Our A/C will cool our first floor just fine, but the upstairs seems to be at least 10 degrees warmer. We realize that hot air rises and that the second floor will always be warmer, but I wouldn’t expect such a large difference. Any ideas?
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Our forced air system is fairly old, but in good shape and has the filter changed regularly. All the vents on the second floor are open and not blocked by obstructions. All the bedroom doors are left open to help the air circulate. We put the blinds down every day (while we’re at work) to try and keep the house as cool as possible.
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Should we just chalk this up to an out of date HVAC system?
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Thanks!
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Trevor
Replies
Since your HVAC system serves 2 different floors, you have to have a way to change how much it heats + cools the different floors during the different season.
Probably the easiest choice is to shut some vents downstairs. That will force more of the cool air upstairs where you need it.
You might have to do the opposite during the winter.
Do you have any dampers on the ductwork? I can remember an old cape cod I'd lived in that had two dampers that were adjusted based on the season. For summer, the duct running upstairs was wide open, while the downstairs feed was somewhat restricted. The wide open duct to the second floor was a no brainer. The thermostat was downstairs, so the restricted airflow to the first floor resulted in the AC unit running longer before it got the first floor down to temp... all the while pumping more conditioned air into the upstairs.
Prior to us realizing the dampers were there, the upstairs could be 85 to the downstairs 72. Properly adjusted it was more like 74-5 to 72.
jt8
"A tree is known by its fruit; a man by his deeds. A good deed is never lost; he who sows courtesy reaps friendship, and he who plants kindness gathers love." -- Saint Basil
Edited 5/30/2006 12:29 pm by JohnT8
Yeah, in general you want to shut as many vents downstairs as possible (or set them "mostly closed"). Also, make sure the thermostat (wherever it is) isn't getting a draft from an open vent (even one in the upper stairway, eg).
As much as possible just cool the upstairs and let "trickle-down" cooling take care of the downstairs.
If you already have the downstairs vents mostly closed then you may need to add dampers somewhere, or modify the ductwork.
Finally, keep in mind that it's typical for the registers to be placed near the floor, for heating. Especially upstairs you may need fans to circulate the cooler air upwards. Temps may be just peachy around your ankles, and you can be suffocating five feet higher.
"Temps may be just peachy around your ankles, and you can be suffocating five feet higher."
:-)
That’s pretty much the situation.
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I’ve been meaning to put ceiling fans in all the bedrooms up stairs, but I haven’t gotten that far on my Honey-Do list. Guess I’ll have to get those installed before it gets too hot!
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Thanks for the help everyone!
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Trevor
Just go to Target and get several cheap reciprocating table fans. Place them on the floor. Will work better than ceiling fans anyway.
If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison
If you want to get into more involved stuff, it may be possible to fix up some ceiling-level registers. Easiest if you have an unfinished area on the other side of the wall -- just extend the duct to the ceiling and operate the top register in the summer, bottom one in the winter.
If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison
Don’t think my wife would go for that J
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Sounds like the easiest solution is to pick up a couple of cheap fans.
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Thanks everyone for the help!
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Trevor