12/29/2023 0 Comments Duct booxterAdd automatic zones (expensive, difficult to access ducts, still may have pressure problems, but perhaps an automatic system would be able to detect and correct, signaling the blower to blow harder for the upstairs zones when those zones are active)ĭ. Replace single stage AC with higher efficiency dual stage (same air flow problems at low speeds, however) Ĭ. Access, resize ducts per Manual D, seal and insulate (but still have the same problem of long runs, bends, and vertical height to overcome) ī. Complete redo of HVAC system (too expensive):Ī. Install a heavy curtain across stairwell to slow cold air spillage downstairs and hot air rising (the powerful chimney effect going on here) works for my in-laws in their split level, holding heat in at the lower level, not sure how well it will work to keep cold air in, particularly if we’re just not getting enough cold air up there in the first placeħ. Replace old PSC blower with Evergreen ECM - still must overcome the draw of the 1st floor trunk line, and if it runs in lower speeds, will likely only exacerbate the problem of not pushing sufficient air upstairs, UNLESS combined with 1-4 aboveĦ. actual with upstairs - problem is, without correcting supply, this will just freeze out the 1st floor while it tries futilely to bring down the 2nd floor temp (already keep 1st floor thermostat at a cold 72/70 at night just to try to keep the upstairs from getting too hot).ĥ. Install EcoBee or similar thermostat with multiple sensors to average out set temperature vs. I’m not going to spend $$$$ tearing apart the house to let an incompetent contractor try to fix what the original inept contractors did, if a $1,000 for a 10 year life, not sure this is worth it, or if it even works as marketed).Ĥ. Don’t tell me it’s a duct/supply sizing problem. But this is my throwdown challenging the “conventional wisdom” of building science on this one.Ī. So if there’s a reason that I may be delusional, please convince me otherwise. In fact, I’m coming to the point where I think everything else is stupid. However, after everything else I’ve tried that is supposed to address the problem, I think a duct booster fan is by far the least expensive and most effective solution that would directly address the problem. Supposedly, a duct booster fan isn’t a good idea. With the house fan on full blast, you can barely feel any air coming up through the floor registers in the bedrooms, while the registers downstairs are blasting out cold air. The problem I noticed from Day 1 is simply that the 2nd floor does not get enough air from the HVAC system. 2nd floor of my Kansas City 24yo home (bought 3 years ago) is consistently 6-12 degrees (F) warmer in summer than first floor.
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