Every floor in your home should be a sanctuary that’s warm and toasty in the winter season and cool and comfortable in the summer. However, families who live in some two-story homes find the upper floor is stubbornly hotter or colder than the main floor.
This could simply be because most thermostats in a house are on the main floor, which is where people spend the most time—in the living room, kitchen, etc.—so they set the temperature according to how it feels on the first floor.
However, temperature differences between the upstairs and downstairs could also be due to trouble with your HVAC system. Some of these difficulties can be resolved fairly quickly while others might necessitate more extensive and costly fixes. Here, the professionals at Gee & Missler Heating & Air Conditioning will help you determine why the upstairs of your home is hotter than downstairs, or vice versa.
Why Is My Upstairs So Hot?
The phenomenon of the upstairs of a two-story home feeling hotter than the downstairs can be chalked up to several factors. First, heat rises, so it’s common for the second floor of a home to get hotter than the main floor. Lack of insulation in the attic or roof can make this worse by allowing heat transfer from the roof into the upstairs rooms.
Another common reason is that the HVAC system is not powerful enough to cool the entire home, causing it to fight to cool the upstairs adequately.
To deal with these issues, homeowners could put in additional insulation in the attic and make sure their home has adequate ventilation. If there’s concern the air conditioning unit is the correct size for the home, call an experienced HVAC company like Gee & Missler Heating & Air Conditioning inspect the unit. A skilled professional also can help find a unit that's better suited for your home if you need air conditioning installation or replacement.
Why Is My Upstairs Always Cold/Not Heating?
When the downstairs of your home is warm, but it’s extremely chilly upstairs, that could result in a frosty night for anyone whose bedrooms are on the upper floor. The most common causes of an upstairs not heating like it should are the insulation levels and the ductwork.
Inadequate insulation permits cold air to leak through the home’s attic or walls and contribute to heat loss, resulting in colder temperatures upstairs. It’s essential to make sure your home has a solid, level layer of insulation in the attic and proper insulation in the walls to keep the cold out and the heat inside.
The ductwork in a home plays a very important role in disseminating conditioned air throughout different areas of the building. However, problems with the ductwork can cause the upstairs being colder than the main level. A common reason for this is improper airflow balance. The ducts may not be the right size or configuration, resulting in an uneven distribution of air between the floors. This can cause more warm air to flow downstairs, which creates insufficient airflow—which is the heated air—on the upper story.
Another factor with ductwork is the layout of the supply and return vents. If there are fewer vents on the upper story or they are poorly positioned, it can restrict air circulation and cause inferior heating or cooling. Additionally, leaks or gaps in the ductwork can allow air loss, reducing the overall efficiency of the HVAC system and actually making the temperature difference worse.
To understand why the upstairs is colder than the downstairs, homeowners should hve their ductwork examined by experienced HVAC pros like the team at Gee & Missler Heating & Air Conditioning to identify any imbalances, leaks or inadequacies. Sealing leaks and adding new vents or adjusting existing ones can help increase airflow and ensure a better temperature balance between the upstairs and downstairs.
Fixing the Hot or Cold Upstairs Problem?
If your upstairs is hotter or colder than the lower floors of your home, an HVAC zoning system could be a highly effective solution.
An HVAC zoning system breaks the residence into distinct zones, which each have their own thermostat and damper system so the homeowner can modify the heating or cooling of each zone.
This system can be especially beneficial in situations where the upstairs of a multi-story home is too hot or really cold while the main floor is comfortable. By installing a zoning system, homeowners can regulate the temperature independently in each zone, allowing them to address specific hot or cold spots easily.
To discover more about an HVAC zoning system in Wyandotte, call Gee & Missler Heating & Air Conditioning. We’ve created and installed customized home comfort plans for many community members and are happy to show how an HVAC zoning system could enhance the comfort in your home.
Why Is the Humidity So High Upstairs?
In addition to the upper story being hotter or colder than the rest of the house, another problem in multi-floor homes is when the upstairs is more humid than the first floor.
A frequent reason for excess upper floor humidity is inadequate ventilation on the upper floor, which can produce increased humidity levels. As is often the case with temperature differences between floors, insufficient insulation or sealing in the attic or walls may allow warm, humid air from outdoors infiltrate the upstairs rooms. And, if there are any leaks or plumbing problems on the upper floor, that can also cause excess moisture in that section of a home.
To deal with humidity problems, homeowners can increase ventilation by using fans or opening windows to promote airflow. Adding more insulation in the attic and better sealing the attic and walls can help stop external moisture from entering the upstairs. Finding and repairing any leaks or plumbing issues is also imperative.
Depending on the levels of moisture found in the home, a whole-home dehumidifier could be another useful tool to reduce humidity on the upper and lower floors.
