you can take steps to correct it and create even conditions throughout your home. Depending on the nature of the problem, the solution may be within your capabilities, or you may need to call a Bloomington HVAC technician.
Heat Registers
Heat registers release the air from the furnace into the individual rooms in your home. Registers control the direction and amount of airflow through vents. If you suspect that rooms in your home are heated unevenly, before you call a technician for heating repairs in Bloomington, MN, check the registers with the following approach.
Find Warm / Cool Rooms
To find out if the registers are the cause of heat imbalance, walk into every room and open the registers. Check the floors, walls, and ceilings, including in the bathrooms and kitchen, so you don’t overlook any vents. Also, make sure the areas in front of the registers are unobstructed for free airflow. Once the vents are open, adjust the thermostat to your preferred heat setting. When the heat cycle is complete, walk around the house and take note of which rooms feel warmer or cooler than the rest of the house.
Adjust the Vents
Close the vents partway in rooms that feel too warm, and leave the vents open in cooler areas. When the furnace completes its next cycle, walk around the house again to see whether the distribution of heat has improved. Continue adjusting the vents until the conditions seem even throughout the home. If you can’t seem to balance out the temperatures, the reason may be due to drafts or specific HVAC issues.
Drafts
Drafts are small leaks that allow cold air inside and warm air outside. Not only do drafts create temperature shifts in individual rooms, but they also waste energy. With air leaking outside, your furnace has to run for extended periods of time, which causes stress on its components. In fact, when tasked with a furnace repair, Bloomington, MN, technicians often find the problem stems from frequent use with insufficient maintenance.
Seal Air Leaks
Although drafts are invisible to the naked air, they’re easy to find and seal. Start in the rooms where the temperatures tend to be lower than average. Run your hand along the edges of any windows and doors that lead outside. If there is a draft, you’ll feel cold air moving with slight pressure. There are two ways to solve a draft: One is to plug the area with weather stripping or liquid sealant; Another is to replace the window or door with a version that’s better insulated.
HVAC Problems & Planned Maintenance
If you’ve adjusted the registers and checked for drafts, yet the heat is still imbalanced around your home, the problem may lie with your heating system. In Minnesota, heating units see a lot of use in the winter and can wear down without maintenance.
Lack of Maintenance
Signs of an unmaintained HVAC system include a dirty filter, a thermostat with a bad connection, and ductwork with loose sections that leak air. These problems can contribute to heat imbalances indoors, and they can also lead to total breakdowns that result in costly repairs. Freshly maintained, a heating system will run more efficiently and warm your home evenly.
Winter HVAC Maintenance
Considering that winter is a busy season for heating systems, a technician should inspect your HVAC unit in the final months of the year or earlier. In addition to fall/winter maintenance, schedule services at least one additional time per year for the best results.
Heating Repairs in Bloomington, MN
Heating services from Bloomington Heating & Air keep your home warm all winter long. With our planned maintenance program, your HVAC unit receives thorough inspections and cleanings to ensure reliable and efficient operations. We also offer repair services from trained technicians who provide flexible appointments that fit your schedule. And, just in case you experience an urgent heating mishap, we offer 24-hour emergency services, even during the holiday season. But, most of all, it’s our dedication to high-quality customer service that’s made us one of the most trusted HVAC companies in Bloomington MN.
To schedule HVAC maintenance or repairs, contact Bloomington Heating & Air today!