Simple solution to "upstairs too hot"

7 years ago

last modified: 7 years ago

For those of us unable to use our upstairs in the hot summer months due to inadequate air conditioning, I have found a simple, cheap solution. I can't add extra insulation since there is no attic. A window or through the wall air conditioner was not an acceptable answer. A ductless unit still added a honking big wall unit and some kind of outside thing, not to mention very expensive. Never really looked into a fan booster for the existing 2 ducts. I tried fans to move around the AC that did make it, but it just didn't work, so for 24 years I resigned myself to abdicate the use of my second floor and sleep downstairs during the hot summer months.

In all my searches for a solution I never heard of placing a fan at the bottom of the steps, blowing the cold air UP. I was a my sister's a couple of weeks and she was doing this. I tried it, and it works. I have now reclaimed my upstairs for sleeping at night. A couple of hours before I intend to go to bed I turn the fan on high, turn the thermostat down (I like to sleep cool, so this is no different than what I had been doing) and put the ceiling fan on high. By the time I go to bed the temp and humidity has gone down dramatically. The fan I use has 3 speeds, a timer and a remote control, so that if I want to turn it down to medium, I don't have to go down the stairs. It's the best cheap, plastic fan!

Featured Answer

Pawprint

7 years ago

I had the same problem so I installed a ceiling fan at the top of the stairs. A light fixture used to be there so it was easy to replace. Now it pulls some cool air up the staircase.

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Comments (8)

mike_home
7 years ago
Is there a return at the top of the stairs? Do the bedrooms have returns? I am curious as to why this is working so well in your house.

Thanks for sharing this. It's a simple and inexpensive way to balance the air temperatures between floors for some houses.
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janeway452
Original Author
7 years ago
There's nothing normal about my little old house. There are no returns upstairs. There are two ducts. There's a small room on one side of the steps and the other is a big room that opens at the top of the stairs, a duct in each room. There is a return at the bottom of the steps, right behind the fan. Here's a photo.

There is a floor duct just around the corner to the right of that door (not the door behind the fan) and it really puts out. And there is another wall duct to the right about 3 1/2' down the hall, blowing across to the staircase.
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janeway452
Original Author
7 years ago
Great idea. Have you notice a temperature difference? I also have a light on the ceiling above the steps and hadn't thought of a fan there. The fan at the bottom of the steps set on high pushes quite of bit of cool air up, but I wonder if the right fan might be as effective at pulling cool air up. For one thing, you don't have to walk around it. Thanks for the idea. I'm going to start looking.
tumut
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
We bought a house last year, built in 1953. The upstairs has attic kneewalls north an south. The house came with laundry chute so we bought a $10 fan at Aldi this summer and have pumped air from the basement up the chute into one of the bedrooms. This has been extremely effective in moderating the upstairs temp.
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janeway452 thanked tumut
Pawprint
7 years ago
Jane, it made a huge difference upstairs. It pulls cool air upstairs along with cool air from the 3 rooms making a more even temperature upstairs. Years ago I had a fan like you do blowing upstairs but the dogs kept knocking it over.
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janeway452 thanked Pawprint
imlt
7 years ago
Is the ceiling fan on cooling for summer or set on reverse to bring down warmer air as in winter setting? I have the same problem with an upstairs bedroom that is hard to cool at the end of the line in the system. I also have a light in the middle of our staircase. I often think I should put up a ceiling fan to help move air but not sure if it should be in cooling or heating mode. Going to try the fan at the bottom of the stairs.
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sunnydj23
7 years ago
What a great idea both with the fan at the bottom of the steps and also by using a ceiling fan at the top...Now you all have my mind working overtime, lol....Thanks for the ideas......
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