Hi all. I have a 2 storey, ~1200 sq ft home in a hot climate. I have a single HVAC unit…central air and ductwork, electric AC/heat. There is no zoning to the system. The thermostat is downstairs.
Everything is great in the winter months. But in the summer months, the upstairs is absolutely stifling. I don’t have a thermostat upstairs, but it feels like it stays at least 10 degrees hotter than downstairs. I get that hot air rises, but considering the bedrooms are upstairs, it makes things unbearable.
My HVAC air handler and condenser are from 2008, so they are rather old and I’m likely to have to replace them soon. When I do so, I want to figure out how to keep the upstairs more comfortable.
Before I start asking companies for quotes, I want to figure out what I’m doing first. Some things I’ve come across…
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Install something like a Nest system with a remote temperature sensor. Place the temperature sensor upstairs and have the Nest use that to figure out when to cycle the AC on instead of the downstairs thermostat. I could install something like this myself instead of needing an HVAC company, though it isn’t necessary very efficient.
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Consult with an HVAC company about having dampers/a zoning system installed. From what I’ve read online, it seems like people are saying this isn’t really financially worth it. But if I’m at the point where I want a new system anyway, would it make sense?
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Window AC units are an obvious “solution”, but I can’t have them due to the HOA.
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I have read of suggestions of people saying to close the vents downstairs in the summer, but it seems like this is bad advice, as supposedly it will stress your HVAC and cause it to fail prematurely.
Edit: Just found a new one…setting the fan on the thermostat to “on” instead of “auto”. Although some people seem to warn of mold growth.
Would love to hear any and all suggestions. Thanks!
The mini-split route idea is a great solution, but I am wondering if you have an unvented or poorly insulated attic that is a contributing factor to your problem. If your attic space isn’t setup properly and you throw a mini-split at the problem, it is sort of like pumping water out of a boat without fixing the leak that is flooding the boat. Even something as “simple” as a powered attic vent could help in HVAC performance and operating costs. If the hot air can’t vent or your insulation is inadequate, it just stacks down and heats the top floor.
The other thing I would be looking at is if the HVAC run up to the second floor is done properly or if the dampers are not right. A house that size really shouldn’t have much trouble if everything is balanced right.
Closing vents on the first floor and leaving the second floor open will increase the wear on the fan and may decrease efficiency if not enough air can be moved through the open vents. Knowing how bad an idea that is would require some measurements and math.
Having the nest with a second temp sensor would just force your HVAC to work harder to cool the upstairs. The single sensor nest can be a smart move to reduce costs with the higher degree of control.
Having dampers installed does more or less the same thing as closing vents, but with a higher cost. A zoned system is expensive and kind of silly on a house of that size.
The mini-split route idea is a great solution, but I am wondering if you have an unvented or poorly insulated attic that is a contributing factor to your problem. If your attic space isn’t setup properly and you throw a mini-split at the problem, it is sort of like pumping water out of a boat without fixing the leak that is flooding the boat. Even something as “simple” as a powered attic vent could help in HVAC performance and operating costs. If the hot air can’t vent or your insulation is inadequate, it just stacks down and heats the top floor.
Unfortunately, I don’t live in a free-standing house. It’s a townhouse, so it’s connected to other units so I don’t think that I can make changes to the attic.
The other thing I would be looking at is if the HVAC run up to the second floor is done properly or if the dampers are not right. A house that size really shouldn’t have much trouble if everything is balanced right.
I don’t seem to have any dampers at all as far as I can tell.
Having the nest with a second temp sensor would just force your HVAC to work harder to cool the upstairs.
Yeah, I get that I would be pushing the HVAC system to simply be on more, but at the very least I could actually set the temperature upstairs instead of having it fluctuate so wildly. Often, I’ll set the temp low at night to be more comfortable. It’ll be to the point where I’m basically freezing with the sun down. But then in the morning, when the sun rises it’s unbearably hot.
The single sensor nest can be a smart move to reduce costs with the higher degree of control.
What do you mean by this?
Having dampers installed does more or less the same thing as closing vents, but with a higher cost. A zoned system is expensive and kind of silly on a house of that size.
So there’s no real reason to get dampers installed then?
If you’re in a townhouse, you have an association. The association would be responsible for the common attic and its insulation. Bring this concern to the attention of the board. Could be other people have the same problem and the fix could be attic-related.