Gas and Oil Home Heating Furnaces - Attic-rest a/c balance
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dpolglaze
08-05-02, 02:00 PM
We have a cape cod style home with a finished attic (no gables). The living space in the attic is about 22x16. The ceiling in the center is 10 feet. It's our daughters' (2) bedroom. There is a ceiling fan at the stair end; above the stairwell. I have a small fan at the opposite end on the floor that points up to the ceiling.
This scenario works well to keep the room comfortable as long as I keep the ceiling off and the little fan on, and the A/C on full blast. The rest of the house can get very cold, however, and I am wondering what are some possible solutions to balance the heat and A/C?
WHAT I HAVE DONE SO FAR: We have one vent in the basement that sits just below the ducts up to the attic. I replaced this when we moved in, and I keep it closed in the summer. I also have adjusted the directional fins inside the ducts to get maximum A/C up there in the summer and minimum heat in the winter. This does help some, but not very much. The fins may not be working properly because it's really hard to tell where the knobs need to be to get the best airflow. Usually my wife goes up in the attic at the change of seasons, and as I turn the knobs in the basement quarter turns, she taps on the vent a certain number of times to let me know if she feels more or less airflow.
There is a vent near the ceiling in the attic, and the opening runs between two closely spaced studs all the way down to the basement. In the basement the bottom of the opening is connected to some dust work, and I think it goes outside somehow. There is an old circular thing on the outside of the house with a grill around the edge. It is stuffed with rags--I have no idea what this is, but I think the duct goes to that somehow. Is this something I can utilize to pull heat from the attic, or maybe blow cool air from the basement to the attic?
Should I vent the attic somehow, or would it make more sense to try and re-direct the air more?
Sorry to be so long-winded, but I figure the more info I give the easier it is to help me.
Thanks
Dwight
This scenario works well to keep the room comfortable as long as I keep the ceiling off and the little fan on, and the A/C on full blast. The rest of the house can get very cold, however, and I am wondering what are some possible solutions to balance the heat and A/C?
WHAT I HAVE DONE SO FAR: We have one vent in the basement that sits just below the ducts up to the attic. I replaced this when we moved in, and I keep it closed in the summer. I also have adjusted the directional fins inside the ducts to get maximum A/C up there in the summer and minimum heat in the winter. This does help some, but not very much. The fins may not be working properly because it's really hard to tell where the knobs need to be to get the best airflow. Usually my wife goes up in the attic at the change of seasons, and as I turn the knobs in the basement quarter turns, she taps on the vent a certain number of times to let me know if she feels more or less airflow.
There is a vent near the ceiling in the attic, and the opening runs between two closely spaced studs all the way down to the basement. In the basement the bottom of the opening is connected to some dust work, and I think it goes outside somehow. There is an old circular thing on the outside of the house with a grill around the edge. It is stuffed with rags--I have no idea what this is, but I think the duct goes to that somehow. Is this something I can utilize to pull heat from the attic, or maybe blow cool air from the basement to the attic?
Should I vent the attic somehow, or would it make more sense to try and re-direct the air more?
Sorry to be so long-winded, but I figure the more info I give the easier it is to help me.
Thanks
Dwight
lynn comstock
08-05-02, 03:06 PM
1) Can you add insulation to the attic room or put on exterior shade screens on any sunlit windows? Reducing the heat coming in is another option that you need to consider.
2) Try running the ceiling fan over the stairwell in the updraft position instead of the more common down blast position.
3) The "fins" we call dampers. The blade of the damper is usually in line with the damper handle. Thus if the handle is pointing to the side of the duct, it is fully closed. If it points to the duct centerline, it is fully open.
4) The opening outside is probably a fresh air intake (It should connect to the return air duct (not the supply duct as you seem to think). Take the rags out and see whether it sucks in or blows out when the indoor fan is running.
2) Try running the ceiling fan over the stairwell in the updraft position instead of the more common down blast position.
3) The "fins" we call dampers. The blade of the damper is usually in line with the damper handle. Thus if the handle is pointing to the side of the duct, it is fully closed. If it points to the duct centerline, it is fully open.
4) The opening outside is probably a fresh air intake (It should connect to the return air duct (not the supply duct as you seem to think). Take the rags out and see whether it sucks in or blows out when the indoor fan is running.