One problem we hear about a lot is one room never getting cool enough in the summer. Most of the rooms may be completely comfortable, but there is a room in your home that is still warmer than all of the others.
This doesn’t necessarily mean there is a problem with your AC system. It could be a faulty design with your ducts, or maybe some of the insulation in that room is failing. There could have been an issue when your AC installation happened, and your contractor didn’t realize it. Your first thought is to usually blame your AC system, or turn it up to compensate and cool that room.
But that’s not the solution to your problem. Even if you end up cooling that uncomfortable space, you are probably freezing out the rest of your house, making it too cold. You are probably also wasting energy by doing this, which leads to increased energy bills. That’s the last thing you want to do, especially when you are already seeing increases in your energy used in the summer.
What Is The Reason This Room Is Warm
It’s impossible to say without actually investigating the situation, but here are some of the most likely reasons that you may have a warm room in your home, even though the AC is running.
- Your Ductwork Is Faulty
- Your AC Is Losing Efficiency
- The Room Is In A Tough To Reach Spot
- Your Insulation Is Failing
Your Ductwork Is Faulty
When you have a central air conditioning system, the air is delivered from your AC throughout the house through ductwork. We have seen homes where the ductwork may have been good when it was first installed, but eventually got cracked and started leaking air.
We’ve also seen ductwork that was poorly installed to begin with, and simply wasn’t the right setup to reach every room in the home. We have also seen places where the AC system or the ductwork was improperly sized when it was installed. Most people think bigger is better, but that’s not always the case. You should make sure your system is appropriately sized for your home. If your system is too big it may shut off and on too often, and end up making certain spaces uncomfortable.
Luckily, this is all fixable. You can have your ductwork repaired, or replaced.
Your AC Is Losing Efficiency
Just like any machine, after years of use, your system could simply start becoming less efficient. With this loss of efficiency, your system may not cool every space in your home the way it used to. There are ways to keep your efficiency up though, mostly through regular maintenance.
Just like taking your car to the mechanic for an oil change, keeping your AC system serviced regularly is how you keep it running efficiently, and get the most out of the lifespan.
When you fail to service your system regularly, it runs poorly, wastes energy, and will die years before it should. Schedule a service with a professional and this could help your AC perform better. A clogged air filter could be stopping proper air flow, leading to your system not reaching every place in the house.
If you haven’t had your AC serviced this year, do it now and make sure your system is running properly!
The Room Is In A Tough To Reach Spot
Sometimes even if your system is working well, you may have some rooms that are tough to reach. Also, homes that have several levels, such as a third floor or attic, tend to have hotter rooms upstairs.
Heat rises, and oftentimes the bedrooms in homes with central AC can be a few degrees warmer than the rest of the house. A lot of times people will install a window AC unit to keep that room cool, supplementing their current system. We would suggest having a professional take a look and see if they can help improve airflow to that spot.
We would also recommend a ductless mini split to treat this area. Ductless mini splits are far less noisy than window AC, and work more efficiently.
Your Insulation Is Failing
If you have poor insulation in spots of your home, they will feel less comfortable, and leak energy. This usually happens in places where there are old windows, and edges of the home. Roofs are a big problem with this too.
You can also have a situation where ductwork insulation can be falling off, or possibly the original ductwork is not sealed with mastic. If this insulations is falling apart and not doing the trick, and the ducts aren’t sealed properly, you are going to leak air. On average, systems leak 15% of air due to poor sealant at the seams of your ductwork.
When you have poorly insulated spaces, it allows the outside to have a greater effect on this area. The hot air can get inside, while the cool conditioned air leaks outside. Consider upgrading or resealing your windows, and make sure that your roof is well insulated. You don’t want that cool air escaping in the place that’s the biggest problem area already.
What Should You Do?
If you have a room that’s a real problem, we recommend calling in a professional to take a look. For one, this is going to save you time and money. You can try to analyze the problem yourself, but you may not be too familiar with this type of problem.
Then you may sink money into solutions that don’t fix your problem. The worst thing you could do is spend a bunch of time and money fixing the problem, only to have to eventually call a professional once you haven’t solved it.
This professional will assess your situation, and make a recommendation to fix the problem. We pretty much already outlined a lot of the solutions to this situation, but here is a brief recap about what we think would fix the problem:
- Servicing your system and replacing the filter
- Fixing or upgrading your ductwork
- Ugrading your windows and insulation
- Replacing your AC system
- Installing a supplemental AC system, like a ductless mini split
There are a number of solutions, but you won’t know the right one for your home until you call in the experts.
AC Installation In Jenkintown, PA
Synergy3 is an expert AC Installation contractor in Jenkintown, PA. If you are having trouble with hot rooms that won’t stay cool, or any issue with your home comfort, give us a call at (267) 686-6001 or visit us online at https://synergy3.com/.