Nine Reasons Your Home Isn’t Heating Evenly

Does your home heat unevenly? Heating unevenly is when some rooms feel nice and cozy while others are much chillier. Several culprits could be to blame for this heating challenge. Here, we’ll help you learn what could be triggering these temperature imbalances and show you how to solve the issue.

Something’s Blocking Your Home’s Vents

Your problem: Your furnace circulates warm air throughout your home in air and return registers. If these are obstructed or covered up, the restricted air circulation creates warm and cold spots in your home.

How to fix it: Confirm that all the vents are open, especially if certain rooms feel like they aren’t getting enough warmth. Next, check to make sure there aren’t any decor, carpets or curtains hindering airflow. If a room is too warm, make sure the registers in the other rooms are uncovered and feel like they are putting out the same amount of air. If a register is clear but not a lot of air is flowing from it, there may be a problem with a valve or the duct isn’t directing the air to the right place.

Your HVAC Air Filter Is Clogged

Your problem: Your furnace air filter catches dust, pollen and other airborne particles so that your air is clean. However, a blocked filter filled with these particles can severely restrict airflow, making your furnace work harder and leading to uneven heating. If warm air can’t get through easily, rooms farther from the furnace or other heating system will be colder.

How to fix it: Check and swap out the air filter every 30-90 days, especially in the winter when the heating system operates often.

Your Home Has Poor Insulation

Your problem: Inadequate home insulation lets warm air seep out of your home, especially in rooms along outside walls or the attic. This makes certain rooms challenging to keep as warm as you’d like, even when the rest of the home feels comfortable.

How to fix it: Enhance your attic insulation to prevent heat from rising out of your home. If the material currently insulating your home is in good shape, you may be able to simply add more on top of it.

Drafty Doors and Windows Are Letting Cold Air In

Your problem: Single-pane windows and old, drafty doors are notorious for letting cold air inside, putting a chill on the indoor temperature. This problem is most common in older homes, which frequently have windows and doors that don’t close as snug as they should.

How to fix it: Avoid drafts in and around doors and windows by installing weatherstripping or caulk. Insulated curtains and thermal blinds also help block out the cold. When these simple fixes aren’t enough to prevent cold spots in your home, you may want to think about replacing your windows and exterior doors.

Duct Leaks Are Letting Warm Air Out

Your problem: Ductwork delivers heated air throughout your home. If an air duct has a crack, warm air can leak out of the ducts before it gets to some rooms of your home.

How to fix it: Hire an HVAC specialist like one of our team members at Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing to inspect your ductwork for leaks, which can usually be sealed with duct tape or mastic sealant. In more severe cases, you may need duct replacement.

You Need to Move Your Thermostat

Your problem: The thermostat manages the heating system throughout your home. If it’s in a drafty or unusually hot spot, it may give misleading readings, causing your HVAC system to run at the wrong times—and create uneven temperatures.

How to fix it: If your thermostat is near a drafty window or heat-generating appliance, you may want to move it to another area of your home. An HVAC technician from Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing can help you move it to a more central location where it can more accurately gauge your home’s average temperature. For extra convenience, choose a smart thermostat, which allows for remote temperature control and personalized heating schedules.

Your Furnace Is the Wrong Size

Your problem: A furnace that’s too small may have difficulty heating all of your home, leaving some areas colder than others. On the other hand, an oversized furnace often turns on and off continuously, resulting in temperature fluctuations and increased wear and tear that can shorten the lifetime of your heating and air system.

How to fix it: Have a heating and cooling professional evaluate the size and capacity of the furnace in your home compared to your home’s size, the climate where you live, the home’s R-value, windows and other factors. If your furnace is oversized or underpowered, think about upgrading to the right size for better heating performance and energy efficiency.

Heating Challenges of Multilevel Homes

Your problem: Heat rises, which is why the second floor of your home is often comfortable while the main floor is cool.

How to fix it: Zoning your heating system is a way for you to control the temperature in different areas with separate thermostats and ductwork valves. This way, you can direct warm air where you need it.

Your Furnace Needs a Tune-Up From a Pro

Your problem: Like any system with moving parts, your furnace needs regular tune-ups to work smoothly. Without routine care, your HVAC system may experience issues that lower energy efficiency and hinder it from heating your home evenly.

How to fix it: Schedule professional maintenance for your furnace annually—preferably in the fall before the heating season kicks off. Regular maintenance also helps spot and fix issues before they result in potentially costly performance issues or catastrophic breakdowns.

Call the Experts at Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing for Furnace Service in the U.S.

No one likes to be in a cold room. If you aren’t able to fix this yourself, count on Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing to get the job done correctly. Our ACE-certified technicians provide fast, dependable solutions to all your comfort needs backed by a 100% satisfaction guarantee. Don’t let another cold spot ruin your comfort—call 866-397-3787 today to schedule the U.S. furnace services with the Experts at Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing.