Do you feel like the second floor of your home is significantly hotter than your first floor? This can be extremely uncomfortable given that most multi-story homes have the bedrooms on the second floor. This means that you are going to be hot and sweaty as you try to drift off to sleep at night. Unfortunately, it is a relatively common problem to find an HVAC system that bypasses the second floor of a home. Is there anything you can do to make your second story feel cooler in the middle of the summer heat?
This could be caused by a relatively mundane issue that you can correct on your own or it may require more assistance from a professional. Follow a few of these steps to see if you can start to cool down this major area of your home today.
Replace the air filters
The first thing you need to do is make sure that all of your air filters are open for the cool air to come through. A dirty air filter can prevent the chilled air from blowing into the rest of your home so be sure to replace them all with new ones. Avoid high-efficiency air filters that can restrict airflow in favor of a basic pleated air filter.
Rearrange your furniture
Survey every room in the upstairs area to determine if any of the vents are blocked by furniture. This forces your air conditioner to run and blow cool air into the second story, but it will never make the area feel any cooler. Stop air conditioning the bed or the nightstand by rearranging the furniture to give the vents plenty of room to blow cold air all around.
Check the thermostat
Particularly if you have children in the house, you never know who might have touched the thermostat last. It is always a good idea to check your thermostat and make sure the air conditioning is on before you panic. Set it to a reasonable temperature and see if this change makes any difference in the temperature of your upstairs area.
Install a zoning system
If you really want control over the temperature on your second floor, you should talk with a local HVAC company about installing a zoning system. This allows you more control over the different temperatures you will have upstairs and downstairs. You can easily set one temperature for the second floor and another for the downstairs area. There are several different options for how your home can be zoned, so be sure to talk with a HVAC technician about your options.
Cooling down the second floor might be more difficult in your home, but these solutions could help you to make the house more comfortable. If not, you might want to consider allowing a professional to take a closer look at your home to see if you need a repair.
