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

Is your second floor hotter than the rest of your house? Here's how to keep it cooler, especially in the summer.

Information technology'due south summer, your air conditioner's on full blast and every room downstairs feels cool and refreshing. Your second floor, though? Information technology feels like you're trekking through the Sahara.

Audio familiar?

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

The skilful news is that y'all don't have to have a hot upstairs and common cold downstairs as a fact of life. Learn why this keeps happening and what you tin practice to modify it.

Start, here'southward why your second 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, fifty-fifty if your air conditioner'due south working in overdrive. 
  • Your roof's hot, too: Unless you accept shady tree cover, your roof absorbs a ton of heat from the lord's day. That hot air seeps into your attic before settling onto your top flooring. If you don't take attic infinite to buffer the heat or your roof isn't well-insulated, yous'll automatically feel hotter upstairs.
  • Faulty ductwork: Ducts absorb the cool air from your HVAC system and distribute it throughout your home. If your ducts are erstwhile, were installed poorly or leak, and then your air conditioner may struggle to evenly cool your dwelling house.
  • Y'all may be using a single-zone organisation: Single-zone systems are separate air workout units that heat or cool a single area in your abode. They're great if you want to manage the temperature in 1 room or dedicated infinite. They're not so neat if you're trying to cool all your 2d flooring in the dead heat of summer. You may want to consider switching to multi-zone air conditioning, which lets you control the temperature in several different rooms, or zones. Browse our option of multi-zone systems .
  • Your air conditioner might be old: Most air conditioners last upwards to fifteen years. If yours isn't sufficiently cooling your home, it could just exist nearing the end of its lifespan. Consider replacing your old unit. A newer, more than energy-efficient model could more adequately cool your home, assistance establish an equilibrium in temperature between floors and save yous in utility costs. Check out Trane's most free energy-efficient air conditioners to get your top floor feeling absurd again.

x Ways to Cool Down Your Second Flooring

    1. Block the lord's day
      Close your blinds and shades to block excessive low-cal and ultraviolet rays. You can fifty-fifty try heat blocking shades or UV blocking film . Be sure to seal all cracks, holes and gaps effectually windows to foreclose air leaks. And y'all may want to consider upgrading to more free energy-efficient double pane windows .

    2. Insulate and ventilate
      Insulation plays a crucial office in keeping your home comfortable and energy efficient (it tin can help lower your free energy bills). Try adding extra insulation to your roof or attic. An attic fan tin can help circulate air and limit the corporeality of hot air lingering on your second flooring. Yous may too want to endeavor air sealing your cranium to end heat from getting in.

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

    4. Reduce your apply of lights and appliances
      Avoid creating more than heat upstairs. Keep your lights off or dimmed. Cut dorsum on appliances that generate heat, like pilus dryers, curling irons, dishwashers, ovens and stoves. Fifty-fifty if your appliances are on your lower floors, the heat can withal rise.

    5. Modify air filters
      A dirty air filter can restrict the catamenia of cool air and strength your HVAC system to work harder. Check and change your air filters to ensure airflow isn't hindered equally it moves through your home. Bonus: Air filters can too reduce allergies !
    6. Adjust the fan setting on your thermostat
       Switch it from "auto" to "on," so the blower fan runs constantly and creates a more even mix of air throughout your home. Running your fan doesn't use a lot of energy. It may actually lower energy usage because your HVAC system won't demand to cycle as often.
    7. Create climate zones
      Start by partially closing a few (not all) vents on your commencement floor. This forces your Air-conditioning system to direct 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® Two Zoning Arrangement . Information technology's a smart abode comfort arrangement that lets y'all remotely manage your domicile's climate, fix a schedule based on your dwelling'southward unique temperature patterns and monitor and control your zoning arrangement through any web-enabled device.

    8. Fire up the (ceiling and flooring) fans
      Your ceiling and floor fans can help circulate the cold air that may be lingering near the floor. Just remember that fans cool people, not rooms. And then, if yous're planning to be out of the room for a while, turn the fan off to limit energy utilisation.

    9. Tinker with your vents
      Your air vents may have levers or dials that y'all can adapt to aid command airflow in specific rooms. Like we mentioned before, go on the vents on your second flooring fully open up while only keeping vents on your first flooring partially open. That'll strength more cool air to circulate to your second-flooring rooms. Your abode may too be prepare with top-to-bottom render vents, which absorbs warm air and redistributes information technology every bit cold air throughout your dwelling house. If that's the instance, open the height vents during the summertime. 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 little bit of everything and your upstairs yet won't absurd down, your home may exist too large for your current HVAC system. Talk to your local Trane dealer most upgrading to a larger HVAC organisation or adding a second system upstairs.Store for air conditioners.

One Last Tip!

There'south no denying that a humid upstairs is uncomfortable, maybe even unbearable. But, understanding how temperature works may aid temper your expectations near what your dwelling house should feel like inside.

For instance, if it's 98 degrees outside, your air conditioner may never be able to get your home downward to 68 degrees. So, what can you do? You can learn how to carefully regulate your thermostat , which can assist wearisome down the catamenia of heat in your abode and cool your rooms on a schedule, like right before you lot get home. (You may be able to lower your utility bills, too!)

If you're worried that your air conditioner isn't working properly, call your local Trane dealer for a seasonal inspection . They tin can besides help you determine if climate zones or an boosted system could brand your home more comfy.Schedule a seasonal inspection.