Cold main level & hot second level in winter

10 years ago

I have a true 2 story 40' x 16' all vinyl siding house (no basement). The furnace is in the attic, the air return is in the ceiling on the 2nd fl close to where the furnace sits in the attic & the thermostat is directly below that on the wall. All of the air vents are in the ceilings on both floors.

As we all know heat rises & cold sinks. I'm sure they only used the cheapest insulation (basic pink foam board is what i saw when i was in the attic.....i can also hear people's conversations clearly as they walk on the sidewalk in front of the house & I'm sure that's because of a lack of insulation as well).

In the winter time it's almost unbearable to be on the main/first floor without needing a snowsuit to stay warm & i have to basically live upstairs from about Nov-Mar.

I've turned the heat up to 90°+ just to see if it would help & it only made the 2nd floor so hot you can't breathe. Zero difference on 1st fl.

I only have 3 rooms on the 1st fl & each has a single vent (right by windows & or main entry door). 2nd fl has 4 rooms & a single vent in each room. 1 set of stairs against the back exterior wall of the house.

My question is what is the best way to push and/or get the heat to stay downstairs in the winter? Ive tried running the ceiling fan in the L.R. with no luck & only seems makes the air colder. ALL vents upstairs are closed besides the M.B.R. ALL vents downstairs are open. What options do i have? Would spray foam be the best option to insulate? I don't have any where to put a seperate furnace unit on the 1st fl to regulate air temp on that fl.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (6)

klem1
10 years ago
There is no pat answer for your problem but a good place to begain is by asking if down stairs was warming well in the past. If so make sure (A) All elements/burners are operating (B) Both return and supply ducts are not leaking (C) Cooling coils are not dirty restricting air flow. After that,it's probably time to call in the pros unless you are exceptionally mechanicaly talented. If you are indeed talented and have tools we can walk you through the testing process.
PRO
User
10 years ago
It sounds like you need to add a few more returns. Your set up isn't ideal, but can definitely be improved.
Related Professionals
Port Saint Lucie General Contractors · Salina General Contractors · Charleston General Contractors · Moline General Contractors · Leominster General Contractors · Williamsport General Contractors · Yuma General Contractors · Las Vegas General Contractors · Elizabethtown Home Remodeling · Hackettstown Home Remodeling · Trenton Home Remodeling · Binghamton Home Remodeling · Napa Home Remodeling · Eureka Home Remodeling · Calgary Home Remodeling
sktn77a
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
You minimally need a return downstairs. Howeverm I suspect an issue with the ductwork in general. You need an HVAC company (a good one - good luck!) to figure this out for you.
klem1
10 years ago
Before y'all tell OP to add ducts,don't you need to know capacity of existing equipment and ductwork. Size matters. (:
S Rodriguez
10 years ago
I have the identical house set up. I have found the only thing that works for me is 3 space heaters, plugged into the wall. I bought one from Ace which uses oil and radiates the heat via its tube and fins (and thus no fan noise) while two are your basic little heaters, with a thermostat control for it to come on when needed. Works great for me. Or, contact an HVAC professional about installing a second heater in your attic, connected to the downstairs ducts.
mike_home
10 years ago
"I've turned the heat up to 90°+ just to see if it would help & it only made the 2nd floor so hot you can't breathe. Zero difference on 1st fl."

You set the thermostat to 90 degrees and you see no change to the temperature on the first floor! Have you gone into the attic and inspected the duct work? It sounds like the main duct for the first floor is either disconnected or has a big leak.