If you have a two-story home or more, you may begin to notice the upstairs areas are warmer than the downstairs. It is common knowledge that hot air rises while cooler air stays low, but this is not always the reason for warmer temperatures in the upper levels of your home. The following are some issues that may be causing parts of your home to be hotter than the rest:

Leaking Air Ducts

A lot of homes have leaking air ducts. You may not realize this until you begin to notice warmer temperatures in parts of your home. Ductwork can easily become leaky due to its porous nature. Leaks cause humid and unfiltered air to get into your house. This makes the air conditioner work harder and will ultimately cost you more money in air conditioner maintenance bills. It also results in a warmer home. Leaking air ducts is akin to leaving a window open. This allows hot air in and cold air to escape.

Uninsulated Air Ducts

Another issue could be that your air ducts are not fully insulated. Air that comes from your hot ductwork can be much warmer than normal. If your ductwork runs through your attic, the attic heat makes the ductwork even hotter. As the air travels through the ducts, it cannot adequately cool down. Because the ductwork is in the attic in most cases, the air that comes from the vents through the upper level of your home may be a few degrees warmer. To solve this issue, you either have to fully insulate your ductwork, which can be difficult and costly. You can also allow air balancing by closing off dampers in the cooler rooms of your home to force the cold air into the upper levels of your house. This option is only effective if you have sufficient amounts of ductwork.

Dirty Air Filters

Another issue that is causing hot air in your home is dirty air filters. You should be changing or cleaning your air filters on a monthly basis. If you happen to forget, you may begin to notice the air conditioner not cooling your air because the system is either clogged or overtaxed. When the air does not get cool enough, it can be difficult to cool the lower level of your home, making it that much more difficult to keep the upper levels cool. You can easily fix this by cleaning the air filters regularly.

Contact an air conditioning contractor to learn more.