I'm trying to get the cold air in our basement up into the house. Do I point the fan up from the...?

Question

basement to the upstairs, hopefully pushing cold air up the steps into the house, or should I point the fan downstairs, forcing the hot air that is upstairs to the basement?

Answer 1

Get an air conditioner - energy star certified.

Answer 2

I would put the fan at the top of the stairs and "pull" the cool air from the basement to the upstairs.  If you can open a window upstairs (slightly), that would be good also.

Answer 3

If you have a forced air furnace in the basement the solution is easy.  Most furnaces have a "summer switch" or "manual fan switch" located behind the panel where you light the burner.  Turn it on.

Turn off the gas first of course and be sure to replace the filter on the furnace with a new one.

If you don't have a forced air furnace and must use a portable fan, use it to blow the cooler air from the basement into your living area.  To make it work though, you must open a small window in the basement and another one on the upper level as far as possible from the basement door.  (If you want cool air to come IN to the living area, you must allow for a way for the warm air to get OUT.)