Main floor of open concept split is cold
#1
11-14-16, 07:20 AM
Main floor of open concept split is cold
Hi,
I pray someone can help me!
I have a question, that hopefully you can assist with online, if not, let me know what steps I need to take. My furnace looks very new (maybe 3-4 years old and works great). It is an American Standard 95.
I have a back split house that I fully renovated (all 3 floors), and what I did on the main floor was I raised the ceilings from 8 feet to 10 feet. I insulted the house in R32 roxul, and i am doing Cellulose in the ceilings. My main floor is always VERY cold. Maybe 2-3 degrees lower than the rest of my house (I have an ecobee with extra sensors so I can monitor this).
I have noticed the following in my main room and I think one or a combination of these factors could result in a cold room:
1) There is no air return on the main level (I have 3 upstairs in the bedrooms and one in the lower level, but none in the main level). The house is very open concept so would this make a difference? Should I add an extra air return?
2) Air register: I have 3 on the main level (2 in the living/dining and 1 in the kitchen) again, very open concept, but these registers do not blow even 50% as hard as all my other registers! When I put my hand over the registers in my lower level or bedroom, it is noticeably blowing harder (could this be linked to a lack of air return on main level) or no related? Is there a way to make it blow harder? the air coming out is hot, but not blowing hard. I did also stick my hand in to make sure the regulator thing is fully opened. Not sure what else to do. Should or can I add more registers?
3) Is it simply the high ceilings and I am SOL? If so, what can be done to make the temperature in this room the same as the rest of the house?
I am not sure what other info you need, but let me know if you have any questions.
Thanks!
I pray someone can help me!
I have a question, that hopefully you can assist with online, if not, let me know what steps I need to take. My furnace looks very new (maybe 3-4 years old and works great). It is an American Standard 95.
I have a back split house that I fully renovated (all 3 floors), and what I did on the main floor was I raised the ceilings from 8 feet to 10 feet. I insulted the house in R32 roxul, and i am doing Cellulose in the ceilings. My main floor is always VERY cold. Maybe 2-3 degrees lower than the rest of my house (I have an ecobee with extra sensors so I can monitor this).
I have noticed the following in my main room and I think one or a combination of these factors could result in a cold room:
1) There is no air return on the main level (I have 3 upstairs in the bedrooms and one in the lower level, but none in the main level). The house is very open concept so would this make a difference? Should I add an extra air return?
2) Air register: I have 3 on the main level (2 in the living/dining and 1 in the kitchen) again, very open concept, but these registers do not blow even 50% as hard as all my other registers! When I put my hand over the registers in my lower level or bedroom, it is noticeably blowing harder (could this be linked to a lack of air return on main level) or no related? Is there a way to make it blow harder? the air coming out is hot, but not blowing hard. I did also stick my hand in to make sure the regulator thing is fully opened. Not sure what else to do. Should or can I add more registers?
3) Is it simply the high ceilings and I am SOL? If so, what can be done to make the temperature in this room the same as the rest of the house?
I am not sure what other info you need, but let me know if you have any questions.
Thanks!
#2
11-14-16, 07:50 AM
Group Moderator
Is the basement open.... can you see the duct work ?
Possibly there are dampers in the main duct work.
I have three in mine.... main floor, second floor and new addition.
Cold air settles... there needs to be a return on the main floor.
Possibly there are dampers in the main duct work.
I have three in mine.... main floor, second floor and new addition.
Cold air settles... there needs to be a return on the main floor.
#4
11-14-16, 10:15 AM
Group Moderator
how hard would it be to add an existing return to my main floor?
Do you have any ceiling fans? By elevating the ceilings, you could simply be putting the hot air up high enough that you don't notice it and a ceiling fan might help better disburse it.
#6
11-14-16, 04:52 PM
You don't state if the heating problem existed before the renovation or just after. If after the renovation, retrace your steps. Did you cover up a source or return register, add volume to a room, make holes in the ducting without realizing it, etc.? There has to be a cause/effect. Hope this helps.
#7
11-14-16, 05:46 PM
Banned. Rule And/Or Policy Violation
One possible problem:
A forced air furnace produces a fixed number of cubic feet of warm air per minute for a given fan speed and such.
If you have warm air vents near the furnace open, they may cause most of that warm air to come out those vents, leaving little for more remote vents.
You can try partially closing the warm air vents where you get most of the heat. That would pressurize the duct work allowing more warm air to go to more remote warm air vents.
This might be your problem --- it's fairly, common.
A forced air furnace produces a fixed number of cubic feet of warm air per minute for a given fan speed and such.
If you have warm air vents near the furnace open, they may cause most of that warm air to come out those vents, leaving little for more remote vents.
You can try partially closing the warm air vents where you get most of the heat. That would pressurize the duct work allowing more warm air to go to more remote warm air vents.
This might be your problem --- it's fairly, common.
