How to Fix Uneven Cooling in Your Chicago Home
Living in Chicagoland means knowing that the weather is likely to go from brutal winter windchills to frustratingly hot, humid summers. You don’t always get a gradual adjustment, either. It seems you go from winter to a few days of spring to weeks of sweltering summer in little time.
As you hit the wall of heat and humidity outside, you look forward to a cool, comfortable home. Yet, that’s not your experience. You want it cool and dry, but the air in your living room is ideal, but your bedrooms are hot and uncomfortable. Everyone is on air mattresses or the floor, and it’s not sustainable for the entire summer.
Uneven cooling is one of the most common HVAC problems in Chicago. Why does uneven cooling occur, and how can you keep your Chicago home comfortable when it’s hot outside?
What Causes Uneven Cooling in Chicago Homes?
Chicago architecture presents challenges with home cooling systems. Before diving into what’s behind your home’s uneven cooling, consider these factors.
- Age of Homes: Many Chicago area homes are old. Older homes were not always designed with AC systems in mind. Brick walls and home radiator systems are more common. That can make it hard to cool every level or room in a home.
- Duct Work Length: Most HVAC systems are located in basements. The ducts going from the basement to a second or third level require extensive stretches. As cool air moves from the HVAC fans through the ducts and up to the highest floor, it can lose some of its velocity and begin to warm.
- Hot Air Rises: Thermodynamics underlies one factor that affects home heating and cooling. Hot air rises and cool air sinks. If your home has multiple levels, cool air will settle on the lower floor, while the sun’s heat on the roof heats the attic, creating a warmer top level.
- HVAC System Age: Another consideration is your system’s age. Household appliances don’t last forever. If your AC is 10 years or older, it’s already aging. The average lifespan of a central AC system is 15 to 20 years, but it can be much shorter if it’s not properly sized, poorly maintained, or used more than normal.
Simple Fixes You Can Do
Sometimes, stabilizing the temperature in the rooms throughout your home requires simple checks and improvements. They’re all things you can do.
Add Curtain and Window Coverings
When the sun shines in a patio door or window, it creates solar heat gain in the room. Afternoon sun is hottest on south- and west-facing windows, so you’ll find those rooms tend to get hot later in the day.
Blocking solar heat gain with light-blocking blinds, curtains, or cellular shades can lower your room’s temperature without making your AC work harder. Exterior awnings can decrease solar heat gain by as much as 77%.
Change Your Air Filter
When was the last time you checked the filter in your air handler? When a filter is clogged, air cannot flow effectively, so by the time cooled air reaches the rooms farthest from your system, it’s already warming up. You want maximum airflow.
You should inspect your air filter each month. If your home is prone to dust from sandy soil outside or you have a lot of pets, your air filter needs changing more often than an owner’s manual might recommend.
Try not to exceed the MERV rating recommended by your HVAC professional. Reducing allergens is important, but a thick filter may restrict airflow to a point that your system cannot adequately move the cold air around.
Run Ceiling Fans
Help the cool air circulate in larger rooms using a ceiling fan, if you have one. If not, a pedestal fan helps. You want ceiling fans to spin counterclockwise, creating a downdraft.
Ceiling fans maximize your AC’s cooling effect, so you can raise the thermostat by 4°F and still feel just as cool, which lowers your energy costs.
When a Chicago HVAC Contractor Is Needed
Sometimes, calling a Chicago heating and cooling company is safer and saves money in the long run. They can quickly diagnose the problem and make the appropriate adjustments or repairs.
Adjust the Airflow
Closing the supply registers in cooler rooms on your own isn’t the answer. If you close too many vents in your home, you can create an issue with the static pressure in your ducts. Improper static pressure can create ice buildup on your indoor evaporator coil and put extra strain on your compressor.
Air balancing is essential, and it’s best left to a Chicago HVAC professional. It involves finding the branch lines, identifying the ducts to each room, partially closing the appropriate dampers, and maximizing the other rooms.
Resolve Leaking Ducts
According to the University of Florida Extension, most ducts lose up to 40% of the air they are supposed to cool or heat. When there’s a 20% air-conditioning leak, your system has to work up to 50% harder to cool your rooms.
Duct leaks can happen due to loose joints, weak connections, or holes/cracks. As your ducts run through a hot attic or crawlspace, hot air may enter the ducts and warm your rooms. Your AC system is working hard with no chance of reaching the temperature set on your thermostat.
A professional duct inspection identifies leaks. Even a slight pinhole can become a problem. Duct sealing is one option for some leaks. You also want a Chicago AC expert to perform an aerodynamic pressurization test to determine whether there are leaks hidden behind walls you can’t see.
Upgrade Your Home’s Insulation
You’ve sealed leaks, changed your filter, added fans, and optimized airflow, but your upstairs still feels hotter than you expect, and downstairs feels like winter. It’s time to move on to problems with your home’s insulation.
Older homes often have inadequate insulation. Intense sun heats your shingles or roofing material, and that heat seeps into your attic. You might have poor insulation in your walls or crawlspace, allowing hot, humid air to enter.
Ideally, you want insulation with these R-values.
- Attic: R-43
- Crawlspace and basement walls: R-10
- Existing walls: R-13
- New walls and floor over a crawlspace or basement: R-21
Consider Installing More Zones or a Mini-Split System
How many zones does your home have? Sometimes, a single zone on the first floor, with no additional zones, can lead to hotter upper-level rooms and living spaces.
If that’s the case, you could consider having at least one zone per floor. For this to be ideal, you want a well-designed duct system in your multi-story home.
The other option would be to add a ductless mini-split in your warmer upstairs. It’s a great option if you have brick walls and limited ducts. It can be a more costly approach upfront, but energy savings pay it off over time.
Consult With a Professional HVAC Team
When a heatwave hits, Chicago HVAC technicians enter their busiest season. Because they’re busy, you end up waiting days or even weeks before your air conditioning is back up and running like normal.
Prevent unexpected HVAC issues by changing your filter regularly and ensuring furniture isn’t blocking the registers. Remove dust, fur, and hair from them when you vacuum or sweep your floors. Close vents to rooms you don’t use and turn on ceiling fans to help circulate the air in large rooms.
Those are things you can do, but sometimes the HVAC problems are best left to the professionals. Air Blue Heating & Cooling is here for you when there’s a cooling emergency. Our technicians provide 24/7 emergency HVAC diagnostics and repairs. Contact us online to talk to a technician.
