Cant get the 3rd fl. cool while the 1st fl. is freezing have central and all vents downstairs are closed help?

Question

the bedrooms on the third floor are warm compared to the rest of the house. The central air unit is working fine and the first floor is very cool. How can I push that cool air upstairs? I have already closed ALL the registers on the bottem floor

Answer 1

Heat rises, so the only thing I can think of is to get some type of extra blowers installed in your house.

Buddy of mine had something like that done, they were basically extra fans that pulled the cold air upwards.

Another problem might be that air conditioners suck hot air, and expel cool air.  Since the AC unit is most likely in your back yard on the ground floor, that's where all the air comes from, it's harder to keep the air cool up on the higher levels.

I would call a heating and cooling pro and just simply ask them what they think, lots of those guys will do consultations for free.

Answer 2

Hi, you might want to open windows in the 1st floor as well as the 3rd floor.. this will allow air circulation to move from bottom to top with ease..

bottom line is, the 1st floor will always be cooler than the 3rd floor due to gravity that makes cool air heavier than hot air. however, you can reduce the heatwave on the third floor by improving the building's air circulation. the heat on the 3rd floor needs to flow out, my guess is heat is trapped on the 3rd floor due to low air circulation..

Answer 3

you should open the vents downstairs as well.  if its an air rotation unit, it needs to pull air in as well.  i may just take longer since cool air stays low, but it should cool your whole house

Answer 4

Most houses don't have well designed duct systems, so the farther from the fan you are the less air you'll get.  The system has supply and return vents.  If you have return vents on the 3rd floor, you can try blocking off the ones on lower floors.  That will create a negative pressure upstairs and help draw cold air through the ductwork, as well as up the stairwell from lower floors.  No guarantee this will work, but worth a try.  Remove the grilles on lower floor return vents and tape some plastic sheeting over the opening, then replace the grille.  The return vents are the bigger ones and usually don't have any adjustable fins or dampers.  You can hold your hand over the vents when the fan is on and feel if it's sucking or blowing.

Another, more expensive solution, is to have some in-duct booster fans installed to help get air to the 3rd floor.

Answer 5

Its a thing called Physcics.... I think

It is when the heat rises the cold air drops and it makes the bottom part of the hosue cold :D

Answer 6

Try closing up the dampers closest to the main supply duct.  To get air up to the top close off every route of exit for air between the A/C and the third floor.  Try opening the dampers at the furthest point from the main line on the third floor.  Once you do that see how the air flow is at that point.  If it's pretty week then it may be your circulating fan is underpowered or the motor is  kind of shot.  Cool air will fall, true, but not when it's being shoved around your house by a circulating fan.  Try cooling your top floor which will traditionally be warmer anyway and let convection push the warm air up and the cold air down.

Answer 7

You need to have the system checked... it sounds like it is actually too small for the house size. Most homes have different units for each of the different floors.

If that is not the case, then your system may be out of "balance", and still needs to be checked out.

Another problem my be the vents on the upper floors are dusty, and need to be cleaned.

Oh, and how long has it been since you've cleaned/replaced the air intake filter? That's a REALLY easy and inexpensive thing to check. They should be cleaned/replaced every month or so during heavy use.

And, yeah, you can try using fans to blow the cold air back up the stairs! But, cold air is HEAVIER than warm air, and is harder to "lift".

Answer 8

keep your windows closed and vents open. if that doesn't help, install fan powered vents and pipes with help of pro.

Answer 9

Try leaving all the vents open and a couple of windows upstairs open, maybe the cool air from downstairs will push the warm air out seeing as hot air rises. just a thought!!!

Answer 10

Check and see if your attic and attic access is insulated, because if it is not then the hot air is coming through your attic and all the cool air up on the third floor is moving downstairs.  Do not open your windows, this will make more hot air move upstairs.  Insulate your attic.

Answer 11

proper placing of fans   its what i do for my house works pretty darn good

Answer 12

Don't you know the old physics rule.....heat rises, cold heads south.  You're fighting a losing battle....

Answer 13

Need a fan. Best would be a ceiling fan set counter clockwise to draw air upwards. Few other fans set strategically along the way help with the flow. Helps, too, to have a small opening to the outside to let the heat upstairs go out.