malcolm wrote:
Hi, I hope this is the correct newsgroup to post this problem. If
not my apologies up front.

I bought a house last year and am having problems cooling it late in
the afternoon. With the weather warming up down here (Alabama), I am
already finding myself bumping up the AC throughout the day so it
does not run constantly. My house is a two level house with an
unfinished basement garage. The AC can hold the house at the set
temp during the morning hours and/or if it is cloudy all day. But if
the sun is shining especially late afternoon the AC cannot hold the
set temperature on the themostat (Even with the AC running the inside
temp. continues to rise). So, of course unless I bump up the
thermostat the AC continues to run until the sun goes down and then
it slowly start to recover itself. The back part of the house over
the unfinished basement stays cool, but the main part of the house
continues to warm up throughout the day. This part includes the
kitchen, living room, and dining room and all three of these rooms
reside over the garage area. This is also the same side of the house
the sun is beating down on in the afternoon and into the evening. If
I cook dinner in the kitchen then the temperature in the house really
jumps up (no outside vent in the kitchen).

What I am wondering is what I can do to remedy this problem. I have
tried buying a box fan to try blowing the warm air out of the house.
I have also covered the windows on my garage doors. The garage doors
themselves are un-insulated wood doors that already need replacing.
Sometime soon I plan on replacing them with windowless, insulated
steel doors. Also I have no insulation in the basement/garage area
under the main level flooring. Would it help to insulate the floor
between the main level and garage? Of course this would help
somewhat, but is it worth it? I have been reading some about attic
fans to pull heat out of the attic on hot days. Could this be the
problem. Btw, the attic is fully insulated. I am also assuming a
vent to the outside in the kitchen may help. For sure when the oven
and stove are on.

Any help or ideas would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Malcolm

While you should consider the usual things like better insulation,
awnings etc., but it is an A/C problem.

I say it is an A/C problem because when the system was installed, it
should have been designed to handle the existing situation. Now you have a
system that either is not working as it should or was poorly designed from
the start.

It is time to call in the professional to determine what your options
are. Maybe it just needs service. It is also possible that it was
undersized or the distribution system is not properly designed etc. You
need a professional on site to give you your answers.

--
Joseph E. Meehan

26 + 6 = 1 It's Irish Math