Why Some Rooms in Your House are Warmer or Cooler Than Others

Warm & Cold Rooms in a Home

Have you ever wondered why your child’s bedroom is so much cooler than yours?  Or why the basement office just can’t seem to stay warm? There are multiple reasons as to why some rooms in your house are warmer or cooler than others; some that are obvious and some that are best left up to a Blue Heating and Cooling professional.

Temperature variances in more than two rooms in your house suggest an issue with your HVAC’s airflow and balancing and or the possibility of those rooms losing or gaining too much heat or cool air.

DIY Troubleshooting

  • Check Air Filter:  Now may be a good time to check your HVAC air filter if you have not thought about it since your annual maintenance appointment.  Air filters trap common allergens, pet dander, and dust and when it is dirty air flow efficiency significantly decreases.  The recommended air filter change times vary depending on the grade of the filter, but typically they should be inspected every 30-45 days and changed every 3-6 months.
  • Air Vent:  Are your air vents closed?  Or are they blocked?  Understandably, there is that one room in your house that is rarely used and so you close the air vent, okay, but in the rooms that you spend the most time in and with the vents open and free of furniture, etc., you should feel airflow continuously.  If not and you know where to access the “zone air damper” on your duct, manually open the damper to its full capacity.  After doing this, you should feel air moving through the vents.  If not, there be a physical block in your air duct and will probably need to give us a call.
  • Miscellaneous: This may be a good time to do an independent energy audit of your home.  Warm air may be escaping from small cracks in your windows and vice versa when the weather is hot outside.  Applying an outdoor rated caulk around your windows may just help keep the conditioned air right where you want it – inside!  Another energy drain on your house is insufficient insulation.  Unless you are in a newer built home, there may be a possibility that your home doesn’t have enough insulation or the grade of insulation is not sufficient.  May be worth replacing or adding to it.

Blue Heating and Cooling Troubleshooting:  The answer to why some rooms in your house are warmer or cooler than others can occur for several not so obvious reasons too.

  • Unbalanced airflow may be the result of an air duct leak or crimp in the soft air duct.   Fixing either of these issues will allow air to move without escaping or without obstruction, balancing the temperature throughout your house.
  • Short Cycling is a term that refers to your furnaces inability to run a complete cycle prior to shutting off.  This may be due to a communication malfunction between your thermostat and your HVAC, a randomly programmable thermostat user, or the RPM of the blower is sluggish.
  • HVAC Demand:  If you have attempted to answer why some rooms in your house are warmer or cooler than others multiple times, then it may be time to consider the possibility that the demand for your home is either too much or too less for the size of HVAC system you have.

Troubleshooting at Blue Heating and Cooling is just one of the many things we love to do.  We definitely can help solve the mystery of why some rooms in your house are warmer or cooler than others.  Give us a call at 816-719-1099 to schedule an appointment!