How to Get More Cold Air Upstairs and Heat in the Basement

[@paisleysmith9989]

Thank you!

[@thenexthobby]

Best heat I've ever had on a main floor came from heating the basement first. Forced-air heat is the worst ... but we've been putting up with it for decades to save money using a shared distribution system for A/C. And that's ironic since heat and cool air benefit from different distribution.

[@AJ-mc3wh]

What did you do to heat the basement first?

[@thenexthobby]

Either wood or gas stove. The stack effect heats the main floor but you lose the ability to tightly control temps for each level. You could do the same with a boiler and radiators in the basement if they had enough BTUs. Probably still best just to heat the main floor (the floor itself via PEX etc) and forget the basement unless it’s a living space.

[@Capdan365]

If you direct more cold air to the upper level, what about return air? Usually the hot air sits in the upper level under the ceiling where usually also the return air is located (hot attic) Would you recommend adjusting return air volume to suck back more air from upper level vs lower level?

[@BJPoznecki]

That’s a great idea. You would have to ask and HVAC technician if that can be done.

[@rayhanna8707]

another great video BJ

[@BJPoznecki]

Thanks Ray Hope all is well!

[@jimduffenais3996]

BJ...can you give me some advice? Situtation. 2200 sqft 2 level with basement. 3 levels total. Upper floor..obviously hotter than basement. If upper level is 71f..basement is 64-62f. Every night we go into basement to watch tv..we turn fireplace on to warm the room...total dysfunction with heating/ cooling the levels. Id like to utilize that very cold air in the basement and draw it into the main plenum. Unfortunately..i dont have access to majority of my return runs..the ones i have access too have no dampers..so installing dampers isnt an option right now. Which is the better option for my situation for both heating/cooling. Plumb a low return vent into the basement to draw cold air direct into the supply..or return plenum? I realize the cold basement air is moist from the concrete. 1. Plumb direct to the supply plenum would push the cold air direct throughout the house...but itll be more moist for summer. But then for winter...itll be colder air making the upstairs colder..running the heat more. 2. Hook to the return plenum..now the cold moist air has to go over the a coil to cool and dehumidified before being pushed into the home for summer. Will the excess direct moisture be an issue for the coil? And in winter..i dont see too much issue. Itll heat the air as normal. Im in Ontario Canada...house generally sits around 50-55% humidity. Were considering a dehumidifier(aprilaire) for the whole home to get that down to about 40%. That should help with cooling the home more efficiently. But for now...plumbing a basement return to draw that extra cold air 62f from the basement would not only help with cooling the home...but also warm the basement up a bit. Advice?

[@BJPoznecki]

Hi Jim sorry for the delayed response. This is a tricky one you may want to get an HVAC technician involved so he can come to the house and assess the situation in person. The only idea that comes to mind is a set up I saw at a house one time that might help, is putting a register that opens and closes low on the return Plenum near the furnace to pull that cooler air into the system. Then come winter time you could close it so it doesn’t draw that cold air into the furnace.

[@mikekillion4731]

I always understood that closing off the vents caused back pressure and was bad for the system. Is that not the case?

[@BJPoznecki]

If you close all of the vents throughout the house then yes, that will cause an issue. However, for air conditioning if you’re closing off just the first floor and the basement that will be OK.

[@soorenaaslani7491]

How can you address this in a finished basement?

[@BJPoznecki]

Well if it’s a drywall finish unfortunately you would have to try and locate where they are, cut open the drywall, and install an access panels so you can open and close them as you wish. I know that is a lot of work. So, the only other option would be to just open and close the register grills in the rooms you want to cut off air to, or supply air to.

[@kdawg64]

Fine if the basement is not developed, screwed if the basement is developed

[@BJPoznecki]

Sorry to hear! Unfortunately you’re right. I’ve had customers finish their basement with dampers closed and now they’re buried.

[@rhombifer566]

Thanks 😊

[@rhombifer566]

Thanks

[@fb510m]

That hand zoning theory is fine but I worry that any upper most area ducts aare already flowing the max air that they can possibly do given their size so hand throttling the lower vents doesnt necessarily mean more cfm to the wide open vents?

[@BJPoznecki]

Well it’s a twofold solution. Usually closing the dampers will increase air pressure to the open ducts. As well as by slowing the air flow to the area where the thermostat is will allow the system to run longer because it doesn’t satisfy the thermostat as quickly. To your point it is always possible that a specific run is just so long with multiple bends that the airflow is insufficient. If that is the case you may want to consider an in-line fan that increases the air pressure through that duct.

[@fb510m]

@@BJPoznecki Thank you. Yes its a three level townhome built in ‘91. Nice well built home. I did put a new hvac system to upgrade the aged system. Helped nicely but on hot days there is 7 degrees difference between the 2nd floor thermostat area and the 3rd level sleeping area. And there is an 8 deg difference between the second floor and the 1 level garage area which is much cooler every day. Ive had those first level supply vents closed. So after seeing you ive been doing the balancing per your notes. Heating is not a problem ever. Only want to work to reduce that third level cooling delta so i can sleep more comfortable. That delta is only 7 deg or could be 8 deg on the hotest of days. Untill i get it fixed i just put the ac on a lower temp to compensate. Im thinking of a split mini system for my bedroom as a last resort solution. Only wanted to mention. We’ll see how it turns out. Best👍🏻

[@angelonicassio7131]

So you can’t ever finish the basement ceiling…

[@mikekillion4731]

You could finish it with an access panel.

[@KinkelaPierre]

Hi have the same problem

[@BJPoznecki]

This should help balance the the temperature difference between floors.

[@khalvan4304]

This will not work in a finished basement!

[@BJPoznecki]

You are correct! If you have a finished basement you’ll just have to open and close the register grills individually in each room.

[@khalvan4304]

Just add another Zone in the Basement.

[@khalvan4304]

Just add another Zone in the Basement.