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Tips for Uniform Heating and Cooling in a Multilevel Home
Admin • Mar 08, 2019
Heating or cooling a multilevel home is always difficult. In most cases, one level of the house ends up warmer than the others. However, there are measures you can use to enjoy a uniform temperature in your multilevel home. The following are some of those measures.
Install a Ceiling Fan
The upstairs rooms often end up hotter than the lower rooms because heated air is less dense than cool air. Most of the warm air in the lower rooms will rise and heat the upper rooms.
Install a fan on the upper level to cool the room further. The fan works in two main ways; first, the fan will improve air circulation in the house and help balance the air temperature. Secondly, the fan will encourage moisture to evaporate off your skin and help you feel cool.
Switch the Thermostat to On
A typical thermostat has two settings. In the auto setting, the HVAC alternates between periods of active and passing heating/cooling. The HVAC runs until the room temperature matches the thermostat temperature, and then the HVAC switches off until the room temperature deviates from the thermostat temperature.
In the on setting, the HVAC runs continuously to ensure the thermostat and room temperature are always in sync. Keep your thermostat on if you don't want your upstairs rooms to be hotter than the lower rooms. With the auto setting, the HVAC will base its cycles on the lower rooms (where the thermostat is), and you will experience a temperate mismatch.
Ensure the HVAC Is Efficient
An HVAC in a multilevel house has more work to do than an HVAC in a single-level house, even if both houses have similar square footage. Even though you should always ensure your HVAC is efficient, the requirement is even more important in multilevel houses.
Blocked vents and registers, dirty filters, or anything that impedes air circulation can lead to uneven heating and cooling. Therefore, maintain your HVAC system and keep it clean to enjoy uniform temperatures in your multilevel home.
Ensure Proper Insulation
Air leaks in the upstairs rooms may let in heated air from outside during the hot seasons. The heated air will make your upstairs room hotter than the downstairs rooms and create a temperature mismatch. Also, improper insulation on the lower rooms may cause your home to lose heated air and make the lower rooms cooler than the upstairs rooms. Ensure proper insulation at all times.
Ensure Proper Design and Sizing
Your HVAC will fail to heat your house uniformly if the HVAC system design is not ideal for your home. For example, the heating vents in the lower floors should be as close to the floor as possible. Such a position will ensure maximum airflow within the lower floors before the air rises to heat the upper floors.
An undersized HVAC may also fail to circulate enough air to cool or heat the upper floors. Get an HVAC professional to evaluate your systems size and design to determine if you have the right system. The evaluation is particularly necessary if you have remodeled or renovated the house since you installed the HVAC system.
Use a Zoned HVAC
In extreme cases of uneven heating and cooling, a zoned HVAC system may offer the best solution. HVAC zoning is a system where you get to control the temperatures of different areas or zones of your house independently from each other.
HVAC zoning requires the installation of thermostats on different zones of the house. Install thermostats on both the lower and upper levels so you can regulate temperatures on the upper levels independently of the lower level temperatures.
The above solutions can help create uniform heating and cooling in multilevel homes. However, you first need to identify the cause of the discrepancy before you settle on a solution. Briarwood Heating & Cooling can help diagnose uneven heating and cooling in your house and offer you a viable solution. Contact us
today for all your heating and cooling needs.
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