My central AC does not reach upstairs.

Question

I have a four bedroom cape. The central air is perfect downstairs but it does not bring any cool air upstairs. I need an extra window unit.

I would like what can I do to fix this problem. I don't have an attick to place a vent there. Should I go for a second unit? lift the roof?

I am totally clueless.

I should have gotten the clue when the previous owners left the window ac in the basement for us.

any advice will be greatly appreciated

Answer 1

First you need to determine if the AC is sized for your whole house or only the bottom floor.  I recommend you contact a local contractor and get a bid on correcting the problem.  He will check the size of your existing AC and recommend what will be necessary.  If you are unsure of his recommendation or can not handle the cost you could get another bid or you could go to a homeowner fix such as a window unit.  Contractors want to solve your problem and bid on the job, they think they can talk you into their product.  Don't feel you are taking advantage of them to figure out the best way to solve your problem.  Its no different than a vacuum cleaner salesman coming to your door.  And a contractor at your house can give a lot better advise than someone on the Internet that really doesn't know your situation.

Answer 2

Ultimately,the only way to happiness is with a dedicated unit for the downstairs and a dedicated unit for the upstairs.I have seen your situation hundreds of times with only one unit cooling a two story structure.You will be content for a while but, as you know,it never lasts.It just doesn't work.We know why they try to get by with one unit but that doesn't help you.Anything short of two units is patchwork.

Have your service company double check your ductwork to make sure that a 12 inch duct didn't come loose that feeds the upstairs but this is rarely ever the case and to check your temp drop across your coil.

Another unit will solve your problem and is alot of money up front but well worth it in comfort.Good luck.

Answer 3

This sounds like you have a duct work problem, like no return upstairs to remove heat, do you have a filter upstairs? I bet the thermostat is downstairs, if you have no attic upstairs a mini split system upstairs would be your best answer, or stay with a window unit. You need to find a local to answer your questions and see what can be done.  

Answer 4

open up the vents leading to upstairs.if you close off the rooms downstairs that your not in,then the upstairs should be a lot cooler with the air circulating up instead of down.

Answer 5

If there are no vents up stairs then something as to be done.

The window unit will cost more to run, but if you can't afford anything else then that is the way to go.

You could ask some HVAC contractors if they do high velocity AC installations.

Answer 6

Close some vents downstairs, it will force more air up. We had the same issue and we did it and it worked.

Answer 7

Close the vents that are downstairs so the air is forced upstairs.

Answer 8

well cold air drops/ heat rises. Yesyou would need a second a/c unit for upstairs & remember to close door(s) to bedroom

Answer 9

The FIRST thing I would do is have a HVAC guy come out and check the cleanliness of your filters and ducts !!  A simple CLEANING could be the quickest fix.

NEXT would be to ensure you have sufficient insulation in your attic / crawl-space, and make sure that space is correctly ventilated.

Then closing the downstairs vents to get more of that cool air forced upstairs.

The window unit will be a temporary fix, but your best bet is to contact a HVAC contractor

Answer 10

This is a very common problem with two story homes, cold air is difficult to force up to the second floor.

Best bet would be to close all vents in the basement and any that are not needed on the first floor then install an in-line duct fan (booster fan) into the duct going upstairs to help push the cold air.

If this is not possible then you'll have to use the window unit.