Air Balancing – How to Prevent Hot and Cold Spots in Your Home

Have you ever walked into your kitchen and felt warm? And later, entered the bathroom, only to find it a bit chilly? Is your bedroom the warmest room in the house but the living room is cold? You may feel like you need to see a doctor! However, the issue is with your house, and can be resolved through air balancing.

As the name suggests, air balancing means applying solutions to keep the air’s temperature the same, or balanced, throughout your home, as much as possible. Not only will air balancing minimize these hot and cold spots, but it will do more. Specifically, it will improve air circulation, help your HVAC unit perform more optimally, enhance the energy efficiency of your home, and last but not least, make your home more comfortable.

So, that leads to the next question: how do you balance the air in your home? Here are 10 easy things that you can try:

1. Close the registers in each room accordingly. But don’t close them completely because it could affect your HVAC system.
2. Check your filters to see how dirty they are. Replace them if needed. This will help increase the energy efficiency of your HVAC system and lower your energy bills too.
3. If you don’t have them already, use window coverings to minimize the heat that enters that room.
4. Use ceiling fans to improve air circulation and to provide some cool air.
5. Stop any restrictions in airflow. This can happen if there are objects or furniture covering or blocking a register.
6. Check for drafts. They allow heat to enter, creating more hot spots by doors and windows. You can apply weather stripping to doors and windows.
7. Check your insulation. You may need to replace or add more insulation to create a cool and constant temperature.
8. Put the fan setting on your thermostat to Fan. This will keep a constant flow of air that will help maintain a steady temperature in each room.
9. Fix up your air duct work. This can involve sealing or insulating the ducts, or replacing any deteriorating or loose duct joints.
10. Check the size of your HVAC system. It may not be the appropriate size to address the temperature needs of your home.

If you still want some additional help in dealing with home hot spots, contact a licensed HVAC professional like Snyder Heating & Air Conditioning. We can test the intake and output to see where issues are, and make the necessary adjustments to help ensure your system is running at peak efficiency.