Nine Reasons Your Home Isn’t Heating Evenly

Are some rooms in your home colder than others? Heating unevenly is when some rooms feel warm while others are significantly chillier. Several causes could be to blame for this heating challenge. Here, we’ll help you learn what could be behind these temperature imbalances and show you how to resolve the problem.

Something’s Blocking Your Home’s Vents

Your problem: Your furnace circulates warm air throughout your home in supply and return registers. If these are blocked or covered up, the restricted air movement creates warm and cold areas in your home.

How to fix it: Ensure all your home’s vents are clear of obstructions, especially if some rooms feel like they aren’t getting enough warmth. Then, check to make sure there aren’t any furniture, rugs or drapes 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 about 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 System Has a Dirty Air Filter

Your problem: Your furnace air filter collects and removes dust, pollen and other airborne particles so that your air is clean. But a dirty 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 heat source can be colder.

How to fix it: Check and swap out the furnace’s air filter every 30-90 days, especially in the winter when your home’s heating system works often.

Your Home Needs More Insulation

Your problem: Inadequate home insulation allows heat to leak out, especially in rooms nearest to outside walls or your attic. This makes these rooms challenging to heat, even when the rest of the home is nice and comfortable.

How to fix it: Update your attic insulation to keep heat from leaving your home. If your existing insulation 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 notorious for letting cold air into your home, 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: Prevent drafts in and around doors and windows by installing weatherstripping or caulk. Heavy-duty curtains and thermal blinds also help prevent cold air from getting in your home. However, if 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.

There’s a Leak in Your Air Ducts

Your problem: Ductwork transports heated air to all the rooms in your home. If there’s a crack, warmth can leak out 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 cracks, which can often be sealed with metal tape or mastic sealant. In more severe cases, you may need to replace the ducts.

Your Thermostat Is in a Bad Spot

Your problem: The thermostat controls the heating system in your home. If it’s in a drafty or unusually warm 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 cold window or heat-emitting 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 gauge your home’s average temperature. For extra convenience, choose a smart thermostat, which gives you remote temperature control and personalized heating schedules.

You Need a Different Size of Furnace

Your problem: A furnace that’s too small may have difficulty heating all of your home, making some rooms colder than others. On the other end of the spectrum, an oversized furnace often runs frequently, resulting in temperature fluctuations and excessive wear and tear that can shorten the lifetime of your heating and air system.

How to fix it: Have a heating and cooling specialist assess your home’s furnace size compared to your home’s size, the climate where you live, the home’s insulation quality, windows and other factors. If your furnace is oversized or underpowered, consider upgrading to the right size for better heating performance and energy efficiency.

Heat Only Reaches Some Floors of Your Home

Your problem: Heat rises, which means the second floor of your home is sometimes comfortable while the main floor is colder.

How to fix it: Zoning your heating system allows you to control the temperature in different parts of your home with separate thermostats and ductwork dampers. This way, you can redirect warm air where you need it.

Your Furnace Needs a Tune-Up From a Pro

Your problem: Like any machine, your furnace needs regular tune-ups to function smoothly. Without routine care, your HVAC system may experience issues that reduce efficiency and prevent 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 identify and fix problems before they cause 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 ice-cold room. If an easy fix doesn’t do the trick, 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.