Uneven Home Heating? Here Are 7 Possible Solutions

Many of us experience hot and cold spots in our home, whether room-to-room or from one section of the house to another (if you need an extra layer of clothing when you move from the upstairs bedroom to the downstairs living room, you know exactly what we mean!)

The good news is there are ways to reduce those hot and cold spots so you can stay comfortable anywhere you want in your home. But first, let’s take a look at some common causes of temperature imbalance between floors or rooms in your home.

Causes Of Uneven Home Heat

Uneven heat in your home is typically caused by one or more of three factors: poor airflow within your central heating system, inadequate insulation, or air leaks and inefficiencies in your home. Digging a little deeper, more specific causes include:

Troubleshooting Hot Or Cold Spots In Your Home

If you’re experiencing uneven heating in your home, here are some possible solutions a pro might suggest, in order from the simplest to the most complex:

1. Close vents in unused or under-used rooms — If you have a forced air central heating system (one with vents), close vents in unused rooms to redirect warm air to rooms you use most.
2. Replace your air filter — In a forced air system, a blocked air filter will make it difficult for your blower to force air through your ductwork; inhibited air flow means less warm air reaches your living space. Try replacing your air filter before moving on to more substantial measures.
3. Bleed your radiators — If you have a boiler rather than a furnace, you could find that there are cold spots on your radiators and baseboards. This is often caused by trapped air pockets in the system’s pipes that are preventing heated water or steam from reaching the radiator. Your heating system probably needs to be bled.
4. Winterize — Caulk leaky window and door frames, install door sweeps, and add weatherstripping to door jambs to reduce drafts.
5. Have your ductwork professionally inspected and sealed — As much as 15 percent of the air you paid to heat could be lost on the way to vents via leaks in your ductwork. Consider investing in a professional ductwork inspection—since many leaks are located behind walls and in hard-to-reach spaces, it’s not a DIY job.
6. Install a zone heating system — A zoning system allows you to control temperatures on each floor of your home independently from its own thermostat. If your heating system is and be configured this way, it could solve an uneven heating problem.
7. Add space heaters — A propane space heater can be a perfect solution to an uneven heating problem, especially if the cold spot is specific to one room or section of your house (think attic, garage, basement, hobby room, etc.). Compact and powerful, propane space heaters can add up to 30,000 Btus of safe, targeted heat to a room without needing to be connected to your central heating system or ductwork. Midway Gas features freestanding and wall mounted Empire and Heatstar space heaters in a range of sizes and styles – contact us today to learn more!

Experiencing uneven heat in your home? Midway Gas pros can help. Contact us today to learn more about propane space heater installations in southwest VA!