Whether the cooler or heater is on. the bottom floor is almost unbearably cold, the top floor is almost unbearably hot and the middle floor is perfect. I feel like I live in the Three Bears’ house. I will be checking the filter and we have check the air intakes and outlets to make sure they’re open. If I change the filter, should I expect that to solve the problem? If not what is my next step before calling a technician?
If cooling, you need to direct more air to the top floor. When heating, direct more air to the bottom floor. Ideally you would have three air handlers with separate controls, but most of us don’t have that.
Has it always been like that? It could just be poor design; I used to live with a friend whose house was a 2 story house where the air handler/heater/AC evaporator were on the 2nd floor, and the thermostat was on the first floor, in a relatively cool area.
So the upstairs was routinely hotter than the rest of the house, and if the upstairs was comfortable, the downstairs was too cold.
Lived in the house for 3 months so for that time? yes always been like that.
I don’t have any knowledge in this area, but logic would say that in heating season you close the vents on the top floor, maybe half way. In the cooling months, close the first floor vents (probably all the way). Personally, I’d probably use that as a starting point and experiment front there.
After that, you can call an HVAC company and tell them you need the system balanced. I’d check reviews, if all the Home Renovation shows have taught me anything it’s that a lot of HVAC companies don’t know jack about balancing the system.
Also, there are technologies out there now to turn a single zoned system into a multizoned system relatively easily. I don’t know the cost, but it’s not that hard, it just involves putting t-stats in each room as well as a series of dampers that open and close to direct the air to where it needs to go.
This might be a good way to go. But it will probably require at least running control wires and maybe some drywall work to access the ducting.
Actually, it doesn’t, the system I saw puts air inflated baffles/bladders into the duct right at the vent and the control wire goes through the vent all the way back to the furnace. Doing that makes each room it’s own zone. I saw it on Ask This Old House a few years ago.
It should probably me mentioned that these types of systems aren’t going to be accessible to the consumer.
I watch the show and must have missed that one. Great idea.
Here it is*, it starts around the 4 minute mark but it’s the first scene after the Kevin does his thing if you don’t want to try and find it. It looks easy enough that someone that’s really (really really) handy could do it themselves, but I really doubt you could buy the parts. A homeowner would have much better luck attempting to create their own zoned system with motorized dampers, but assuming they don’t want to open up walls, that likely would be installing them all in the basement. If it’s a two story house that wouldn’t be nearly as zoned as this house, but still better than than nothing.
Keep in mind, if you’ve (the OP) have never done any kind of sheet metal work, you’re probably better off leaving it to an HVAC person before you destroy your ductwork, it’s harder than you’d think. There’s a reason working with sheet metal is practically an industry, has a nickname (tin knockers) and has it’s own union.
Also, and I mean no offense at all by this, but if you weren’t sure why the upper floors were one temp and the lower floors were a different temp, I’d leave balancing the system and/or zoning it to the pros (especially balancing it).
*I remember watching this a while back and assuming this company must be in it’s infancy, considering it was using garbage bags, floor fans and parachutes as part of the install. OTOH, it all worked like a charm so why not.
The typical resedential ac unit will use a capillary tube for metering refrigerant to the indoor unit (evaporator if not a heat pump). This type of metering device relies largely on the assumption that the ‘load’ is constant, give or take just a little. If a person were to go 'round monkeying with air flow via duct dampers well… you are asking for trouble. How does a locked up and burned up compressor sound? Or perhaps water damage to the home due to the coil freezing, then eventually thawing (quite possibly only to thaw because the compressor died a nasty death), then leaking all over anything below it. Or, well the list goes on and on. Zoned system will likely at the minimum require retrofitting the capillary tube with a different expansion device, and quite possibly a receiver or something similar.
Is it possible to add zoned: yes.
Do you HAVE to run wires? No. RIB makes wireless relays, assuming there is a voltage source near each duct where a damper is desired. Wireless thermostats (or in this case thermostat is the wrong term; wireless zone sensors are available, then you would likely need a new thermostat as well, one that is capable of having multiple zone inputs and outputs etc. Basically, if the system wasn’t designed to do it then the price of doing it will not be a minor cost.
First thing to try would be to set your fan to “on” rather than auto. With some wild amount of luck that just might create enough air flow to more evenly distribute heat in the home (heat, yes heat, not cold… there is no such thing as cold). Please note that setting your fan to ‘on’ will likely wear out the ahu fan sooner, since it will run much more.
I don’t do resedential a/c work except my own home. And hi, first post here, probably last post too as my intellect is slightly below most of those around here; but i enjoy the reading.
Welcome, I think you’d fit right in.
Thanks for the link JoeyP
Everyone over looks return air.
I have a single unit in a two story house. The upstairs can be as much as 10 degrees hotter than the sown stairs on a hot day.
My solution. The return air for the 1st floor is at the bottom of the furnace. And the Return air for the 2nd floor is a register at the bottom of wall in the hall. I extended the return air duct up and how have a second register at the top of the wall. In the summer I close off the lower register and open the upper register. Winter the other way around. Another thing that I do is put a piece of paper in front of the 1st floor return register. This will increase the amount of hot air being returned from 2nd floor. There is a caution here, do not decrease the amount of air flowing through the cooling coil to much or the coil could freeze up. When I really want the 2nd floor temp to drop I put the fan in the on position at the stat.
Hot air goes up and cold air goes down. If you don not remove the hot air from the top of the 2nd story, it does not matter how much cold air you put in the 2nd story. Return air is one of the most over look and important componets of a AC system.
Also in the summer I open the air vents more on the 2nd story and close some on the 1st story. Winter the other way around.
To balance a three story, well all I can say is good luck.
Oh yes I do kick myself for going cheap and putting in one AC unit. 2 story house better served with 2 AS units. Dumb me.