If you’ve ever experienced a summer in Southwest Florida, you know all too well that having a fully-functioning air conditioning unit is a must. An unexpected problem with your home’s cooling system can lead to big problems when you’re battling the extreme heat of one of the nation’s southernmost states. And this is shaping up like a brutally hot summer. Heat records were set as soon as late March according to WWSB-TV, and heat indexes over 100 were measured in early June as noted in a report by The Florida News-Times.
Are you noticing that your air conditioner isn’t able to maintain one temperature, even when you don’t fiddle with the thermostat? This can make for uncomfortable days, as well as high energy bills. At Wayne Martin & Son Signature Air Conditioning, we believe you should be comfortable even when the temperatures outside are hot and humid. That’s why we came up with this list of a few issues that may be causing this problem.
Issue 1) An unbalanced air conditioning system
Do you have one room that is consistently warmer than all the others? Or, on the other end of the spectrum, maybe you have one room that’s colder than the rest… you know, the one that you run to after mowing the lawn in that scorching midday heat. Either of these situations could be the effects of an unbalanced air conditioning system.
An air conditioner or HVAC is installed with the intent to regulate both air flow and temperature. However, needs for air flow can change during the usage of a home. The amount of cooling air a specific room needs to maintain a comfortable temperature can be influenced by how frequently that room is used, or whether or not it’s on an upstairs floor (remember, heat rises). Home renovations that were made after the air conditioning system was installed can also tip this balance.
How to fix it – One of the first things we will do if you are finding there are rooms that are warmer than other rooms is to look at the ductwork in your attic. Fixing the direction the air flows, by adding some ductwork or changing the shape of it in the attic can help this problem.
Issue 2) Physical changes in your home
Sometimes, the culprit behind a temperature problem in your home really is something as simple as moving the couch a few inches to the left. If you’re experiencing inconsistent home temperatures, check your home access points for leaks. Drafty windows or doors, sub-par insulation and even leaks in air ducts are all worth checking when your temperatures vary too much. Check around doors for damage or worn weather stripping that could be letting out the cool air. While you’re at it, be sure to make sure all of your air vents are open and unobstructed by furniture.
Normal wear and tear is common when we go about our normal lives. Give your home a once-over and you could be saving yourself some cash on your electric bill just by discovering and fixing that area of your home that may be leaking cool air or blocking it from circulating properly. Also be sure to check that all air conditioner vents are open and flowing. An errant piece of furniture could be absorbing the cool air and reaping the benefits that you are paying for on those hot summer days.
How to fix it – Tightly seal all the areas where your home may be leaking cool air. Doing this will keep all the cool air inside your home, and the heat and humidity outside where it belongs during the summer. If you’ve inspected the easily-accessible parts of your home and are still having issues with inconsistent temperatures, it may be worth having a professional come out to check for leaks and blockages or even to search for areas where your air ducts may have a leak.
Issue 3) Your ducts are underperforming
Whether it’s caused by dirt, damage or bad construction, your duct system could be the reason your air conditioning isn’t properly cooling your home. Over time, HVAC systems can experience damage from just regular use and require maintenance like any other appliance in your home. Any leaking duct can hamper an HVAC’s system’s ability to transport air throughout the home.
How to fix it – The first step is to have your ductwork examined by our qualified experienced HVAC professionals. We will look for any broken seams that need fixing and we may recommend that you insulate your ducts. Much like sealing all the doors and windows in your home, this keeps the cool air inside your system and prevents the infiltration of warm air. This is also a less laborious, less expensive fix than redoing all the duct work to achieve a more even distribution of air, although that may also be something we recommend depending on the circumstances.
Issue 4) Prevent unhappy returns
Your HVAC system includes two kinds of ducts: supply ducts and return ducts. Supply ducts are the mode of transport by which the temperature-controlled air reaches the rooms in your home. The return ducts take the air present in those rooms and funnel it back to the HVAC system, to be cooled. If there are not enough return ducts or a room is too far away from the center of the system, the HVAC ducts could be struggling to provide the desired temperatures to each individual room. Be sure to keep interior doors open to help out the return ducts and even out air flow between rooms.
How to fix it – If you’ve been having issues with uneven cooling in your home, you may want to consider having us add more return vents. If you don’t have enough return vents in your home, it’s going to be impossible for your system to grab and remove warm air from areas of your home that are located far away from the return vents. Until you can have this done by one of our HVAC technicians, you should keep all the doors open in your home, which will aid in improving airflow.
Issue 5) Check the basics
If you’ve been experiencing an uneven airflow from your HVAC system, the smartest thing you can do is first look at some of these basic issues that may be causing it, and then give us a call:
- Identify if any of your air ducts have leaks, or perhaps the insulation has been shifted away from where it should be near them.
- Check your air filter and, if it’s dirty, replace it.
- Make sure there are no openings in rooms that could cause cool air leakage.
- Make sure all the air conditioner or HVAC vents in your house are open.
HVAC Installation and Repair in Fort Myers
Whether you have an air conditioner or an HVAC, you want to stay comfortable even when the heat and humidity are at their highest. At Wayne Martin & Son, our team is there to help make that possible. To learn more about our services fill out our online contact form, or call (239) 462-4068. We offer air conditioning installation, repair, sales, and services to our customers throughout southwest Florida.