Nine Reasons Your Home Isn’t Heating Evenly

Does your home heat unevenly? Heating unevenly happens when some rooms feel nice and cozy while others are significantly cooler. Several reasons could be to blame for this heating challenge. Here, we’ll explore what could be triggering these temperature imbalances and provide tips on how you can solve the issue.

Air Vents Aren’t Open

Your problem: Your furnace moves heated air throughout your home using supply and return registers. If these are closed or covered up, the restricted air movement creates hot and cold spots in your home.

How to fix it: Ensure all your home’s vents are unblocked, especially if certain rooms feel like they aren’t getting enough warmth. Next, check to make sure there aren’t any decor, mats or curtains blocking airflow. If a room is too warm, make sure the registers in the other rooms are clear and feel like they are putting out a similar amount of air. If a register is unobstructed but not a lot of air is flowing from it, there may be a problem with a damper or the duct isn’t routing the air to the right place.

A Clogged Air Filter Is Straining Your HVAC System

Your problem: Your furnace air filter traps dust, pollen and other airborne particles to provide clean and healthy air in your home. But a blocked filter filled with these particles can severely restrict airflow, making your furnace work harder and resulting in uneven heating. If warm air can’t get through easily, rooms farther from the heat source will be colder.

How to fix it: Inspect and replace the air filter every 30-90 days, especially in the winter when the heating system runs overtime.

There’s Not Enough Insulation in Your Home

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

How to fix it: Enhance your attic insulation to stop heat from leaving your home. If the insulation in your home now is in good shape, you may be able to simply layer additional insulation right on top of it.

Cold Air Is Getting in Through Doors and Windows

Your problem: Single-pane windows and old, leaky doors are a common culprit for letting cold air into your home, cooling the indoor temperature. This problem is most prevalent in older homes, which commonly have windows and doors that don’t fit as snug as they need to.

How to fix it: Prevent drafts in and around doors and windows by installing insulation strips 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, it may be time to look into replacing your windows and exterior doors.

Duct Leaks Are Letting Warm Air Out

Your problem: Ductwork transports heated air to your entire home. If there’s a leak, warmth can leak out of the ducts before it gets to some rooms of your home.

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

Your Thermostat Is Giving Misleading Readings

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

How to fix it: If your thermostat is near a drafty window or energy-producing appliance, it might be a good idea to find a new place for it. An HVAC specialist from Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing can help you move it to an area more representative of your home’s actual temperature where it can more accurately read your home’s average temperature. For extra convenience, opt for a smart thermostat, which gives you remote temperature control and programmable heating schedules.

You Need a Different Size of Furnace

Your problem: A furnace that’s too small may not heat all of your home, leaving some areas colder than others. On the other end of the spectrum, a furnace that’s too big often cycles on and off constantly, leading to temperature fluctuations and higher wear and tear that can shorten the lifetime of your heating and cooling system.

How to fix it: Have a heating and cooling Expert assess your home’s furnace size compared to your home’s square footage, the climate where you live, the home’s R-value, windows and other factors. If your furnace is oversized or underpowered, you may opt for upgrading to the right size for better heating performance and energy efficiency.

Heat Only Reaches Some Floors of Your Home

Your problem: Heat rises, so the second floor of your home can be heated while the main floor is colder.

How to fix it: Zoning your heating system allows you to control the temperature in different rooms with independent thermostats and ductwork valves. This way, you can send warm air exactly where you want.

You Need to Schedule Regular HVAC Maintenance

Your problem: Like any machine, your furnace needs regular maintenance to work smoothly. If you neglect to do routine care, your HVAC system may develop issues that lower energy efficiency and stop it from heating your home evenly.

How to fix it: Schedule professional maintenance for your furnace annually—if possible in the fall before the heating season starts. Regular maintenance also helps spot and fix issues before they result in potentially expensive performance issues or total breakdowns.

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

No one likes to spend time in a cold room. If one of these simple fixes doesn’t solve the issue, count on Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing to get the job done properly. Our ACE-certified technicians provide fast, trustworthy solutions to all your comfort needs backed by a 100% satisfaction guarantee. Don’t let a stubbornly cold room 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.