"ken" wrote in message
oups.com...
Our new central a/c unit does not do much to cool our second
floor...We live in an old house and the ductwork apparently can't
handle the job too well.

We have an exhaust fan in an upstairs window and ceiling fans in the
bed rooms.

1. Is it ok to use these while the a/c is on?

2. can the upstairs windows be open to be able to get a breeze at
night, even thought he a/c is on?

thanks

Ken

Nooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!
Opening a window to get cool air while running the poor performing AC is a
waste of energy, counterproductive to the AC working properly. You need to
get the AC performance right.

There are a few possibilities with your situation and the installer should
be there to inspect and determine the problem. Unless it was a cheap-o
setup and against the recommendation of the installer.

First is the blower speed. Is it running properly? Next is the ducts, both
supply and return. You already know the ducts are not up to snuff, but it
may be possible to improve or change them. They should both have enough
capacity to handle the needs of each room on each floor and they must be
balanced. One thing you can do to force more cooler air to the second floor
is to cut back the registers on the first floor.

--
Ed
http://pages.cthome.net/edhome/