Summer has arrived and there always seems to be one room in the house that is hotter than the rest. When you adjust the thermostat to cool that room off, the rest of the home gets too cold, not to mention skyrocketing power bills. There are two reasons that this could be happening. Either too much heat is leaking into that particular room or the A/C is not removing enough heat properly. Your room is sort of set up like a leaky boat but instead of water leaking, its leaking heat (when it’s hot outside, at least). Instead of using a bucket to remove the water, you have an air conditioner that continually removes the heat. To fix a room that’s always too hot you’ll need to focus on one of two things — plugging more of the heat leaks or fixing the problems that prevent your A/C from removing the heat as it should (or both).

Four Causes of Heat Escaping

When you have a room that’s always too warm it’s usually because it’s extra leaky. The most common areas that heat will leak into a room are old windows, inadequate insulation, hot walls and heat-creating appliances. You should consider replacing older windows with double-pane windows that have a Low-E coating to reduce how much heat can pass through the windows. These windows will increase your home’s efficiency and the Low-E coatings help reduce heat transfer through the air, acting as a radiant barrier. The walls and ceiling in the room may not have enough insulation which is allowing the heat to leak in. You should check the attic above the room that is always hot as uneven insulation can make the room hotter than the rest of the house. West-facing walls soak up a lot of heat that can be transferred into the room. This can be worse if there are windows on these walls as well. You can try planting trees that shade that side of your home or a patio or awning can help. Heat creating appliances like a mini-fridge for example, can make your room feel warmer.

Four Common Air Conditioner Cooling Problems

There are common problems with your A/C that can make one room feel hotter than the rest of the house. Leaky or disconnected ductwork that feeds into the room may be the cause and prevents cool air from reaching the room. Uninsulated ducts can lose much of the cool air by the time it gets to your room. Poor duct design can also be a reason because if they aren’t designed properly, they won’t bring enough cold air into a room. If you have an oversized air conditioning unit, it won’t run very long and won’t evenly spread the air throughout your house, leading to hot and cold rooms.

Air Conditioning Inspections, Troubleshooting, Emergency Repairs, Tune Ups & Preventive Maintenance in Springfield, Granby, Holyoke, South Hadley, Monson & Agawam Massachusetts

The root problem can be difficult to figure out without a proper analysis of your home and the room with a problem, so call Ambient Heating & Air Conditioning today if your having issues with a room in your house!