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- May 22, 2020
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Currently sleep on the first floor, but in the process of moving the bedrooms upstairs. Scratching my head on what to do about the cooling. Just spent our first night upstairs and it has to be 10 or 15 degrees warmer up there at least. We have 2T central air unit and it keeps the downstairs cool just fine, but upstairs is still hot.
There are two (I think) issues with the current system.
First, there are four 8" vents leading from the basement to the attic, that then feeds the two rooms. And one of those 8" vents splits into a T in the attic. We have dampers in the basement and I shut the one off leading to the upstairs bathroom. So ultimately there are three 8" vents, followed by a T in the attic. I'm thinking this is far too much ducting. By the time it reaches the attic, it barely eeks out. I was planning on removing the four 8" ducts and replace with just one duct. In the attic, run a hard duct (not the flex stuff I have now) the entire length with tapered ends. Then tie the single duct from the basement to the attic duct. Should give me more thrust from the furnace. Having four ducts, then splitting into five I think is spreading it too thin.
Second is we have three returns on the first floor, but not a single one on the second. Something tells me I need a return upstairs. We had the doors open last night to the downstairs though, but not sure if that does the same thing as a return.
I'm almost at the point of closing the dampers to the upstairs, leave them all open downstairs, and run a window fan in the upstairs bedroom pulling the air out to draw in the cooler air from downstairs.
Thoughts or suggestions?
There are two (I think) issues with the current system.
First, there are four 8" vents leading from the basement to the attic, that then feeds the two rooms. And one of those 8" vents splits into a T in the attic. We have dampers in the basement and I shut the one off leading to the upstairs bathroom. So ultimately there are three 8" vents, followed by a T in the attic. I'm thinking this is far too much ducting. By the time it reaches the attic, it barely eeks out. I was planning on removing the four 8" ducts and replace with just one duct. In the attic, run a hard duct (not the flex stuff I have now) the entire length with tapered ends. Then tie the single duct from the basement to the attic duct. Should give me more thrust from the furnace. Having four ducts, then splitting into five I think is spreading it too thin.
Second is we have three returns on the first floor, but not a single one on the second. Something tells me I need a return upstairs. We had the doors open last night to the downstairs though, but not sure if that does the same thing as a return.
I'm almost at the point of closing the dampers to the upstairs, leave them all open downstairs, and run a window fan in the upstairs bedroom pulling the air out to draw in the cooler air from downstairs.
Thoughts or suggestions?