Cold air is denser than warm air, so it stays on the bottom while warm air rises. That’s why the downstairs can feel so chilly while the upstairs is toasty in the winter.

Why is my house cold downstairs?

Faulty ductwork: Ducts absorb the cool air from your HVAC system and distribute it throughout your home. If your ducts are old, were installed poorly or leak, then your air conditioner may struggle to evenly cool your home.

Why is my house colder downstairs than upstairs?





System Zoning
Typically, rooms upstairs are warmer than rooms downstairs, and, oppositely, basement rooms tend to stay much cooler due to the fact they are underground; also, rooms that are on the side of your home that receives more sunlight than others will tend to be warmer and need more energy to keep cool.

How can I keep my downstairs warm?

Use negative ventilation to move heated air out of the downstairs and vent it outside. Mount window fans to circulate air out of the house from the downstairs. Open upstairs windows to facilitate the air circulation, and the negative ventilation achieved downstairs will literally pull the upstairs air downward.

Why is it so cold on the first floor?

Floors on the first story of a home tend to be the coldest. The reason: they are situated directly above the basement or crawl space. Many basements and crawl spaces have poor, if any, insulation, making them unbearably cold in the wintertime.

How do you fix temperature difference between floors?

Add a zoning system
Room zoning systems allow you to control the temperature independently from thermostats installed on each floor. These thermostats are rigged to control panels throughout your home and communicate with dampers that are installed inside your ductwork.

Why is my house so cold even with heating on?





The reasons your house is cold even with the heat on could be because of poor insulation, your furnace doesn’t work properly, rooms with high ceilings, or your heating system doesn’t cover the whole house.

How do you balance upstairs and downstairs temperature?

Keep the air moving by turning on the fan setting of your home’s thermostat. Turn the fan from “auto” to “on”. The fan will circulate the air continually throughout the home and can help even out temperatures between floors.

Why is my room so cold compared to rest of house?

The first is to check your vents. You might have heavy furniture or items covering up your vents, absorbing all the heat. This is a very common reason why one room in a house is always cold, and it’s easily solved by simply moving the items away from your vents, allowing an unobstructed flow of warm or cool air.

Why is one room so much colder?

Improper insulation might make one room colder or hotter than the rest because it’s letting the air out of the room. If you have any windows in your home that are open, go ahead and shut them. They’re letting the cooled/heated air out and letting in the outside air.

How do you fix a cold floor in a house?



7 Cold Floor Solutions

  1. Insulation. A constantly cold floor can mean improper or poor insulation. …
  2. Add Carpet. …
  3. Buy a Floor Heater. …
  4. Underlayment. …
  5. Check the Sub-Room. …
  6. Check the Windows and Doors. …
  7. Have Your Heating System Inspected.

Why is the bottom of my floor cold?

You may remember from science class that the temperature of the air affects its density, or how much it weighs. Cold air is denser than warm air so it stays on the bottom while warm air rises. That’s why the downstairs can feel so chilly while the upstairs is toasty in the winter.

How do you get rid of cold floors?



Getting Rid of Cold Floors in Winter

  1. Keep the cold air out. Some types of common flooring lose heat rapidly and are slow to warm. …
  2. Insulate underneath. A cold crawl space beneath a house often functions like a heat sink that pulls warmth out of the floor above. …
  3. Get a furnace check-up. …
  4. Insulate new floors.

How do you balance the temperature between floors in a house?

The general rule of thumb for a two-story home is that you should set each thermostat two degrees Fahrenheit apart from the other. During the summer, when your AC is running, set the upper floor at the temperature you actually want in your home. Then set each floor underneath that to two degrees warmer.

How do you fix a cold downstairs hot upstairs in the winter?

If you are unable to maintain an even temperature in your house, consider the following interventions:

  1. Change Your Air Filter. …
  2. Repair and Insulate Your Ductwork. …
  3. Shell Out for a New Air Conditioner or Furnace. …
  4. Look Into Zone Control HVAC. …
  5. Investigate Your Attic’s Thermal Integrity. …
  6. Reduce Sources of Heat Upstairs. …
  7. Use Fans.


How does cold air get to the second floor?

How to Increase Airflow to Second Floor?

  1. Keep Air Conditioner Running in Fan Mode. …
  2. Install a Ceiling Fan. …
  3. Increase the Size of Return Vents. …
  4. Increase Number of Vents. …
  5. Clear the Vents. …
  6. Close Vents on Lower Floors. …
  7. Go for Ductless Air Conditioning. …
  8. Get a Zoned HVAC System.

How do I increase heat to my second floor?

Closing vents helps push more heated air to the open vents, so make sure all your upstairs vents are wide open. Also, open all upstairs doors to help heated air flow into each room. When you close the vents in some seldom-used rooms downstairs, close the doors to those rooms to prevent losing heat from other rooms.

How do I keep my upstairs warm in the winter?



How to Keep a Second Floor Warmer

  1. Replace any cracked or missing window caulking and door trim; kits are available in hardware stores.
  2. Use door snakes on outside wall doors. …
  3. Open stairwell doors if the main floor is warm. …
  4. Ensure that any ceiling fan turns in a clockwise rotation. …
  5. Install insulated window treatments.

How do you direct cold upstairs?

Simple Fixes to Help Cool Your Upstairs

  1. Properly open vents, don’t block return air supply. Let the air flow! …
  2. Install lightly colored curtains or drapes. …
  3. Keep heat-generating appliances off. …
  4. Run a fan (when you’re in the room) …
  5. Keep your HVAC fan set to ‘on’ …
  6. Inspect your ductwork. …
  7. Check your insulation.

Should you close upstairs vents in the winter?

If you have a top/bottom return vent setup, close the top vents in the winter months. Closing the top vents will make your system draw in air from the bottom vents that are at the low point in the room where cold air settles.

Will closing basement vents downstairs help cool upstairs?

That said, closing your vents is best for saving energy but not for redirecting cool air throughout your home. Some homeowners believe that by closing the vents in their basements, cool air will automatically be redirected toward the upper levels of a house. Unfortunately, that’s not how your furnace fan works.