We’ve all been there. You set the thermostat to a reasonable 78 degrees, but when you walk into that one particular room–whether it’s your guest room, your office, or if you’re really unlucky, your bedroom–it feels like a balmy 82.  So rather than deal with this problem all summer long (like you did last summer…and the summer before that), you’ve decided to research the issue and find a solution. Good for you! You’ve come to the right place.  As HVAC maintenance specialists, the crew at Titan Heating and Cooling has definitely heard this question before. And the answer isn’t always air conditioning repair services. In fact, there are several possible reasons why one room is hotter than the rest of the house.  Below, we’ve listed five common culprits of a temperature imbalance and offered up a solution for each.  Poor Insulation  Aside from being hotter in the summertime, is the room in question always colder in winter? If the answer is yes, your problem might be poor insulation.  When a room isn’t insulated well, more air is able to escape through the walls of your home, causing your heating and air conditioning systems to work overtime. That also means that in the winter, your heater is warming up icicles, and during the summer, the AC is cooling off your shrubbery. Not a pleasant thought.  If you’ve lived at your residence for a while, it might be time to have a professional come conduct an inspection to find out if your home needs new insulation. When a room is properly insulated, it will hold its temperature much better.  Windows There’s nothing better than a lovely view, and big windows through which you can appreciate it. But, if your windows are old or poorly sealed, they can easily let air escape from your home, changing the temperature in the room.  Even if your windows are brand new, they can still cause issues. Statistically, windows are to blame for about 13% of air leakage in a home.  There are a couple of solutions here. If your problem is that your windows are just old, you can have a professional come out and air seal your windows for you, or check out our blog on how to air seal your home yourself.  If your windows are brand new, however, consider applying special temperature control window film to them. These films will help stabilize the temperature in that particular room by blocking UV rays from getting into the room and cool air from leaving it.  Distance From the AC Is your extra-warm room far from the AC unit? It’s not unheard of for rooms that are farthest away from the AC to not get its full effects. There are a couple reasons for this.  Your AC system could be too small for your home. Long runs of ducts might be poorly insulated, allowing cool air to escape before it reaches a particular room.  Adding insulation to your ducts is a fairly simple fix. However, if it turns out that your AC is too small for your home, you may need to consider upgrading your air conditioning system. The skilled HVAC technicians at Titan would be able to determine the proper air conditioning unit for the size of your home.  Obstructed Air Vents/Dirty Filters Though checking the air vents is probably the first thing you did when you noticed the different temperatures in your home, it’s still worth double checking. Are the vents open all the way? Is there any furniture in front of the air vent that may be blocking airflow?  If you’ve checked off both of those boxes, then your problem might lie in the filter that sits directly behind the air vent. Did...

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home cooling

As temperatures rise, your first instinct may be to head for the thermostat. But overworking your air conditioner can be hard on your wallet. Additionally, it causes more wear and tear on your A/C unit, which may have you paying for A/C repair or replacement sooner than you’d like.  Did you know that there are alternative ways to cool your home? Yep, that’s right. There are tons of cooling methods you can use, either without running your air conditioner, or in tandem with efficient A/C use.  So, instead of overworking your A/C (and hiking up your energy bill in the process), consider some cost-efficient alternatives. Here are 11 home-cooling hacks that can keep you and your house cool this summer. Test drive a couple of these tips this summer to keep you and your family cool. Of course, no matter what home-cooling “hacks” you try, A/C use will be inevitable on some days. Check out our tips to make sure you’re using your A/C efficiently this summer. Install ceiling fans and run them counterclockwise. Let’s start with some classic advice: If you haven’t already, you need to install ceiling fans. Running them counterclockwise in the summer will help push cool air down instead of pulling it up. (Set them clockwise in the winter for the opposite effect.)Run bathroom and kitchen exhaust fans. Hot air tends to linger after you cook dinner or shower. Turn on the exhaust fans to suck all that hot air out of your home.Close your curtains during the day. This will block out some sunlight and reduce the heat that comes in through the windows. (Take down any dark, synthetic drapes you may have. Opt for cotton or sheer curtains instead for filtered light).Change out your light bulbs. Most people don’t realize that their incandescent bulbs emit heat. According to the Center for Sustainable Energy, incandescent bulbs waste 90% of the energy they use, which is given off as heat. Switch them out for fluorescent or LED bulbs, instead. Not only are these bulbs cooler, but they’re also more efficient. Use the ice “hack” on your portable fan. Fill a bowl with ice and place it on a table or other surface that’s level with your portable fan. Then, turn on the fan for a blast of icy breeze with a cooling mist. Use this method for instant relief from muggy summer days.Invest in a Chillow or DIY your own. What’s cooler than the other side of your pillowcase? How about a Chillow? A Chillow is a cooling pad that you can place over your pillow. It works wonders for hot sleepers. You can also DIY your own cooling pillow by filling up a small pillowcase with rice and sewing it shut. Store the rice pillow in the freezer during the day, and at night, sleep on it like a regular pillow. The rice will keep its cold temperature for a while, making for a cool night’s rest.Apply heat-reducing film to your windows. Block out anywhere from 70-90% of the heat coming in through your windows with reflective film. Not only do window films cut down on excessive heat, but they also stop some of the cold air that seeps in through windows in the winter. Install duct boosters. If you want to draw more cool air into certain rooms, give your air ducts a boost! A duct booster fan is a fan that fits inside an air duct and can be turned on to increase the airflow in a room. Try this out if you have certain rooms that just won’t cool down. Cross ventilate your home. Most people know to open...

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