Why Is My Furnace Not Heating Evenly?
As the temperature starts to drop, many people are turning on the furnaces for the first time in several months to heat up their homes. Unfortunately, many of those people will find out that not only is their furnace not working as efficiently as it used to, but it is also not heating rooms evenly either. This is about more than just being comfortable; if you have elderly people or babies living underneath your roof, temperatures that dip too far can cause health issues.
Below are a few possible reasons why your home's furnace is not heating the rooms in your home evenly. Look through them, and contact an HVAC company that specializes in furnace repairs as soon as possible.
Your Furnace Is Old
As heating systems age, they inevitably become less efficient at warming up the air inside your home. What this usually results in is less powerful airflow, which means that the rooms farther away from where your furnace physically is won't be as hot as the ones that are closer to it. While you can strategically close the vents throughout your house to redirect the airflow, you don't want to leave certain rooms without heat or else you could damage your home. Set up a furnace repair schedule to fix the things you can take care of, but don't be surprised if your HVAC technician recommends a full replacement.
Your Furnace Is Too Big
Furnaces and air conditioners are rated for a specific square footage, which means that if you have the wrong size, your unit won't heat and cool your home properly. A furnace that is too large, for instance, will heat up your home enough to trigger the limit switch and tell the unit that the desired temperature has been reached, while some of the air may not have had enough time to travel to certain rooms. Make sure your home is rated for the right size furnace, or you'll be paying more for heat that you never receive.
Your Ductwork Has Holes
Over time, ductwork can separate at the connection points that snake throughout your home, resulting in air leaks at certain points that allow the hot air to simply evaporate into the atmosphere. You need to reconnect those points, but you should also have an HVAC technician check for any leaks in the walls of the ducts too. A good furnace repair technician will investigate the ductwork along with the unit to find the true cause of the uneven heating.