Those who live in two story homes know that the second floor can get much hotter than the bottom floor and sometimes without any relief. Air conditioning units work overtime to help cool down the second floor and when it finally reaches its targeted temperature, it’s not before long it warms back up again. Air Supply Heating & Air Conditioning knows all too well about this problem with two-story homes here in Nevada. So, we will share some information as to why it’s harder to cool down the second floor and share a few tricks you can do to help make the second floor more comfortable.

Why Two Story Homes are Hotter

In most two-story homes, to help improve efficiency, two air conditioning units will be installed: one for the bottom floor and the other for the second floor. This is a common practice since it is a known fact that heat rises and cold air drops. The term “heat stacks” are often referred to as this natural phenomenon of heat rising upwards. However, this isn’t the only cause for the second floor to be hotter than the bottoms floors. The number of rooms is another major consideration. The number of rooms the unit needs to distribute makes it harder to send cool air into each room. The condition of the air conditioning unit can also play a big role. If your second floor seems to be much hotter and you see higher bills as the season warms up, there is most likely a problem with your air conditioning system. One common failure is the air ducts may have a leak or the insulation in the attic needs replacement. Poor installation occasionally causes problems as well. The last culprit for a hotter second floor is a hot roof. Dark roofing tiles or roofs that aren’t protected from the heat of the sun can also contribute to heating the inside of the home and most especially second floors.

How to Cool Upstairs of a 2 Story Home

Knowing some of the common and natural causes for a hotter second floor, we can now provide some tricks or tips that you can try to help reduce the heat and cool down the second floor of your home. For the very few homes in Southern Nevada that may have a basement, one trick is to halfway close the damper of the vent that leads to the first floor. This will help add more air flow to the second floor. You can actually do the same thing if you don’t have a basement. If you have a single air conditioning unit trying to cool both first and second floors, close the registers on the first-floor half way to help push more air to the second floor. However, for homes with two air conditioning units you’ll want all of your registers or air vents open all the way. Make sure to regularly check and change out the air filters to help improve air flow. Many two story homes will have the intake vents on the second floor to help pull more cool air upwards. However, when the filter becomes dirty the air conditioning unit must work harder and you will notice the second floor heating up. If you’re suffering with a very hot second floor, have the attic insulation inspected. The attic gets very hot in the summer time the only thing saving you from that heat is the insulation. If the insulation is old or damaged, consider replacing it. Also check windows and doors for cracks where the cooled air may be leaking out and repair it.

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If you need more advice or help cooling down a very hot second floor, contact Air Supply Heating & Air Conditioning. We can help inspect and repair the cause of a hot two-story home. For all of your HVAC needs, contact Air Supply Heating & Air Conditioning today.