Heat/Cool multiple areas without zoning

[rankhornjp]

I have 2 AC/Heating units in my office building. Usually only 1 room (per unit) at a time is used, even though the HVAC system covers several. Unit 1 covers 2 large rooms ~600sqft each and Unit 2 covers 4 rooms 150sqft/ea and 2 bathrooms, single stall.

The problem I'm having is I can't get even heating/cooling across all the rooms. One, or more, rooms are always too hot or too cold. I have had a couple of local HVAC companies come by to give suggestions on how to fix it and they want to install a zoning system ($$$$$$). Being a small business, I don't have the money to have that done.


I'm not knowledgeable about HVAC systems, but some ideas I have are:

A thermostat in each room and a selector switch to choose which room is being used.
Is it possible to have a sensor in each room that averages the temp? (would this still cause hot/cold spots?)
Hooking a thermostat to a long cord and toting it around. (yea, I know, I'm reaching)


When I decided I didn't want the zoning, they didn't offer any other solutions. I'm looking for other suggestions, so when I call someone else I have some ideas on what can be done without the cost of a zoning system.


Thanks

[George2]

Is there return air in all of the rooms? Balancing the airflow might help. Try running the fan (blower) all the time. It depends on the temperature difference. A room that is way off might need another or larger supply.

[sgraefe]

You can get T-stat with remote sensors that will average the readings. This will not help if the rooms are over/under cooled.

I have sold a remote T-stat. It had a base unit that mounted where the regular T-stat was, then it had a wireless sensor that could be moved around. The customer used it in a residential application, to prevent from having to get up in the middle of the night when his wife wanted him to adjust the T-stat. It would work just as well in your application.

[rankhornjp]

Is there return air in all of the rooms?

All doors have grates in them to help airflow get back to the AC room.

Balancing the airflow might help. Try running the fan (blower) all the time.

I will try this and see if it helps.

Thanks

[rankhornjp]

You can get T-stat with remote sensors that will average the readings. This will not help if the rooms are over/under cooled.

I have sold a remote T-stat. It had a base unit that mounted where the regular T-stat was, then it had a wireless sensor that could be moved around. The customer used it in a residential application, to prevent from having to get up in the middle of the night when his wife wanted him to adjust the T-stat. It would work just as well in your application.

This sounds like a good idea. I will do some googling and see what I find.

[captain planet]

This is the Ask Our Pro's forum. In order to post a response here, you must have verified qualifications and have been approved by the AOP Committee. You may ask a question by starting a new thread.

You can find the rules for posting and qualifications here.

Additional infractions may result in loss of posting privileges.

[btuhack]

Some rooms are hot while others are cold... How come?
A person and computer won't create a drastic problem, room to room, providing the fan runs continuously and the balance is proportional. If you have exposure diversity(e, w, s, no sun on north)room to room, solve that problem first if possible. Keep the sun out with some form of shade on the glass. If you have a sun problem, use a sun solution.

Slapping a zoning system on an existing system could easily compound your frustration.