keeping it cool

[jimmyfixit]

I have an older home ...very little insulation and old windows. We have central air but it does absolutely nothing upstairs...it's a cape cod style home...is it better to cool down the upstairs with a window air? or draw the hot air out with a whole house fan?? any insight would be appreciated...

[smokin68]

The real question is" why does it do nothing upstairs?" Is this a zoned system?Is it a single system with ducts in the upstairs floors? Do you have a return air problem? You really need to call a pro. DO a load calculation on your home, this will tell you if your A/C is sized correctly to begin with. It might not be able to handle the whole house. A window unit as a band-aid to your central a/c isn't the way to go IMO, unless you're financially strapped and can't afford to fix the central unit. Then an $88 Walmart special in the bedroom window.... Good luck.

[dan sw fl]

If you are in the North,
a Window unit will likely meet your needs.

If you wish to pursue an alternate solution, Add insulation and research whether a small, ductless Mr. Slim may be within your budget.

http://www.mrslim.com/Products/subCa...bCategoryID=78

[Irascible]

LOL. You're too funny Dan. You must own stock in Mitsubishi.

It's real simple Jimmy. You need most of the air upstairs in the summer and most of it downstairs in the winter. Regular ducts obviously can't modulate themselves to accommodate this disparity. So you need a zone system with automated dampers to force the air where it's needed. You probably don't have a zone system. If you did then you'd have at least two thermostats. The real kick in the pants is that most existing duct systems are so woefully designed and installed that simply adding a zone system to existing ducts is asking for trouble. The ducts will need to be upgraded.

But... First things first. Do what smokin says and get a tech out there. Once in a while it's something as simple as a crushed or loose duct. You'll still need a zone system to get optimum balance between upstairs and down. But if you do have a damaged duct then repairing it may be enough to satisfy.

[dan sw fl]

Originally posted by Irascible
LOL. You're too funny Dan. You must own stock in Mitsubishi.

428,920 MTBI shares at $6.74 a little while back.

[Edited by dan sw fl on 06-27-2005 at 06:56 AM]