When the weather turns warm, uneven cooling in the home can be extremely frustrating. No one likes it when the upstairs rooms are too warm while the downstairs rooms are nice and cool. Here in Olathe, this can start to happen as soon as temperatures rise even just a little bit during the spring months.
Since most homes in the Olathe area feature bedrooms on the second floor, uneven cooling can make for an unpleasant night’s sleep, causing you to toss and turn while you try to get comfortable. Even though uneven cooling is a fairly common complaint, your Olathe heating and cooling service pros have good news: It’s actually relatively easy to identify the cause and correct it! Read on for a list of these common causes and what you can do about them. If none of these work, call Davenport Service Company today!
What are the causes of uneven cooling in the home?
1. Your vents may be blocked. Your vents and ductwork are designed to distribute warm or cool air, depending on the season, to all the rooms in your home evenly. While no system is ever perfect, most modern HVAC systems come pretty close. When a vent is blocked or closed, the cooled air has no place to go, so that room will be warmer than the rest of the house. A blocked vent can also cause your heating and cooling system to work harder than it needs to, resulting in higher utility bills and unnecessary wear on the system. Unfortunately, blocked vents are the most common reason for uneven cooling in the home. The first remedy is to check all of your vents and make sure they are not closed or blocked by furniture or anything else. Vents should all be open so the air can flow freely.
2. There may be leaks in your ducts. Speaking of air flowing freely, you want cool air to flow through the ducts, out of the vents, and into your rooms. What you don’t want is for that cool air to be flowing out through a leak in the ductwork and into your basement or attic. To check your ducts for leaks, turn on your AC fan and check the connections between each piece of ductwork and the next. If you feel any leaks, you’ll need to seal them with duct tape. That’s what it’s for, after all!
3. You may need to change your filters. The filters in your heating and cooling system should be changed at least every couple of months to keep everything running efficiently. Fortunately, it’s easy to do. You can pick up filters by the dozen from the hardware store, so you’ll always have one on hand. When the time comes, simply pull the old filter out and slide the new one in. Changing your filters regularly is one of the most important steps in maintaining your HVAC system. A dirty filter that hasn’t been changed in some time can certainly prevent air from flowing freely through the system. Even if your filter looks clean, it should still be changed every couple of months.
4. Your air conditioner may be showing its age. The typical air conditioner will last around 15 years. Sometimes, an air conditioner will need some service or repair during that time, especially if you don’t subscribe to a bi-annual heating and cooling maintenance program. If your air conditioner is 15 years old or older, however, it’s running on borrowed time, no matter how well-maintained it is. You may want to start considering a replacement, especially if you have an older model that uses R-22 coolant, which was been banned by the federal government as of January 2020.
5. Your attic may have poor insulation. Attics provide a valuable buffer, especially in two-story homes, and the insulation in your attic not only keeps the cool air in, it also keeps the warm air out. If you’re experiencing uneven cooling, especially where upper floors are warmer, the culprit could be insufficient insulation in your attic. Insulation is measured by R-value, so check to make sure that you not only have enough insulation properly distributed throughout your attic, but that it’s the right type for your needs.
6. You may need to adjust your thermostat. It’s a good idea to keep an eye on your thermostat, especially if you’re noticing inconsistencies in your home’s heating or cooling. You might want to invest in a programmable “smart” thermostat if you don’t have one already. Smart thermostats not only help to save you money on your utility bills, they can also “learn” your patterns to help keep your home at a comfortable temperature, day and night. If you’re having trouble getting all the parts of your house to cool evenly, you may also want to try changing the settings on your HVAC system’s blower fan. Keeping the cool air circulating can help keep the whole house cool.
If you’ve tried all these things and you’re still having trouble getting your home HVAC system to cool evenly, then it’s probably time to call in the professionals. Even if everything is cooling great now, bi-annual heating and air conditioning maintenance in the spring and autumn helps to keep your whole system in peak performance throughout the year and helps you avoid costly breakdowns and bigger problems down the road. While the pros from Davenport Service Company are at your home performing our 25-point tune-up, we will be happy to answer any questions you might have about how to get the most out of your heating and cooling system.
If you’re having problems with uneven cooling in your home this spring or just want to schedule your seasonal HVAC tune-up, call Davenport Service Company at 913-441-2222 today!
