Help! Why Is My House Hot Upstairs and Cold Downstairs?

Is your second floor hotter than the residuum of your house? Here'southward how to keep it cooler, especially in the summertime.

It'due south summer, your air conditioner's on total nail and every room downstairs feels cool and refreshing. Your 2nd floor, though? Information technology feels like you're trekking through the Sahara.

Sound familiar?

Scores of homeowners experience the same frustration during the hottest months of the year when their two-story homes get hot and boiling upstairs while staying cool and airy downstairs.

The skilful news is that y'all don't have to accept a hot upstairs and common cold downstairs equally a fact of life. Learn why this keeps happening and what you lot can do to change it.

Commencement, hither's why your 2d floor feels like a sauna

  • Heat rises. Blame physics: hot air rises while cold air sinks. That means your upstairs typically gets hotter than your lower levels, even if your air conditioner'southward working in overdrive. 
  • Your roof's hot, besides: Unless y'all have shady tree comprehend, your roof absorbs a ton of heat from the sun. That hot air seeps into your attic before settling onto your top flooring. If you don't have cranium space to buffer the rut or your roof isn't well-insulated, you'll automatically experience hotter upstairs.
  • Faulty ductwork: Ducts absorb the cool air from your HVAC organization and distribute it throughout your dwelling house. If your ducts are old, were installed poorly or leak, then your air conditioner may struggle to evenly absurd your dwelling.
  • You may be using a unmarried-zone arrangement: Single-zone systems are separate ac units that heat or cool a single area in your habitation. They're great if you desire to manage the temperature in one room or dedicated space. They're non then neat if you're trying to cool all your second floor in the dead estrus of summer. Yous may want to consider switching to multi-zone air conditioning, which lets y'all command the temperature in several different rooms, or zones. Scan our selection of multi-zone systems .
  • Your air conditioner might exist former: About air conditioners last upwardly to fifteen years. If yours isn't sufficiently cooling your habitation, it could simply be nearing the terminate of its lifespan. Consider replacing your former unit. A newer, more than free energy-efficient model could more than adequately absurd your dwelling, help institute an equilibrium in temperature betwixt floors and salvage you lot in utility costs. Check out Trane's virtually energy-efficient air conditioners to go your pinnacle floor feeling absurd over again.

10 Ways to Cool Down Your Second Floor

    1. Cake the sun
      Shut your blinds and shades to block excessive light and ultraviolet rays. You tin can even endeavour heat blocking shades or UV blocking film . Exist sure to seal all cracks, holes and gaps effectually windows to prevent air leaks. And y'all may want to consider upgrading to more than free energy-efficient double pane windows .

    2. Insulate and ventilate
      Insulation plays a crucial part in keeping your habitation comfy and energy efficient (it can help lower your energy bills). Try adding extra insulation to your roof or attic. An cranium fan tin help circulate air and limit the amount of hot air lingering on your 2nd floor. You may likewise want to effort air sealing your attic to end rut from getting in.

    3. Repair your ductwork
      If leaky ductwork is the source of your cooling issues, contact a dealer to identify the areas where the leak is happening. Your dealer may cover them with insulation or employ an aluminum foil record or mastic sealant to cover apparent air leaks.

    4. Reduce your utilise of lights and appliances
      Avoid creating more heat upstairs. Keep your lights off or dimmed. Cut dorsum on appliances that generate heat, like hair dryers, curling irons, dishwashers, ovens and stoves. Even if your appliances are on your lower floors, the heat can still rise.

    5. Modify air filters
      A dirty air filter can restrict the flow of absurd air and force your HVAC system to work harder. Cheque and change your air filters to ensure airflow isn't hindered every bit information technology moves through your home. Bonus: Air filters tin also reduce allergies !
    6. Adjust the fan setting on your thermostat
       Switch it from "automobile" to "on," so the blower fan runs constantly and creates a more even mix of air throughout your dwelling. Running your fan doesn't employ a lot of energy. It may actually lower energy usage considering your HVAC system won't demand to cycle as often.
    7. Create climate zones
      Get-go by partially endmost a few (not all) vents on your commencement floor. This forces your Ac system to straight more than air upstairs. Take this concept to the next level by having an HVAC professional install a climate zone arrangement, like the Trane ComfortLink® 2 Zoning System . It's a smart dwelling house comfort system that lets you remotely manage your domicile's climate, ready a schedule based on your habitation's unique temperature patterns and monitor and control your zoning arrangement through whatever spider web-enabled device.

    8. Fire up the (ceiling and flooring) fans
      Your ceiling and flooring fans tin aid circulate the cold air that may be lingering near the flooring. Merely call back that fans cool people, not rooms. So, if you're planning to be out of the room for a while, plow the fan off to limit energy use.

    9. Tinker with your vents
      Your air vents may have levers or dials that yous tin can adjust to help control airflow in specific rooms. Like we mentioned earlier, keep the vents on your second floor fully open while only keeping vents on your first floor partially open up. That'll force more absurd air to circulate to your 2nd-flooring rooms. Your habitation may too be set up upward with superlative-to-bottom return vents, which absorbs warm air and redistributes information technology as cold air throughout your abode. If that's the case, open up the top vents during the summer. This forces your system to take in air from the higher points of your room, where warm air tends to gather.
    10. Consider adding an extra HVAC system
      If yous've tried a petty flake of everything and your upstairs still won't cool downwardly, your home may be likewise large for your current HVAC arrangement. Talk to your local Trane dealer nearly upgrading to a larger HVAC system or adding a second system upstairs.Shop for air conditioners.

One Concluding Tip!

There'southward no denying that a humid upstairs is uncomfortable, maybe even unbearable. Merely, understanding how temperature works may help temper your expectations about what your home should experience like inside.

For instance, if information technology'due south 98 degrees exterior, your air conditioner may never be able to get your habitation downwardly to 68 degrees. So, what can you do? You can learn how to advisedly regulate your thermostat , which tin help slow downwards the flow of heat in your home and cool your rooms on a schedule, like right earlier you lot get habitation. (Y'all may be able to lower your utility bills, too!)

If yous're worried that your air conditioner isn't working properly, call your local Trane dealer for a seasonal inspection . They tin also assist y'all decide if climate zones or an additional organisation could make your abode more comfortable.Schedule a seasonal inspection.