PDA

View Full Version : Hot on Main Level Cold in Basement


theta1
Jun 15, 2007, 06:13 AM
We recently moved into a home about 52 years old. A year ago the previous owner added on a room off the kitchen. It has two small floor vents. The problem is that the basement is extremely cool to cold whereas the main floor is very warm to hot and very hard to get cooled. The blower runs pretty much constantly but the upstairs especially dining room (no vents) and kitchen (no vents) and add-on room are all opena dn joined. There are many ceiling fans throughout house. There are 2 bathrooms upstairs of course they are very cool. There is also a "house fan". I call it an attic fan but my husband insists it is a "house fan", not an attic fan but it is only good to pull in air from outside when it's cooler outside -- cooler than now. Is there a best way to cool this house? Does ductwork need to be reworked or what?

Lowtax4eva
Jun 15, 2007, 06:21 AM
Is there a door separating the upstairs from the basement? My parents have this problem, they removed a door in the upstairs hallway leading to the basement to open up the house and let more light in and have the same problem.

Reason being cold air falls, hot air rises and with nothing to stop it the cold air falls down to the basement.

theta1
Jun 15, 2007, 06:56 AM
There is a door at the bottom of the stairwell leading into a large room in the basement, with another door off from that room which goes into a hallway with a closet, large laundry room where the AC/furnace is and there is a bedroom off that hallway as well. Are you saying that I should have the door at the bottom of the stairwell open? How about the other doors leading to the room where the AC is?

Lowtax4eva
Jun 15, 2007, 07:25 AM
No, it should be closed. Hmmm, maybe there are too many cold air returns upstairs or some of the ductwork has come apart between the AC unit and the registers upstairs. Check if all the upstairs registers have good airflow, if they do the problem could be the returns, if not, then there is a problem with the duct work.

canadianhotbox
Jun 16, 2007, 06:39 AM
We recently moved into a home about 52 years old. A year ago the previous owner added on a room off the kitchen. It has two small floor vents. The problem is that the basement is extremely cool to cold whereas the main floor is very warm to hot and very hard to get cooled. The blower runs pretty much constantly but the upstairs especially dining room (no vents) and kitchen (no vents) and add-on room are all opena dn joined. There are many ceiling fans throughout house. There are 2 bathrooms upstairs of course they are very cool. There is also a "house fan". I call it an attic fan but my husband insists it is a "house fan", not an attic fan but it is only good to pull in air from outside when it's cooler outside -- cooler than now. Is there a best way to cool this house? Does ductwork need to be reworked or what?
All you need to do is if it is cold in the basment put a floor grill in and run a fan to help move the cool air up throung the house, but where are you in the world if your in hot place all the time get an AC