I am not sure what is wrong, but need to find out... Since I have turned my gas on this winter, I have noticed that our upstairs is super hot... at first didn't think anything of it, Heat rises... downstairs is freezing... I am talking abnormal temps. Upstairs with the vents almost all the way closed AND window open... this morning it was 98 degrees. Downstairs is about 68. Thermostat is set at 68, and is located downstairs. Gas bill for past 3 months has been over $250. Yikes... Anyone know what it is. Had a service guy come out, and he said it was the damper???? That's it, and quoted me $679.72 to fix....
2007-02-05 04:08:51 · 4 answers · asked by ShyGirl 2 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
I do own the house... haven't fixed yet... wanting to see if it sounds right.
2007-02-05 04:18:29 · update #1
More info: I just spoke with the technician who came out to the house. He said what is broken is the Control Damper. He said that I have two duct lines? One that shoots straight up - and one duct line that goes under the house, flips over itself and blows to the downstairs... He said that the damper control is broken and or fell off blocking the air passage to the downstairs vents and also not allowing us to manually control how much air is pushed upward. So now that I know this, I am trying to determine if I can have it fixed cheaper... It sounds like a lot for a manual system. I've called a few people and they were under the impression it was a motorized damper system...
2007-02-05 05:19:33 · update #2
That sounds high for a damper problem. The damper is a flap in the duct, and if something is keeping it from operating, it can cause the heat not to be directed to the colder part of the house. It sounds like a forced hot air system, possibly with two zones. Squirrels sometimes get into the ducts, or birds or other small animals and build nests that get in the way. If it is a duct system, find the access to the inside (usually at a grate) and see what you can see. If the air is blowing through and the problem is the air is not heated, you need to check close to the heat source. If the problem is the air is coming through upstairs but not downstairs, then you need to find where the upstairs/downstairs damper is and check there for the problem. You may have to dismantle part of the duct to get at the problem. It is not that difficult.
2007-02-05 04:20:30 · answer #1 · answered by thylawyer 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Based on the limited information here, That sounds high for someone to adjust or even replace a "damper".
About the open window... the cold outside air will flow right downstairs - it might be going right to that thermostat, exacerbating your problem. I uderstand why you had to vent the heat, but perhaps a window further from the stairway might still serve you temporarily to exhaust heat but not to falsely chill the thermostat to call for more heat.
You mentioned adjusting your vents. Have you considered your air returns? Magnetic sheets from the craft store can be cut to fit. Plus are usually white paper on one side which can be painted to match your color scheme. You can stick store it on the side or back of your heater when not needed. Without seeing your house its hard to say if the intake downstairs or the excess heat upstairs will serve better. I wouldn't close any, but maybe you will restrict up to 50% one or the other, to determine what works best.
2007-02-05 04:46:36 · answer #2 · answered by KirksWorld 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
call another service guy and get another opion i think it may be your thermostat. also a damper should have a level that can be adjusted.and he should have already adjusted it.keep this guy out of your house.i have 15yrs experiance in hvac and something sounds fishy.
2007-02-05 13:37:51 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You need to pay the bill if you own the home but if it's an apartment, check out the laws and the landlord may need to payit.
2007-02-05 04:12:08 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