How can I recirculate seond story heat?
ANDYSZ2
| Posted in Energy, Heating & Insulation on
I framed a large 2 story vaulted addition 4 years ago and am currently adding several new additions. The homeowner has added a second a/c unit to cool off the upstairs in the winter they also added a second return to try to improve recirculation. All these have failed to balance out the heat . I was thinking about putting a couple of return vents in the second story ceiling and circulating the warm air to a single story area of the house.Does anybody have a better idea or method to move the hot air out of the second floor?
ANDYSZ2
Edited 10/30/2002 6:47:53 PM ET by ANDYSZ2
Replies
"...they also added a second return to try to improve recirculation."
This tells me that originally they had a single return. This is a less than idea practice but works well enough for a single story. The use of a single unit to serve multiple floors and large vaulted spaces only work well if they are designed to accomodate such spaces. Even then, it is a compromise.
"I was thinking about putting a couple of return vents in the second story ceiling and circulating the warm air to a single story area of the house."
Without knowing all the details of the space and the system, I can only guess, but this is a good idea. The returns are most likely the key to solving the problem. Ample returns, as high as possible in the vaulted space will make a great deal of difference. If you do this using stud spaces (you will need at least 2), I would also recommend putting in a return register (a grille with a damper) near the floor in the same return paths. Not entirely necessary, but it adds some flexibility and improves overall air distribution in the space. Also, ceiling fans help when forced air is inadequate. This is a "band-aid" fix, but better than nothing.