Air Conditioning Second Floor Only

The hot summer days and especially the nights bring back one of the most common home comfort problems.

Air conditioning second floor only.

Ductwork services second floor rooms through ceiling registers. Photo by joshua mchugh. Hot air rises so the second floor is naturally going to be warmer. Window ac units are quite affordable too.

Ideally we d like a two zone system or two separate systems one located in the attic to serve the second floor and one in the basement to serve the first floor but we aren t sure if we can currently afford that. However when the thermostat senses that the temperature on the main floor is the temperature your hvac system has been set for it will turn off the ac. Trees shading the second floor reduce the impact of direct sunlight. Positioning a window air conditioner in those places will allow the unit to better regulate the heat on your second floor.

In some cases it s because the system is outdated. Despite your air conditioner repair man saying the ac is tuned up and running properly the bedrooms on the second floor are so hot many in the family choose to sleep downstairs. Reduce use of lights and appliances. Central ac on second floor only.

Ducts run through closets on their way to first floor rooms. Of course this means that your second floor has not yet sufficiently cooled. Units older than 10 years should be upgraded. The temperature differences are more pronounced the greater the height of the column of air.

You could turn the ac down even more. The hot air from the second floor rooms can be collected in the hallway and sent back to the air conditioner. We re thinking of putting central air in our house. To maintain balance a return duct allows air back into the fan and coil system and a filter placed inside the duct keeps the cooled air free of airborne dust and dirt.

If your house does not have this return air ducting on the second floor it frequently can be added. Different temperatures on different floors of your home can signal an issue with how your air conditioning system works. Using separate central air conditioning units for each floor allows you to maintain a. The most common complaint regarding imbalanced temps and hvac units is that it cools the first floor but not the second floor.

You can even air seal your attic to prevent heat from seeping in. Add extra insulation to your roof and attic. Also adding an attic fan will help cool things down by circulating the air up there and decreasing the amount of hot air reaching your second floor. Less dense air rises above colder more dense air.

As air heats the density decreases.