Do you have one room in your house that's always colder than the others? The heat never seems to reach it and it’s just plain uncomfortable?
How do you fix a cold room?
Well, it can be a simple adjustment or it can require a bit more invasive work. But to start, you should investigate three main things - your HVAC, existing insulation, and possible leaks.
RetroFoam of Michigan has helped thousands of homeowners get to the bottom of how to fix their cold rooms. With our experience, we plan to explain why that room is so cold and how to make it toasty again.
Having uneven temperatures throughout your house can be very uncomfortable and just plain annoying.
You don’t want your furnace working overtime for just that one cold room. Let’s break down some of the things you should definitely check out before figuring out your next steps to making that room less cold.
So, let's go over how your HVAC system can be making one room really cold.
We have received many calls from people over the years saying that they have an upstairs room that is always very cold compared to the rest of the house. After going to investigate what the issue may be, many times we find that there isn’t actually a heat duct running from the furnace to that upstairs room or that it’s closed off. So that room literally had no heat coming to it.
Depending on the house and furnace structure this can be a simple fix.
All you have to do in some cases is have a heat line run-up to that room. Now, of course, that can be very easy in some cases, or it can be fairly invasive for others. It all depends on your HVAC system and how your house is finished off.
For example, if you have an HVAC that runs through your attic, it could be pretty uninvolved and not very intrusive at all to have a line run to that room. However, if a heat line is run through walls, then you could be opening up a lot of drywall or cutting into floors potentially.
So keep in mind, it could be invasive or could not be.
Be sure to check out how your HVAC is set up in your home. Keep an eye out for if there are registers running to that cold room, if there are any blockages in them, and if there is air loss on the ducts.
It could be possible that your HVAC is potentially not running efficiently and can really cause one room to be cold. So be sure to check that out first.
Another thing to check out in a cold room is the existing insulation surrounding it.
You want to retain your heat and your house’s insulation should certainly be a large factor in securing that. You want to look at all the outside walls, what’s in the ceiling or attic area, and even the floor.
Is it providing an air seal? Because if this room is not included in the building envelope, then it could be a source of air leakage. So of course that internal temperature will not maintain the temperature of the rest of the home.
What is the best way to insulate a cold room, then?
Basically, you want to look at this room just like you would a house as a whole.
Make sure all outside penetrations are as sealed up as much as they possibly can be. Once you have that heat source coming in, you want to make sure that insulation is retaining it and keeping your bills low and your living space comfortable.
This is why something like foam works so well because it establishes the air sealed building envelope.
The last thing that we want to touch on is any potential leaks inside this cold room of yours.
Doors and windows can let air in and out causing a lot of problems and make that room really cold.
However, we are also talking about leaks in the building envelope caused by the old, outdated insulation. A good insulation contractor will recommend a material that creates an air seal to stop that leakage.
Heat loss can be caused by other penetrations not only on the outside of the house, but also possibly on the inside of the house as well.
If the interior walls are pouring the heat in or out, that can cause that room to be too hot or too cold. So make sure you pay attention to any and all leaks in that room.
In conclusion, when looking at these cold rooms, you want to look at it as a whole system.
Make sure you check out the HVAC, go over the insulation and see what's inside the home’s full building envelope, and lastly, make sure you check the entire space for any leaks so that they can get sealed up.
Here at RetroFoam of Michigan, our experienced project managers would recommend foam insulation to fix these issues. It is simply the best material to completely seal up air leaks and create that all important sealed building envelope to keep your whole house comfortable and running efficiently.
If you want to learn more about how foam insulation can help keep your home cool in the summer and warm in the winter, check out our Learning Center.
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