When it comes to heating your home, there’s nothing worse than feeling like you’re sweating in one area and needing to bundle up as you move into another area. Not only does this reduce your comfort, but it also reduces your system’s efficiency, driving up your utility costs. Here are some easy things you can do to even out your home’s heating this winter.
Check on Your Vents and Doors
Your heating system relies on air circulation to heat your home, both within each room and also between rooms. When your vents are closed or blocked, you inhibit the system’s ability to circulate air, creating warm and cool areas. To avoid this, make sure your vents are open in each room and that they are clear of obstructions.
Ideally, keep at least 2 inches above and around your vents clear. You should also keep your interior doors open to encourage circulation throughout your entire home.
Consider a Zoned System
When you have a large or oddly shaped home, you may find that air doesn’t circulate well. One of the best ways to solve this is to install a zoned HVAC system.
These use a single furnace but utilize dampeners in your ductwork to direct air to where it’s needed most. This allows you to install multiple thermostats throughout your home to call for heat when it’s needed. Even if one thermostat registers warm, if another doesn’t, the dampeners will close to the warmer areas, directing the heat to where it’s needed most.
Check Your Air Filter
In addition to needing your vents open, you also need a clean air filter to allow air to flow into your heating system. Filters are often neglected until there’s a significant problem, causing many subtle issues along the way, including uneven heating.
How often your filter requires changing depends on the size of filter you have and your air quality. Regardless of the filter size, if you have poor air quality, you will end up changing it more frequently.
Plan to check it monthly to keep an eye on its condition. While you’re inspecting it, consider vacuuming the loose debris off the intake side. This will help extend the filter’s life and give you an efficiency boost between changes.
Reduce the Ductwork Variable
Your ducts transport the heat throughout your house, but they’re also a variable, leading to uneven heating. When your ducts aren’t effectively sealed, they’ll leak air, allowing what you’ve heated to escape out before it reaches its intended destination. Depending on where your leaks are located, this may cause uneven heating throughout your home.
Have your ducts professionally sealed to ensure that all the heated air is arriving in the appropriate rooms. Consider having those ducts insulated to prevent heat transfer when they pass through unheated spaces. This transfer reduces the amount of heat actually arriving in your living space, reducing your system’s efficiency.
Have Your System Maintained
Your furnace has several issues that may arise, leading to uneven heating. This is usually caused by either a lack of airflow or by inappropriate heating cycle lengths.
During routine maintenance, a technician will clean your heat exchanger and circulating fan. This ensures that there aren’t internal issues restricting the volume of air your system moves.
They will also evaluate your system’s heating cycle to ensure everything is operating optimally. When something isn’t working well, like your upper limit switch, it may cause your system to shut down early. This prevents heated air from getting into your home where it’s needed and raises your risk of running into issues that require repairs.
Put Your Ceiling Fans on Winter Mode
Your ceiling fans can play an integral part in keeping your home comfortable over the winter. Hot air rises, which means most of your heat ends up at your ceiling rather than in the living space. There’s a switch on your fan that reverses the direction the fan spins.
When the fan spins clockwise on low, it gently draws cool air up, forcing the warm air back down. This is especially helpful in rooms where you have vaulted ceilings, which can make the room feel exceptionally cold.
People around Louisville have trusted Breckinridge Heating & Cooling to keep them comfortable since 1954. Our team offers expert heating and cooling repair, installation, and maintenance throughout the area. Call to schedule your furnace service with one of our reliable and friendly technicians today.
