I live in a 2 story house and its very cold right now, the heater is on but it never heats the bottom floor, I

Question

was told by a contractor that in order to heat the bottom floor we need to close the vents on all the rooms upstairs, this way the bottom gets warm and rises to the top,

Is this true or is the heating system not working properly

Answer 1

Your problem is an air balance issue related to duct design by the architect (builder) or an installation issue created by the HVAC Contractor. This is a common problem in homes because heat load calculations were not done with diligence but with an approximation method. The heating and cooling load of your home is determined by regions due to sensible and latent heat. Often airflow problems arise from improper duct sizing which creates a higher static (resistance) in the duct causing the system to work hard and inefficiently. Here are two things you can do to check the airflow of your system.

Turn your system on check the airflow at what you know to be the highest velocity register in the house the go and remove your existing air filter. Check the change in the airflow and then install a new clean air filter. Many people find a significant change in the airflow when the filter is out and the filter door is open. Often contractors install to small of a return duct to allow the system to circulate air properly. Now that you’ve checked the return air flow, close the supply registers upstairs and check the airflow downstairs. Is the air velocity the same as upstairs? Or, is it still not delivering the air volume expected. If it is delivering a high rate of air then it is time to “balance your home. Close down the lower level registers to ¾ - ½ depending on the air velocity. Higher velocity registers close to ½. Air is a fluid property and will travel the path of least resistance. We need to direct the air to all of the openings. Go upstairs now and start to open each of the registers ¼ and then adjust accordingly based on the airflow downstairs. This will help you to have a more even temperature and balanced home during this time of year.

If your airflow doesn’t improve either you or a contractor can inspect the duct in the attic space to look for kinked duct (turns greater than 45 degrees), leakage, or crushed duct.

Good Luck.

Answer 2

I hope this isn't a new home, but it sure could be. Too many contractors install heat systems without actually knowing what they are doing. I recently looked at new home and noticed the cold air returns were incorrectly placed in the home. They put the cold air return in a conventient spot, not the proper spot.

So your home might have an improper installed heating unit and delivery system. Closing off the upper floor vents may be the only way to get heat downstair, what a darn shame!

When this cold emergency is over, contact a heating contractor and have them look over your home. If you are serious about solving this problem, there are various tests they can run on your system, but the cure could be pricey.

My own home has improperly placed registers so I know how frustrating it is to have an improperly designed system.

Answer 3

check the ducts in the basement. Some may have leaks where they are not fit together properly. With forced air heat, you only get so much air blowing, so if your ducts are working efficiently and properly, then yes, you may need to close some vents in order to get heat into other places. Remember, heat rises, so it would be better to heat more of the lower levels of the home and then the heat would rise to the upper floors.

Answer 4

Heat always rises...That contractor is wrong..A person should be able to keep their whole house warm,both upstairs and downstairs...It is either your heating system is not working correctly or your heating unit isn,t large enough to supply heat for your entire house....That makes more sense that to have to go around closing vents...

Answer 5

I use fans to move the heat around.