Gas and Oil Home Heating Furnaces - Heating a raised ranch.

Hi,
I live in a raised ranch built in 1966. This is your typical layout where you enter the house midway between the upper and lower level (short set of steps going up and down). I am told that heating this floor plan can be difficult as a result of the upper and lower level not being seperated. I do not want to put a door in at the bottom of the steps. I have a relatively new furnace (about 6 years old). I have had a heating contractor out to assess the situation and he agrees the furnace is not the problem. I have considered putting a ceiling fan at the landing between the two floors and trying to blend the air this way. Are there other solutions besides installing a door to seperate the two floors? I am installing insulation in the attic bringing the rating up to R-50 which is recommended for my climate. I am also installing a zero clearance fireplace which will heat 1500 sq ft. in the lower level. Clearly this fireplace is larger than the area it will be heating. What are my options? I appreciate any advice/recommendations on this.
Thank you, Jeff

Your home sounds like how ours is laid out.. Ours was built in '68. still got the orginal windows as well. I am in Minnesota, and you?

Anyway, with our old furance, we could tell the temp diffreance. We put in a new two stage w/ variable speed blower.. What a big diffreance it makes!

Do you have returns in the lower floor? What do you have for supply down there?

We have a return across where the steps end on the lower leavel, and also one back in the office. They are low near the floor.


We have a high return in the hall way..

With the variable speed blower, we run the fan all times in the fall/winter to help keep the air moving at all times..

With the two stage heating, the furance runs longer at a lower heat out put, so you are not going to get a large temp swing.

Upstairs and downstaris are with in 2 degrees from each other.

Hi Jay,

I live in Michigan.

I have cold air returns in the lower level at floor level in the main living areas. Nothing at the base of the stairs this is a small entryway from the garage with no heat ducts or cold air return. The main heating trunk runs overhead out to the garage and the only place to get a heat duct in would be overhead in the ceiling through this trunk. In the main living area (downstairs) is two ceiling ducts between the floor joist with a two bay cold air return (32" wide) at floor level. Originally there was a very large fireplace in this room (room size 18'x16'). I removed the fireplace and chimminey as well since the only thing hooked up to the chimminey was the fireplace all other units are direct vent. This is where I am installing the new zero clearance fireplace. When I had the heating contractor out he mentioned the two stage variable speed furnace setup you are talking about. Installed I believe the cost was around $3,500.00. I was not sure how much better this would be and since the furnace in the house was replaced shortly before I moved in I was kind of hesitant about replacing it so soon. I did question the fact that they replaced the furnace just before selling and therefore assumed they installed a "budget" furnace for the purpose of the sale. Maybe I need to take a better look at this option, it sounds as if this solved your problem very well.
Thanks for the info,
Jeff

Check with your heating contractor first to make sure this is ok for your furnace, but closing some of the vents upstairs will help even the temperature out when it's cold enough that the furnace runs fairly often.

I don't have a large return in the family room. Just by the garage door, and then in the other room off of the family room.

I think the return by the garage door catches the cold air rolling down the steps before it goes over into the family room..

Do you have a window around your front door from floor to ceiling? I do, and it's single pane glass! So that return is catching alot of the cold air from the glass.

Do you know how many BTU your current furnace?

My next project is take down the sheet rock in the garage ceiling and add insulastion, right now there is nothing.. so the garage isi warm in the winter (cooler bedrooms), and cool garage in the summer. :-(

Hi Jay

Well I used to have two daylight windows flanking my front entrance door and one above. I bumped out the front to enlarge the entranceway by framing in the exterior porch. It's not a large addition but really opens up the entrance way. I removed the three day light windows and old front door. I installed a new door and used 2x6 framing to take advantage of the R-19 insulation.

I was up in my attic last night and discovered the lack of a vapor barrier with loose fill insulation 6". I guess I will be changing that this weekend as well as adding the R-38 I planned on. No sense in overlooking the obvious.

Current furnace is an 80+ not sure of the BTU's off hand.

I have some insulation in the garage overhead. I have considered adding modern insulation, since the stuff I found in the old 2x4 walls was 3" R-9. My garage was partioned off at one point to make a salon for the former owners. I have redone all of that including removing the framing that was built on the cement (no green wood here) and putting cement block down to raise it up 4" off the floor, then reframing with 2x6 and adding the R-19.

Did you have aluminum sliders as well? I removed the one in the lower level family room and installed a new 8' window and reframed the entire exterior wall with 2x6 last year, this cut down on the draft. I plan on replacing the upstairs slider next year.

