Is it freezing in your house?
Your thermostat says it’s a comfortable 73 degrees but there you are sitting in your living room in a sweater with a blanket wrapped around you like it’s 43 degrees. Is the thermostat lying?
There are plenty of things that can lead to a single room or an entire house getting colder when it shouldn’t. Weather is the main contributor to a colder home, but shouldn’t your rooms be a consistently comfortable temperature? Shouldn’t your heater kick in and solve the problem?
Maybe your heating system is on and it’s just not able to get rid of the cold in one room.
Colorado homes can get quite cold during the majority of the year, but we rely on our HVAC systems and the sun to heat up the house. Unfortunately, many residents still find themselves with a cold, uncomfortable living space. Your central heating system can only work so hard to keep the entire house warm, but if there is another issue occurring, the HVAC won’t be able to fix the problem.
Not all rooms are going to be at the same temperature. Uneven temperatures run throughout most homes. What’s really annoying is when a room is just too cold. So, what could the problem be?
Lots of things.
Check for Drafts and Air Leaks
If the room is colder than usual and recently became cold there could be cold air leaking in. Check your vents, air ducts, doors, and windows for air drafts. Wind and cold outside air can be trickling into your home through old/bad seals, cracks, or slits. Your home is built to withstand the cold air that tries to find its way indoors, but an old or damaged seal creating exposed openings will let air in.
This cold air will eventually find its way into the rest of the house. If it’s in one room, check all sealed areas that could be exposed.
Is the AC System Running?
As simple as it sounds, the AC unit could be turned on. Buttons get pushed unintentionally and “cold air” might be selected on your AC system. Double-check to ensure that the AC isn’t on, because that will only kick out cold air. If it is on, turn it back to your intended settings… off. If it’s on and it isn’t selected to run in the settings, then you could be dealing with a bigger problem that requires a professional HVAC contractor to come and take a look.
Check the HVAC Thermostat Settings
The thermostat could just be set to the wrong settings, like the AC running. You’ll need to check your thermostat to see if it’s holding the right temperature, running the correct program, and the heater is set to “on”. If you have multiple thermostats, check each one, but especially the thermostat in charge of the cold room. Sometimes, a thermostat could be old or wires have loosened.
Check the Furnace Pilot Light
If your furnace is gas-based, the pilot light could be out. The pilot let is a flame in charge of lighting the gas to the furnace. Your furnace’s pilot light will automatically ignite when the furnace is turned on. A dimmed or unlit pilot light could be a simple fix or something bigger. Since the flame relies on gas, if the spark is out, the gas could still be leaking. If the gas is out and the spark works, then the gas source needs to be inspected.
Look for Closed Vents
Vents are used to pump air into a room. If a vent is closed, that means the warm air can’t enter the room through the source. The only other way that the warm air can enter the room is through other rooms, which isn’t very reliable to keep another room warm.
If you notice that any of the vents are closed, open the latch all the way to let that cozy air in.
Insulation Could Be Faulty
Faulty insulation can occur and it’s difficult for the heating appliances to help the room if the insulation isn’t working. Poorly installed insulation can let the cold air in through the walls. If it is the insulation that is causing the problem, you’ll need to replace it. This can be costly and timely to fix, but it needs to be done if you want a warm room while keeping your energy bills low.
Get an Electric Space Heater
If everything in your house is running and you just can’t get the room to heat up, get an electric space heater. Many of them are very inexpensive to buy and get the job done. However, they use plenty of electricity, so your bill may be higher than usual. Since these appliances run on a lot of electricity, it’s wise to not have any other devices plugged into the same circuit. Doing so could trip the breaker or blow the fuse.
Hire a Colorado HVAC Company
You can troubleshoot to find out what the problem is, or you can hire a professional HVAC contractor who has experience with heating issues. Good Guys Home Services inspects, repairs, and installs furnaces, boilers, thermostats, heat pumps, and ductless systems. We do full inspections to understand exactly what the problem is, instead of fixing something that isn’t broken.
Contact us today to heat up your home so you can be comfortable again!