Thanks for the great information. I have a basement that is freezing year round. I don't know the solution for that. The AC blows really cold air into the basement and the warm air in the winter never seems to be enough.
Great video! Thanks for all the information. I'm tired of keeping the fan on full blast just to fall asleep during the summer. Bedroom is above a garage
My master bedroom is the problem area. It is close to the garage, which as you said could explain why I have this problem. Another issue a friend of mine told me, is that there is only a very narrow gap under the door of this bedroom, about 1/2 inch. He said that when he was in the home building business, they would make sure there was 1-1/2 inch gap, to allow for more air circulation. So I’m going to try increasing that and see if it helps.
You have given me much more information than the 3 companies I have paid to solve the problem. All they are interested in is selling a new unit. When I explain this problem they reply, I don't know unless you got a new AC unit. I wish you had an office in the Birmingham, AL area. Great video!
I currently have two air returns in the hallways. I plan on getting returns in all the bedrooms. If someone vapes in one of the rooms with the door closed will having a return air in the room make it better or worse?
@fireiceheatingandaircondit4363 Thank you! How about if I place a return with a damper at the return grill? This is to keep it closed and reopen until I get the vaper to vape outside?
@fireiceheatingandaircondit4363 Thank you, I may use a vent cover on the return only in that room for now until the person leaves. I have 5 more returns, so it won't be an issue.
Question. We just purchased a home, 1800 sq ft ranch. We’ve had issues with cooling the main living area. But the bedrooms are ice cold. Seems odd to us because the bedrooms are furthest from the HVAC system. We also just discovered that all the returns are not ducted but only in to the wall cavity. Would it make a difference and better balance the system to have the returns ducted
What about a cabin with a large main floor and an open loft? There’s no attic. With the open loft, would a cold air return still be necessary? I’m definitely going to try modifying the dampers. I’ve heard that vent boosters don’t work…I’d like to hear your thoughts on them. Thanks
Thanks for the video. I purchased a 2600sqft home, built 2006, with 2 zones (2 huge compressors outside and 2 giant handlers in attic). In one zone 2 rooms get way less cool, while other is freezing cold. Can I have dampers installed in attic duct work or are they most likely already there? Do people just have manual dampers so they can adjust them in the attic? Are dampers only on the conditioned air ducts, not return air ducts? Also, separately is it possible to switch to return air filter grills from the filters in the handlers if the return ducts are already have years of dust, or is it too late? And finally, one handler motor has died 4 times in 5 years, (all under Lennox partial warranty), is it possible the return air ducts are too small so motor struggles pull air in? When my Ac comes on, all my return air vents sound like a wind tunnel but air coming back out I can’t hear.
You just asked a lot of questions I could not begin to answer with out sizing your system and ductwork in person. Improper airflow can cause a myriad of issues. I recommend you get a good ductwork guy out there to look at it. An expert, not just a service tech.
How do I find a good ductwork person as every add is for servicing? Any questions I could ask to test their knowledge? I notice I’ve got big rectangular boxes where the ductwork splits? Would those have dampers in them? I see no levers.
I live in the Southern California desert, it’s currently 115 degrees outside. I live in a Single story house, my kids bedroom rooms are on the other end of the house with the air exchangers, the master bedroom were the thermostat is, struggles to get below 78 degrees but my kids room is freezing.
What an awsm video this is. Dude is so nice and gives tons of good info. Thks for taking the time to make this and post it. I appreciate it very much 👍👍
I leave in Orlando, fl I got a house 🏠 2200 sqf and the unit that I have is 2.5 tones, brand new house not even 1 year old and since day one it never, never and ever reached temperature it keeps running and running and none stop also a got solar panels and I’m paying over 200 dollars every months on electricity and I been doing some research and supposedly my house needs a bigger unit 4 tones. Let me know if you can help me with this issue. Thank you and increíble video.
Could you address houses like mine where there is no basement and the furnace is on the top floor for fema reg and in the winter the bottom ground floors are getting cool air blown in while the top floor is obviously hot as heck. How to balance the air when furnace is on the top floor and there is no attic?
I have a 3 story town home. the 3rd floor is 15 degrees warmer in the Summer and 15 degrees colder in the winter that the 2nd floor and 17 degree different than the finished basement. The 3rd floor doesn't get enough air to blow out a match and not enough air to feel from any of the vents. The dampers have been checked the returns have been checked and the insulation has been checked and inspected. We replaced the system about 8 years ago and have it inspected every winter and Summer. We investigated having zoning installed and even contracted to have a company update our system to put in electronic dampers. But that very bin=g supposedly reputable company never bothered to show up to do the install. Since then We have been told by other companies that we need to just accept the temp differences and that's the way it is. we have a 3,000 sq ft town home with 3 floors and a 3 ton Carrier system. during the summer and winter the 3rd floor ( where the bedrooms are its miserable) at least in the winter we can add blankets but all summer long its a sweat box. Am I wrong in thinking there MUST be a solution?
I live in a condo on 2nd floor and my master bedroom temperature is not as cool as the rest of the house. Air is coming out of the vents. I have a vent in the bedroom the closest and bathroom. The attic access is in my closet and insulation looks good. The ac was just serviced when i bought the place last November. Any advice you can give? Thanks
Our bungalow house has one additional return air duck between two rooms, but when I check the attic, it wasn't connected to the main. That's why the rooms are not getting cool enough.
That's called a jumper duct, it's to prevent pressure buildup on one side to keep air flowing through the house (good thing). Problem is that the jump duct might not be well insulated so it's undoing the work your HVAC system is doing as the conditioned air passed through the attic space.
The reason most of the time that an A/C is underpowered is because the area to be cooled needs to be measured in cubic foot and not square foot. There is a big difference in a house with 12 feet ceilings and one with 10 or 9 foot ceilings.
Not entirely true, equipment needs to be sized based on a Manual J load calculation. This will take into account the volume like you mentioned, but also things like South facing exposures, insulation values, and appliances that generate heat to name a few.
