Why Some Rooms Stay Cold When the House Is Full
Everyone from your family has arrived. You’re surrounded by kids, grandchildren, siblings, and friends, and love it. There’s a problem, however. Your living areas are warm and toasty, but the bathrooms and bedrooms are far cooler than normal. With so many extra bodies in the house, why is it so cold in some areas? What’s going on?
A crowded house changes the dynamics on your HVAC system. Understanding why some rooms are cooler than others depends on your system and home features. Explore the common causes of cooler rooms when you have a full house and how to resolve them.
The Returns Are Restricted or Blocked
When you have guests, they often come with luggage. You rearrange furniture to ensure everyone has a place to sleep. Moving around furniture or stacking luggage in a corner of a room can restrict or block the returns. They might block baseboards.
Doors that are always left open may suddenly be kept closed for privacy. That’s also going to impact your system.
Understanding the Problem
If you have a heating system with ducts, air returns are essential. They pull older, cooler air from a room to bring it back to the heating system. Hot air is sent to the rooms to keep them warm. It also helps maintain the proper pressure between the rooms in your home.
When you have items blocking a return, it’s harder for the system to draw air from a room. Doors that are usually left open but are now closed for privacy are also problematic. Not only is the air not being heated, it also messes with the pressure. An equal amount of air being drawn into the system must replace the heated air entering rooms in the home.
An imbalance in the HVAC system creates unnecessary strain. That extra strain can lead to components wearing down faster than expected.
Common Fixes
- Make sure that return vents are clear of furniture and personal items.
- Clean them regularly to remove built-up hair, fur, or dust.
- Keep doors cracked at least an inch to allow proper airflow.
- Consider undercut doors that can be closed fully but leave enough of a gap at the bottom for airflow.
The System’s Size or Ductwork Aren’t Properly Balanced
When HVAC specialists design and install your system, they consider the number of occupants, usage, square footage, and ceiling heights. No one is talking about the half dozen guests you plan to host for the holidays two years from now.
Understanding the Problem
Your HVAC system is designed for day-to-day occupancy. When you suddenly have a crowd staying in your home, it impacts two specific things:
- Load: Your HVAC system won’t know you have six extra people staying with you. It’s working as if there are only two people in the house. It cannot account for people suddenly staying in rooms that are usually left open.
- Static Pressure: When you have long duct runs to bedrooms or bathrooms, the system already works hard to push past the resistance that comes with distance. When usage changes or damper adjustments aren’t optimized, static pressure in the ducts changes. The system faces unexpected strain.
Common Fixes
- Hire an HVAC technician to run a duct balancing service to ensure airflow is optimized before guests arrive.
- Inspect your ductwork for any potential airflow issues like cracks, kinks, or sagging sections.
- Use foil tape or mastic paste to seal leaking duct joints.
Insulation in Certain Rooms is Inadequate
Older Chicago homes often have issues with poor insulation. Insulation recommendations change over time, so if your home is 20 years old, it’s unlikely your rooms meet the current requirements of:
- Attic: R-43
- Existing Wall: R-13
- New Wall: R-21
- Floor Over a Basement or Crawlspace: R-21
- Basement or Crawlspace Wall: R-10
Understanding the Problem
Hot air rises. When insulation isn’t adequate, the heated air escapes outside through your roof. As it leaves the house, cool air is drawn in to fill the space. Winter air seeps in through small cracks in walls, or gaps around doors and windows. In rooms where insulation is lacking, it will feel cold.
Common Fixes
- Hang thermal curtains over windows.
- Hire a specialist to upgrade your insulation.
- Place plastic window film over drafty windows until you can replace them.
- Replace old windows with energy-efficient options.
- Replace worn or missing weatherstripping.
- Use a waterproof sealant to seal gaps around windows and doors.
More People Are Entering and Leaving the House
When it’s just you and the people who typically live in the house, you have specific habits and schedules. Guests change that.
Understanding the Problem
With more guests, routines change. They make multiple trips to unload their car. The exterior doors open and close more, especially if you have grandchildren heading out to play in the snow. While you’re cooking a big meal, the humidity in your home may increase, so you crack a window to ventilate.
This draws colder air in. The heating system has to bring a room back up to temperature after a door opens for a few seconds or a window stays cracked.
Common Fixes
- Designate a specific area for exiting and entering, such as the mudroom door or the door to the garage.
- Add a storm door to help buffer some of the bitter cold air while a door is open.
- Run a dehumidifier or kitchen ventilation to handle extra humidity and leave windows closed.
The System Runs on a Single Thermostat
Modern homes often have multiple zones. Second-floor bedrooms are on a different zone than the kitchen, dining room, and living room. The furnace heats each zone to the setting on that zone’s thermostat. Older homes often have a single zone.
Understanding the Problem
Suppose there’s only one zone with the thermostat located in the living room. The living room thermostat reads 70, so it doesn’t tell the furnace or boiler to turn on because it’s warm enough.
Meanwhile, rooms on the opposite side of the house or on other floors are empty and getting much colder because the heating system hasn’t run in hours.
Common Fixes
- Call an HVAC company to add additional zones.
- Switch your thermostat to “On” instead of “Auto” to keep the air circulating around the house.
Know When to Call in a Chicago HVAC Professional
Before your guests arrive, arrange for an HVAC specialist to inspect your Chicago-area furnace or boiler. Make sure it’s working well and avoid unexpected failures that require your guests to find accommodations elsewhere.
You don’t want heating problems to keep your gathering from going great. Call Air Blue Heating and Cooling to inspect your ducts and heating system and make sure it works well throughout the holidays.
