2nd floor of house not being cooled with central air
 

We have central air, and the upstairs stays around 85+ (in 100%
humidity) despite the temperature downstairs staying at 75 or less (ie,
whatever the thermostat is set at). IThe upstairs has two fully-open
vents through which little air blows, and what appear to be 2-3 vents
for the warm air to exit. Can anything be done to help cool the
upstairs? The curtains/blinds are kept closed, and the door leading to
the upstairs is kept shut to prevent any warm air downstairs from
moving upstairs.

Also, attached to our air conditioning system in the basement is an air
cleaner that doesn't work, and when you remove the cover from that, a
ton of air is pulled in. I've noticed that this causes a lot more cold
air to be forced through the vents, substantially cooling the
upstairs. However, we asked someone who would know about these things,
and he said you shouldn't do that (for some reason). Any information?

"brian0918" wrote in message
oups.com...
We have central air, and the upstairs stays around 85+ (in 100%
humidity) despite the temperature downstairs staying at 75 or less (ie,
whatever the thermostat is set at). IThe upstairs has two fully-open
vents through which little air blows, and what appear to be 2-3 vents
for the warm air to exit. Can anything be done to help cool the
upstairs? The curtains/blinds are kept closed, and the door leading to
the upstairs is kept shut to prevent any warm air downstairs from
moving upstairs.

Also, attached to our air conditioning system in the basement is an air
cleaner that doesn't work, and when you remove the cover from that, a
ton of air is pulled in. I've noticed that this causes a lot more cold
air to be forced through the vents, substantially cooling the
upstairs. However, we asked someone who would know about these things,
and he said you shouldn't do that (for some reason). Any information?

We can't see your house from here, and I'm no HVAC expert. However, one of
the family homes we had when I was a kid had a similar problem, even though
the system was 'zoned', with 2 thermostats. Ended up with a 2nd smaller
furnace for upstairs, and splitting out the plenum. It all worked fine after
that.

I'd recommend paying a HVAC contractor, NOT the one named on the sticker on
the furnace, to come out and do an inspection and load calc for both floors,
and to balance and tweak the any baffles or valves in the ductwork. The air
cleaner sounds like a good place to start as something throwing the existing
air flow off balance. If opening the cover improves air flow to upstairs,
I'd suspect insufficent air flow from the returns on that floor. If the
cleaner doesn't work, and you don't miss it, probably simplest to have the
contractor rip it out and plate the hole over. (My furnace in my 'new' 1960
house, with original furnace, has a big plate on the side where something
like that used to be... Yes, a new HVAC is on the list, but the new roof
comes first.) Try leaving the stairway door open for a few days- if that
improves things, that means air return problems are real likely.

aem sends....

"brian0918" wrote in message
Also, attached to our air conditioning system in the basement is an air
cleaner that doesn't work, and when you remove the cover from that, a
ton of air is pulled in. I've noticed that this causes a lot more cold
air to be forced through the vents, substantially cooling the
upstairs. However, we asked someone who would know about these things,
and he said you shouldn't do that (for some reason). Any information?


You have air circulation problems. It may be the air cleaner blocking the
air flow. I can't see your setup so I can't say if removing the cover is
good or bad, but if it is clogged, get it cleared out. You waste a lot of
energy that way. Are there other filters in the system? If so, be sure
they are clean.

If the filters and air non-working air cleaner is clear, the evaporator coil
itself may be clogged.
--
Ed
http://pages.cthome.net/edhome/

Pay a professional to zone it. Period.




"brian0918" wrote in message
oups.com...
We have central air, and the upstairs stays around 85+ (in 100%
humidity) despite the temperature downstairs staying at 75 or less (ie,
whatever the thermostat is set at). IThe upstairs has two fully-open
vents through which little air blows, and what appear to be 2-3 vents
for the warm air to exit. Can anything be done to help cool the
upstairs? The curtains/blinds are kept closed, and the door leading to
the upstairs is kept shut to prevent any warm air downstairs from
moving upstairs.

Also, attached to our air conditioning system in the basement is an air
cleaner that doesn't work, and when you remove the cover from that, a
ton of air is pulled in. I've noticed that this causes a lot more cold
air to be forced through the vents, substantially cooling the
upstairs. However, we asked someone who would know about these things,
and he said you shouldn't do that (for some reason). Any information?

brian0918 wrote:
We have central air, and the upstairs stays around 85+ (in 100%
humidity) despite the temperature downstairs staying at 75 or less
(ie, whatever the thermostat is set at). IThe upstairs has two
fully-open vents through which little air blows, and what appear to
be 2-3 vents for the warm air to exit. Can anything be done to help
cool the upstairs? The curtains/blinds are kept closed, and the door
leading to the upstairs is kept shut to prevent any warm air
downstairs from moving upstairs.

Also, attached to our air conditioning system in the basement is an
air cleaner that doesn't work, and when you remove the cover from
that, a ton of air is pulled in. I've noticed that this causes a lot
more cold air to be forced through the vents, substantially cooling
the upstairs. However, we asked someone who would know about these
things, and he said you shouldn't do that (for some reason). Any
information?

We can't tell from here, but it may be a specific problem like the air
cleaner or dirty coils preventing air flow or it may be a bad or damaged
duct design. You will need a local pro to check it. Ask around and find a
HVAC professional that is recommended and have them check it out.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

brian0918 wrote:
We have central air, and the upstairs stays around 85+ (in 100%
humidity) despite the temperature downstairs staying at 75 or less (ie,
whatever the thermostat is set at). IThe upstairs has two fully-open
vents through which little air blows, and what appear to be 2-3 vents
for the warm air to exit. Can anything be done to help cool the
upstairs? The curtains/blinds are kept closed, and the door leading to
the upstairs is kept shut to prevent any warm air downstairs from
moving upstairs.

Also, attached to our air conditioning system in the basement is an air
cleaner that doesn't work, and when you remove the cover from that, a
ton of air is pulled in. I've noticed that this causes a lot more cold
air to be forced through the vents, substantially cooling the
upstairs. However, we asked someone who would know about these things,
and he said you shouldn't do that (for some reason). Any information?


1. get cleaner fixed.
2. try leaving fan on continuously.

--
Respectfully,


CL Gilbert