Are you struggling to get your AC to cool your home evenly? Call Complete Comfort Heating, Plumbing & Air Conditioning at (317) 754-8511 for professional guidance.
As anyone living in a multi-story home will attest, living with uneven cooling in your house is no fun. It’s a near-constant battle trying to keep the various levels cool in the summer heat.
The upper levels can sometimes feel up to ten degrees warmer than the ground level, and fiddling with the thermostat to cool it further often just makes the ground level unbearably colder.
As the leading air conditioner repair experts in Greenwood, IN, we get many callouts each year regarding this problem. This article looks at the various ways you can solve it.
Check for Blocked Vents and Registers
Cool air from your air conditioner has to pass through vents to cool your space. Furniture, carpeting, or any other objects blocking the vents and registers will make the circulation of the cool air more difficult overall. Move all pieces of furniture and anything else blocking your vents and registers.
Similarly, you should use a vacuum cleaner to remove all dust and debris from your vents and registers.
Change the Fan Settings on Your Thermostat
The fan switch on most thermostats has the “on” and “auto” settings. On the “auto” mode, the system will turn on the fan or increase the speed when the sensors communicate the need to recycle the air.
Switching the fan to the “on” mode will keep it working at a steady speed. It will keep on circulating the air even after the cooling cycle has ended, keeping the temperatures across the floors even until the next cycle.
Check Dirty Air Filters
Clogged air filters can slow down the flow of cool air entering your home. It’s important to clean or replace air filters following the manufacturer’s recommendations.
Improve Your Attic Insulation
Does your home lack sufficient attic insulation? You’ll experience uneven cooling in your house as you lose some of the conditioned air to the atmosphere.
The attic insulation is there to keep cool air inside your home and to keep out warm air. Inadequate insulation can lead to a significant difference in temperature between your home’s upper and lower levels.
If you have an unfinished attic space, you should evaluate the insulation between the floor joists to ensure it’s durable. For a finished attic, you should ensure the insulation is no different from what you have in your living areas by insulating along the ceiling and the studs and rafters or exterior walls.
Check for Leaks in Your Duct Work
Air leaks in your ductwork reduce the volume of cool air reaching parts of your home. The air conditioner will work harder than necessary to balance out the escaping, but depending on the leak’s severity, it may not be enough. And you’ll have more maintenance work to do.
The surest way to eliminate leaks in your ductwork is to have a professional inspect the ducts for leaks and to recommend fixes.
Implement a Zone System
The goal of a zone system is to give you more granular control over the temperatures in different parts of your home. For example, it will allow you to control the temperature within the upper level without putting family members on the lower level in discomfort.
There are two major ways to implement a zone system. The first is by installing electronically controlled dampers within your ductwork. Think of these as valves that will open and close to control the flow of cooled and heated air throughout your home.
Each of the dampers will also connect to different thermostats, allowing flexibility with the thermostat control.
The second method of implementing a zone system is to install ductless mini-split systems. Each zone will have its own air handler with a thermostat, allowing you to only cool specific areas at a time. Your HVAC professional will recommend the best approach to take with your zoning by evaluating your cooling needs and budget.
Replace Your Windows
If the part of your home that never quite cools well enough has older windows, you should consider replacing them with more modern options. Double-glazed windows will help reduce the heat transfer from outside to inside the space. Reducing the heat entering the room will ensure the conditioned air can last a lot longer.
Change Your Window Treatments
Even with modern double or triple-glazed windows, the summer sunshine can still heat up a space and make your air conditioning feel weaker if your window treatment lets in far too much sunlight.
Without thick window treatments on windows and doors, your room might feel warmer than other parts of your home with blackout shades drawn during the peak of the day. Heavier window treatments can also keep out drafts in the cooler months, so the investment is one you’ll benefit from all year.
Request a Maintenance Visit
If you’re experiencing uneven cooling in your house and none of the points we’ve covered thus far apply to your situation, it may be time to call an HVAC professional for maintenance work on your system.
The HVAC technician will follow the maintenance checklist to uncover any signs of damage. They will also replace worn-out parts, change filters, and more to get your unit working at optimum capacity again.
Install a New Air Conditioner
Are you noticing uneven cooling after adding a new extension to your home? The air conditioner may now be too small for your home. In this case, you’ll need to either install a new air conditioner for the entire home or choose ductless standalone air conditioners for the areas most affected.
Say Goodbye to Uneven Cooling Today!
Are you tired of toggling your thermostat to make your home more comfortable? We are ready to help!
Whether you’re dealing with uneven cooling in your house or an air conditioner that won’t turn off, we are the team to trust.
Call Complete Comfort Heating, Plumbing & Air Conditioning today at (317) 754-8511 for fast solutions to all your heating and cooling problems in Greenwood, IN, and the surrounding areas.
