Why Is My Townhouse's Second Floor So Hot?

The Best Methods for Cooling Your Townhouse's Second Floor

Here is a tale of a loyal client.

Actually, the relationship with this customer got off to a bad start when his dog escaped because we left the gate open following a service call. When that occurred, he was not pleased with us, but fortunately, we were able to locate the dog and bring it back, so there was no harm done.

He gave us another chance, and we made a special effort to win him back. He resided in a three-story townhouse with a master bedroom upstairs and a gas furnace in the basement that was around 1,800 square feet in size. He had a problem since his bedroom was too hot up there.

Before investing in a window unit, a brand-new HVAC system, or even spending the money to clean out his system, we advised him to try a few simple things. We provided him with more cost-effective solutions since we wanted to help him save money.

including:

• Activating the fan's "on" switch
• closing the drapes and shades
• Maintain all interior doors open and request free thermal imaging

1. Turn on the fans (and leave them on)

He was instructed to keep the furnace fan running continuously. While it doesn't actively push heat or cool air, it constantly moves the air, much like a ceiling fan, to mix some of the hot air from upstairs with the cooler air from below. It circulates well. It is not stratification.

First, as we advised, turn on the fan; that might be sufficient to keep you at ease. For a week, he operated the fan. For several days, it was in the 80s and occasionally even reached 90 degrees outside. He said things were a little better when we called to check on how things were doing. He felt a slight improvement, though the system continued to work continuously throughout the day and still struggled to keep things cool upstairs when temperatures reached the upper 80s.

2. Close all the drapes and blinds

We advised him to close his blinds at that point. He opposed our suggestion because he really liked the light coming in, so we suggested that he try keeping the blinds and drapes closed for one week to completely block out the sunlight. We said, "Try it; let’s block the solar gains for a week and see what happens." When we followed up with him after a week, the system was indeed functioning well.

In the upper 80s, once more, it was outside. The system worked flawlessly, although towards the end of the day he was still a little uncomfortable from being too warm. The townhouse's center level, where the thermostat was located, was comfortable, but the upstairs was still a bit too warm.

3. Open the bedroom doors

We suggested to him that he leave all of his inside doors open when we found out about this. His reappearance caused an issue because the hallway's heat-sucking intake vent was there. We told him that since the heat in those rooms wasn't getting out as well as it could, opening the doors would help get rid of the heat more quickly and make him feel better.

After a week, when we called him, he reported that it was considerably more comfortable. In fact, he claimed that until making a few easy tweaks, he had no idea that the upstairs could be so comfortable. He was content. very content.

We called him again a week later, and he was still satisfied. Summer has finally arrived after about a month. It's hot outside. The system is operating and even shutting off, but it's hot upstairs once more, the caller reported. I'm having difficulty falling asleep at night. Can I still do anything else?

4. Perform a test using thermal imaging

He gave us the go-ahead to perform a free thermal imaging test on the upper-level ceiling for him, and we discovered that even though the insulation was very evenly distributed, it wasn't insulating effectively because insulation settles over time, and because this was so old, it had lost a lot of its "insulating factor." We advised him to buy high-quality blown-in insulation with a minimum R-49 rating if he wanted to increase his level of comfort, and he followed our advice. I think that a job back then cost around $3,000 to complete.

Believe it or not, he told me after we finished the insulation that even in 100-degree weather, the temperature upstairs was within 1 degree of the temperature set by the thermostat, and he was completely comfortable. He realized that, if he had just followed our instructions, he could have attained this level of ease years ago. He was thrilled, and we were happy because we had raised his standard of living.

We take pride in things like that. I share that experience with you because it serves as a wonderful illustration of how to solve the "townhouse syndrome" while saving money and improving your comfort.

We are available to you if all else fails.