My lower level is FREEZING COLD, what can be done to fix it? (fireplaces, furnace)
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We have a split level and none of the house is underground. Upstairs is always nice and warm, but the lower level is always cold, around 20* colder! All the heat vents down there are in the ceiling and the furnace is also located on the lower level a long with a mud room and extra bathroom. Any tips on what could be wrong or is this just the way it is? We just changed the filter so that's not the problem.
If you have hot air delivery you have a design flaw with the warm air ceiling vents.
This may sound counter intuitive but ceiling fans set to pull up (slow speed) might distribute the warm air off the ceiling where it stays to other parts of the room.
Physics dictate that heavier cold air moves down and warm air moves up. If you have drafty doors and windows seals, that would allow more cold air into your house too.
Restricting the airflow on the upper level vents would force more out the lower levels. Even then, without something else like the aforementioned ceiling fans to aid in distributing the air around, the lower level will always be colder.
This is actually kind of typical, and I wouldn't be surprised if it's partly due to not having any cold air returns in the basement.
It's also not uncommon for the lower level to be concrete block walls, while the upstairs is insulated. That can lead to a colder lower level.
And last but not least, heat rises.
If you want to be comfortable if/when you're down there, consider a small electric space heater or two. You won't want to heat the basement with them, because they're spendy to run. But they can take the edge off a small area quite nicely.
OP, what's your "main" heat source, what part of the country are you in? How well insulated is the house?
If you have a fireplace in the lower level, or could otherwise put in a wood stove or coal stove, or even a corn burning stove - if you want to go that route.
Omaha's right in that if you are in a cold climate, it's just physics - the upper story of a house will be warmer than the lower.
You could take advantage of this and put a chest freezer for example somewhere on the lower floor, it would tend to run a bit more efficiently while at the same time the heat load from the condenser would tend to warm the rooms some. If you are going to do this, be safe, be smart, don't overload the circuit it will be on - look at your breaker box and figure out which outlets are on what circuit, pick one that does not have any other heavy loads on it already.
I have a 32 year old, split entry, 1550 sq ft. home. My basement windows are above ground. Last year I removed my wood burning stove in the basement family room and had an gas fireplace insert installed. I love it! It really helps make the room comfortable. Also, the heat rises upstairs and heats the house. I typically have the fireplace on for three hours per night. By the time I go to bed, the north end of the upper level (where all the bedrooms are) is between 73-76 degrees. I have a ceiling fan above my staircase that I could turn on to help move the hot air up from the basement if needed.
I will be getting a new furnace in the next few months as I think mine is original. I'll also be getting central a/c installed. With that, I'm sure I'll need a cold air return in the lower level. I have 2 upstairs now.
we are considering purchasing a split level home in NJ where one side of the lower level is ajacent to the ground, the other side is completely above ground. there are no stoves or fireplaces in the house, but it has central air and baseboard gas heat. Our biggest concern is, will the lowel level going to be very cold in the winter time? If so, how does it affect the upper level?
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