i have a mid 80’s built spilt entry. 2 X 6 construction, anderson windows, and good insulation. my lower level is finished off, but there isn’t a door that separates the two levels. there is a 8 degree difference between the two levels. does anybody have a idea why this is happening??? thanks…………tom fellegy
Hot air rises.
Heat Rises?
Did they put in the proper duct work for the basement before finishing it off? Seen alot of houses that the only heat register in the basement is right at the furnace. OUr mid 70s home is this way and no body corrected it before finishing the basement.
Tom,
We have the same problem at our house and cabin. There are a couple things we were told can help. In the winter, you can close the upstairs vents and open the downstairs vents. You would reverse this in the summer if you have air conditioning. If your furnace is in the basement, we cut a cold air return vent near the floor on the furnace. This is suppose to help pull the cold air off the basement floor. There is still a temperature difference but not as drastic. The other thing that messes up our temperature is if we use the upstairs gas fireplace much. When we do this, the furnace doesn’t turn on much and all the outer rooms and basement get really cold.
Tom, as many have stated hot air rises. Even with proper ducting. It still may vary form top to bottom. Another thing it may depend on where your Thermo-stat is located. In a perfect world the solution would be to have multiple units or zones to control different levels of ones house. However, Dollars usually come into play and not make this viable option in most residential homes. Another trick you can try is to limit the air flow on the upper flows and open them way up on the bottom floors. That way most of the heat is pushed out on the bottom floor warming that area first before rising to the upper levels. Another thing that can help is fans. Is there any way to blow warmer air to the lower level????
Something many people and homes struggle with.
Kind of the same thing as BZZSAW, He beat me to the punch! 
Fairly common problem, try closing the upstairs registers, and open all the lower level ones and let the heat from lower level rise up to heat the house. That usually evens things out. Reverse the process in summer for cooling.
Humidity will cause problems as well. Most homes will get hot and cold spots due to the air being to dry. Look into a whole house humidifier or a wal mart cheapo. But most homes get very dry in the winetr due to the use of furnace and fireplaces. This then causes the air to feel cooler. Like dry heat compared to humid heat in the summer. I live in a three year old house and ran into this problem this winter. I will be installing a whole house humidifier this spring. The cheap version from wlly wolrd has made a huge difference. I just get tired of always having to add water to it.
Hot air rises from the first floor or the first floor ceiling and it warms the floor of the upstairs. Radiant heat then passes through the floor and rises adding to the warm air from the furnace. Try closing the ductwork vents on the second floor a little at a time and opening the first floor vents more or wide open, until both temps match or get closer. If there isn’t a cold air return in the upstairs leave a door open so the colder air will return down the stairway to the cold air return on the first floor and you’ll get better circulation and a more even air flow through the whole house.
Yep, at home I’m called the door nazi.
What happens during the winter is that when an outside door is opened the cold air rushes into the house and down the stairs to the basement. In our case we keep the door at the bottom of the stairs closed to block the cold air from entering the basement. Also, on bright sunny days the upstairs where the thermostat is stays warm and the furnace runs less causing the basement to cool down.
I think it’s the nature of the beast with a split entry.
One other thing I’ve been told can help is to keep your furnace fan on all the time instead of having it set on auto. I guess I worry that the fan may wear out quicker if it is running all the time. We use ceiling fans at the cabin, but that only helps keep the temps more consistent on each level, not consistent through the whole house.
You don’t want to close air off any where. the problem is lack of return air.You need to add more return vents downstairs.
you also need to realize the basement and up stairs will never be the same temp but you should be able to get them closer.
Try turning your furnace fan on (not on auto). This will circulate the air from your basement (where I assume your funace is) thru the whole house. It is not is not a cure all, but it can make a substanial improvement. Let it run for 12 hours at least the first time you try it so the walls, furniture, etc have a chance to stabilize their temp also.
Quote:
Hot air rises.
Come 4th of July it will B nice and cool down there! 
You don’t want to close air off any where. the problem is lack of return air.You need to add more return vents downstairs
There was your million dollar answer. You need to return more air from where you want it delivered. Multi-zone systems are by far the best way to go in new construction – draw and demand in only the zone of which you need it. If your too late for multi-zones – adjust your registers to get a better delivery to your lower level
i plugged up 4 regesters up stairs and that helpped alot. it is warming up now so we will see what happeneds next heating season. thanks for the help…………..tom fellegy
As many have already pointed out, hot air rises. So just send your wife to the basement and have her complain about how much time you spend fishing. PROBLEM SOLVED!
As far as setting the thermostat to ON instead of AUTO That blower motor motor is designed to run. The hardest thing on them is when they start up. Quite a few years ago, I had an HVAC guy tell me that when temps get to zero or below, let that blower motor run constantly so it doesn’t have to go through the start up procedure as much.
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
