Tips for Keeping Top Floor Cool

[Anonymous]

Anybody have any great suggestions for how to keep bedrooms cool? We live in a semidetached in DC, so its older but its been fully renovated with central air. The basement and first floor get very cool but the bedrooms are warmer. I am fine with the temp but my husband is having trouble sleeping. He likes it to be a bit frigid. Hate to see my bill this month and its only June.

Suggestions?

[Anonymous]

Window unit. That way you can keep the downstairs cool with the central air but not make it freezing while trying to cool down the upstairs.

[Anonymous]

Agreed -- window unit.

Alo, we find that if we turn the temp up at night downstairs, it also stays cooler upstairs. I think less warm air gets pushed up by the cooler air downstairs.

[Anonymous]

Close some of the first floor vents since cold air falls and hot air rises. Keep all of the blinds/curtains on the second floor closed. Keep doors to all second floor rooms closed to avoid cold air spilling down to the first level. Use ceiling fans but switch the direction to draw air up instead of down. This will circulate and help the keep the second floor rooms cooler overall.

This is what I do and I do not need window units, do not need to turn the temperature down, etc. It works.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Close some of the first floor vents since cold air falls and hot air rises. Keep all of the blinds/curtains on the second floor closed. Keep doors to all second floor rooms closed to avoid cold air spilling down to the first level. Use ceiling fans but switch the direction to draw air up instead of down. This will circulate and help the keep the second floor rooms cooler overall.

This is what I do and I do not need window units, do not need to turn the temperature down, etc. It works.

I heard that closing vents was bad for the A/C system?

[Anonymous]

Get ceiling fans, if you don't have them already. We have a split-level, and the bedroom temps are definitely cooler now that we have ceiling fans running 24-7. Also, get thermal shades and keep them down when the sun is hitting those rooms.

[Anonymous]

We bought these and they definitely help a little. When it's over 90 for a good portion of the day though it is hot. We recently reinsulated the attic as well. I think at this point the only things that will help are getting the duct work looked at and possibly redone, or putting in a second unit on the roof:

https://www.filtersfast.com/P-Vent-Cover-Magnetic-Sheets-3-pack-cut-to-fit.asp?kpid=VC1&kpid=VC1&gclid=CK-17a_sh8YCFY4WHwodvCcAkw

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Close some of the first floor vents since cold air falls and hot air rises. Keep all of the blinds/curtains on the second floor closed. Keep doors to all second floor rooms closed to avoid cold air spilling down to the first level. Use ceiling fans but switch the direction to draw air up instead of down. This will circulate and help the keep the second floor rooms cooler overall.

This is what I do and I do not need window units, do not need to turn the temperature down, etc. It works.

I heard that closing vents was bad for the A/C system?

We have a larger house and have maybe 15% of the vents closed. Our system has never frozen. Downstairs stays plenty cool. Upstairs gets increased airflow and is much cooler. We've done this for two years now (in the reverse in winter), and it is not an issue, the system runs fine.

[Anonymous]

Instead of window units, you could get one of those small ductless air conditioner units that go up on the wall. Ceiling fans help too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Close some of the first floor vents since cold air falls and hot air rises. Keep all of the blinds/curtains on the second floor closed. Keep doors to all second floor rooms closed to avoid cold air spilling down to the first level. Use ceiling fans but switch the direction to draw air up instead of down. This will circulate and help the keep the second floor rooms cooler overall.

This is what I do and I do not need window units, do not need to turn the temperature down, etc. It works.

Do you mean the ceiling fans on the top floor, the lower floors, or on all floors? I've always heard to turn all ceiling fans counter clockwise (blowing air down) in the summer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Get ceiling fans, if you don't have them already. We have a split-level, and the bedroom temps are definitely cooler now that we have ceiling fans running 24-7. Also, get thermal shades and keep them down when the sun is hitting those rooms.

I thought that ceiling fans help to cool off people, but not the air itself. Isn't it a waste to run them 24/7?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Get ceiling fans, if you don't have them already. We have a split-level, and the bedroom temps are definitely cooler now that we have ceiling fans running 24-7. Also, get thermal shades and keep them down when the sun is hitting those rooms.

I thought that ceiling fans help to cool off people, but not the air itself. Isn't it a waste to run them 24/7?

It is a total waste. Stale air is unpleasant, but if you're out of the house for hours with the fans running that's a waste.

[Anonymous]

In addition to all the great tips here, get your husband a large fan to use at night. It feels so refreshing to have a cool breeze blowing against you as you drift off to sleep.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Instead of window units, you could get one of those small ductless air conditioner units that go up on the wall. Ceiling fans help too.

+1. Look into LG.

Also instead of closing individual air vents, find the flaps that control air flow to zones and shut them off. In our previous home, we had this same problem and we reduced the air flow to the lower floors. Force cold air to top floor in summer and reverse the setting in winter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Get ceiling fans, if you don't have them already. We have a split-level, and the bedroom temps are definitely cooler now that we have ceiling fans running 24-7. Also, get thermal shades and keep them down when the sun is hitting those rooms.

I thought that ceiling fans help to cool off people, but not the air itself. Isn't it a waste to run them 24/7?

It is a total waste. Stale air is unpleasant, but if you're out of the house for hours with the fans running that's a waste.

No they are not a waste.cant believe some people don't have them around here. You only have them on in whatever room you're in. Having one in your bedroom will help your H sleep much better at night.