Your home might not feel as comfortable as you expect it to be due to uneven cooling. Whether it’s your villa, apartment, or multi-storied building, you are not the only one suffering from uneven cooling. Non-uniform cooling is more likely to appear in an older home.
Additionally, the age of the centralised air conditioning unit also plays an important role in even cooling the property. Your family or flatmates might experience cooler temperatures in the basement, whereas the upstairs might feel warmer. As a homeowner, you might think it’s normal as the heat rises during the day.
However, that’s not true when you have a ducted air conditioning system. There must be an issue with your house’s or multi-storied building’s cooling system. Seams in the air conditioning effect might be the culprit.
On the other hand, you might not go through a complex makeover in the overall air conditioning of your home. A few genius tips can solve your issue with uneven cooling. Let’s get to know them and apply accordingly.
- Look for Blocked Air Vents
Air vents are the place through which the cool airflow reaches your rooms and keeps the temperature maintained. Since Dubai is quite known for its musty weather, it’s not mysterious for AC air vents to turn dirty. Being clogged with dirt and debris, air vents cannot provide cool air circulation to every nook and corner of your home.
Besides dust accumulation, your furniture might block the air vents, and a particular room or corner is deprived of cool airflow. Consequently, that room feels hotter than any other room in your home. So, what are the solutions when you find air vents dirty or blocked?
You can clean up those dirty and clogged air vents using a vacuum cleaner and a compatible attachment. Choose the right attachment to eliminate debris from every cranny of the air vent. Additionally, consider freeing up the air vent by removing the furniture or blocking objects away from air vents.
What can you do to improve the airflow upstairs? You can force the airflow pass to your second floor by partially blocking or closing air vents on your house’s first floor. Thus, more airflow will reach the second floor. Moreover, it will reduce the pressure on the cooling system rather than fully closing air vents on the first floor.
- Consider End-to-End Cleaning of your Air conditioning Unit
Besides taking AC air vents’ cleaning seriously, you must also clean AC air ducts. You can use a detachable vacuum hose to clean your air ducts. If you feel anxious about handling an overall cleaning of the air conditioner, then you can call in a professional team.
Dirty ducts are as alarming as clogged air vents. Air ducts are the pathways to direct the airflow from your air conditioner to different parts of your home. Blocking or filling with moulds, dust, dirt, hair, or smoke can block the air calculation. You can clean the air ducts on your own or hire a professional.
Since you reach those air ducts, you should check whether there are any leaks in the duct. Leaks can force the air to sneak away from the target area. On the other hand, your air conditioning unit has to work harder as the thermostat tells the appliance that the rooms are not cold enough. As a consequence, you might encounter a spike in your electricity bills. Therefore, clean your air ducts and replace air filters if required.
- Toggle your Thermostat’s Fan to On from Auto
Have you kept your thermostat’s fan on its ‘Auto’ function? If yes, then you might experience uneven cooling throughout your home. Additionally, you can look for more advanced settings on your thermostat if it’s new. However, switching the thermostat’s fan function to On from Auto will benefit you in the long run.
For example, if you keep the fan in the Auto position, then the fan will only operate when the system analyses that your home requires more cooling. The fan only works when the outdoor unit is active, and the cooling cycle is running.
On the other hand, setting the fan to its On position helps in better air circulation. In addition, an active fan tends to cool down your home even if the system cooling cycle isn’t running anymore. This results in a more comfortable and cooler ambience on your home’s first and second floors.
Keep in mind that this will increase electricity consumption. Hence, you might experience a surge in your electricity bills.
- Make Your Attic more Insulated
You might be thinking why we talk about a damp, dark, and upstairs place of your home where anybody hardly goes in. However, your attic’s insulation plays a vital role in maintaining your home’s temperature. Hot air can easily enter your home if your attic lacks proper insulation.
Similarly, cool air can easily escape your home. If your property’s attic has poor insulation quality or quantity, it’s difficult to mitigate uneven cooling. Therefore, consider appropriate insulation for your attic, and don’t forget to check the R-value of insulation.
You can easily spot a difference between the downstairs and upstairs of your villa if your attic lacks the proper amount of insulation. Insulate your home’s attic and eliminate uneven cooling from your residence.
- Try a Zoning System to apply even Cooling
Dealing with uneven cooling can be tricky. However, focusing on a zoning system for your home can be beneficial. Zoning systems are great for controlling a certain area or floor’s temperature. Therefore, cumulatively is way better than considering a single thermostat for the entire house or different floors.
How can you get a zoning system for your home? Well, you can ask your HVAC contractor to configure zoning systems for your home. Expert professionals can divide areas and floors into convenient heating and cooling mechanics. Hence, you can consider customised zoning systems for your home according to the layout and size of your home.
Zoning systems for an overall cool home can help to beat the summer if you have been experiencing uneven cooling. Additionally, electric zoning provides quieter results than traditional air ducts of a centralised or HVAC system. However, creating zones can be a burden to your wallet.
Is there an All-in-One Solution to Eradicate Uneven Cooling from your Home?
The answer is NO. You must find out the exact cause of your home’s uneven cooling. It can be an improperly insulated attic, blocked air vents, leaky air ducts, or an ageing air conditioner. In addition, an ill-maintained air conditioning unit can deliver the same results. Further, you have to suffer from uneven cooling around your home.
Therefore, you can seek an expert’s help to find the reason and work on it. The professionals can repair your AC ducts, adjust the vents, and clean the air conditioner and other additional faults.