We still have all the orginal windows in the house.. They are single pane Anderson crank out windows with storm glass.The glass stays on all times..

Our attic is bown, but not sure what the R-value is.. it'a bout 10" of it up there. Our garage is a tuck under.

You won't need vaper barrer up in the attic. just blow more up there.

Hi Jay,

Why won't I need a vapor barrier up there?
Jeff

Is this because of the air circulation?
Jeff

Yeah..


I don't have it as well, and I've seen other older homes with out it.. If you really want to do it. it'll be a lot of work moving all the blown stuff, and laying plastic down.

There is a paint you can get to do the ceiling that is to help work as a V/B for you. For sure you do need a VB there on the ceiling Or get a R19 with paper pull up the old insulation put it down paper to the room and put the old insulation back over it. On most of the split level homes we try to get a large cold air retun right by or at the bottom of the stairs. In the winter have it so it pulls most of the air in right there. it sure help

ED ;)

Hi Jay and Ed,

Thanks for the replies. I think I will check into putting a cold air return in at the bottom of the stairs. I believe I have an easy access to that and can probably knock that job out in a couple of hours. Sure hope that helps. Any specific size recommendation on that return?

As for the vapor barrier I happen to have enough 2x4 insulation R-13 to do more than half of the attic already. I understand it is not the same thickness as the 2x6 but it is the vapor barrier I would be after anyways correct? Any reason I can't do that and then run the R-38 unfaced batts over the top of that? It would give me an R-51 total.
Thanks again, Jeff

You dont say if you have AC here or not. I would make the cold air down there as large as you can get by with. Make it so you can close it down in summer and use the upstairs cold air then. Run the unface right over the old on top. Go across the old or rafters with it .Is what they say
Dont block the vents from the overhang with the insulation
ED ;)

Hi Ed,

Yes I do have A/C.
Jeff

This what I got for returns.

lower single return in master/guest bedrooms.

larger return up near ceiling in the hall way.

single lower return upfront of the stairs, and in back office.


I don't have any damper on the lower floor. I'd leave the one at the bottom of the steps open.. it'll catch the cool air in the summer and sends it back up stairs. The family room is maybe 2 degrees cooler than upstairs.

Hi Jay,

My set up is utility/laundry nothing no hot, no cold return. Furnace is located in this room alonf=g with water heater and laundry facilities.

Small (very small 4'x4') 1/2 bath nothing. (I understand the term water closet).

Family room 18x16 two overhead heat registers between floor joist 14 1/2" each spaced approximately 4 feet from either side wall and 6 feet apart. One cold air return at floor level that spans two studed cavities 30".

Former salon current storage room (small 7' by 20') one heat register in ceiling between joist 14 1/2", one cold air return at floor level 14 1/2".

Entryway/hallway nothing, entryway to family room, bathroom, utility room and garage. Garage is shut off normally to house as well as family room with French doors. This is the room at the bottom of the stairs where I could easily add a cold air return and heating register if needed. The cold air return would be across from the stairs (6 feet) and across from the garage (7 feet).
The heating register would have to be installed in the main heating trunk overhead in the ceiling. All of the work to install the two ducts in this hallway would be quite easy at this time approimately 3 hours work to complete, could the answer be that easy? I am willing to do the work if this is all it takes to solve my problem.
Thanks again, Jeff

Sorry for not getting back to you right away..

I'd just start off with the return across from the steps.. No need to add a supply there. Otherwise, you are goint to put more heat down, and it'll go right up the stariway right away.

Hi Jay,
Thanks again I will cut that return in this week. Started the insulation process this past weekend I also talked to Owens Corning Rep. They confirmed that as long as I have good ventilation in the attic I do not need a vapor barrier.

Thanks for all you knowledge I will keep you up to date. Jeff

Glad to hear that you took my word about vaper barrier. :-)

Anyway, keep us posted on the return project.

Hi Jay,

Well I cut the vent in and now we will have to finish the drywall on the other side of the wall to enclose the cold air return. I will be doing this when I finish with the attic insulation which will hopefully be the start of next week.

I did want you to understand I meant no harm in checking with the insualtion manufacture. I had received some misleading info elsewhere that caused me to be be careful. I can assume you are a heating contractor? Or someone very knowledeable in this area. Your advice saved me a ton of work.
Thanks for all your help and information
Jeff

I used to be a service tech 12 years ago, was only in the field for 2 years.. Now I work at Home Depot..

On top of that, I am pretty hady, and know my stuff.