It’s summer in Dallas, you go upstairs and suddenly, you realize that the upper floor is too hot compared to the first floor. To cool the upper floor, you turned on your air conditioner and lowered the AC thermostat. You kept the air conditioner on for a day, but nothing happened.
Sounds familiar? No worries. This is a common story in many households in the US, especially in Dallas. In this article, I’ll talk about what to do when your upper floors are too hot compared to the first floor. But before that, I’ll talk about the reasons behind why your upper floors are too hot.
Why is Your Upper Floor Not Cooling Properly?
1. Faulty Ductworks
The ductwork of the air conditioner is an important part of the HVAC system because it carries produced cool air to the rooms of your house. When the ductwork doesn’t work properly, your air conditioner will have to work harder and a long time to produce the desired cooling. Sometimes, your air conditioner won’t be able to produce the desired cooling. Eventually, your rooms will be left hot than the others.
Again, if your ductwork is short in length, your ductwork won’t be able to deliver the cool air to every room of your house. As a result, your rooms become hot compared to the other rooms in your house.
2. Hot Air
If your HVAC unit is on the first floor of your house, it’ll have to remove hot air from both the first and second floors. Cool air can only enter when the hot air is removed. Otherwise, your rooms will be hot. As your air conditioner has to remove heat from both floors, it has to work harder to remove the hot air from your space. If the number of rooms in your house is too many then it’ll be harder for your air conditioner to remove the hot air from all the rooms. In that case, you’ll need a bigger air conditioner to remove the heat from your house.
Again, if your air conditioner is old, it’s likely that your air conditioner will be less efficient when it comes to removing heat from your space. As a result, heat gets trapped in your space, and your rooms remain hot. If you have a big air conditioner but outdated, it’s recommended that you replace the air conditioner with a new one.
3. Hot Roof
In Dallas, during summer, the temperature can rise up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. In this high temperature, your roof starts to absorb heat and pass it to your house’s upper floor. If your roof isn’t protected from the heat, it’ll continue to happen, and you’ll have temperature differences in your house.
These are the reasons why your upper floor is too hot. Now, I’ll talk about what to do when your upper floor is too hot.
What to Do When My Upper Floor is Not Cooling?
1. Change the Air Conditioner Air Filter
If you haven’t changed your air conditioner air filter in 90 days, it’s high time that you should. HVAC air filter blocks all the particles from entering your space, and as a result, it gets dirty very quickly. When the air filter is dirty, your air conditioner won’t have sufficient airflow. As a result, your rooms will start to become hot. That’s why it’s recommended that you change the air conditioner air filter every 60 to 90 days.
2. Redirect the Airflow to the Upper Floor
The best way to solve this problem is to redirect the airflow to the upper floor of your house. If you have a basement, locate the dampers of your HVAC system that goes to your house’s first floor. Then close the damper halfway down or more, and thus you can redirect the airflow to the upper floor of your house.
However, if you don’t have a damper or a basement, you can close down the registers of the first floor. By doing this, you can redirect more air to the upper floor as well.
3. Insulate the Windows of the Upper Floor
When there are cracks or holes in the windows, outside hot air enters your space, and thus the temperature goes up. That’s why check the holes or cracks in the windows, and if you find any, seal them as soon as possible.
See the summary of this content here – 3 Things To Do When Your Upper Floors Are Not Cooling [Infographic]
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