Minnie Bannister wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@corp.supernews.com:
The reason not to do so is that it is a way to bypass the problem rather than fix it. Why not first ask WHY the basement is cooler? Now this may be an issue that you are not qualified to solve, and if so it will need a professional and some $, but what you are suggesting is wasteful of energy and also inconvenient.
If you want uniform temperatures throughout the house, you need to divert some heat from where it is not needed to where it is. If you have a forced warm air system, adding an outlet to the furnace plenum is the usual way to heat a basement. If you already have such an outlet, it may be stuck closed. Remember that every outlet needs an inlet,so check your system for that and modify as necessary, like adding a grill in the return air side opposite the warm air outlet. HTH
Joe
All last winter our basement family room was several degrees cooler than the main level (where the thermostat is located). We have yet to find out how the temperatures compare once the weather gets warmer.
Would there be any problem mounting a second thermostat in the family room and switching between the two depending on which part of the house we are using at any given time? Yes, obviously we would be somewhat overheating the main level and using more gas, but is there any other reason not to do so?
MB
Cold air sinks and warm air rise. So a basement is always cooler than upper floor, unless it has more vents/registers.
If one stays in the basement often in the winter, I guess he can close a few upper floor registers ...
It might be better to improve the overall house circulation. But yes, you can have two thermostats.
You could always just install a home-brew zoning system.
Mark
We run into this all the time, when the installing contractor is either told to save money and not zone, or he isnt sure of how to do a proper manual D to insure that enough airflow is being provided to each level to insure proper temp control.
Either a system balance, or a duct rework is probably in order. In the worst cases we see, you need to actually add another unit.
Or, he could put a large return air in the low part of the return air duct in the basement, and then close off the return air registers in the upper floors and leave the interior doors open to let the air return down the stairs and recirculate that way.
Hi, How about installing dual or variable speed fan and let it run all the time to circulate air in the house? It worked well in my last house. Tony
Hi Minnie, hope you are having a nice day
On 20-Apr-04 At About 04:43:05, Minnie Bannister wrote to All Subject: Two thermostats?
MB> From: Minnie Bannister
MB> All last winter our basement family room was several degrees cooler MB> than the main level (where the thermostat is located). We have yet MB> to find out how the temperatures compare once the weather gets MB> warmer.
MB> Would there be any problem mounting a second thermostat in the family MB> room and switching between the two depending on which part of the MB> house we are using at any given time? Yes, obviously we would be MB> somewhat overheating the main level and using more gas, but is there MB> any other reason not to do so?
The best thing to do would be to call a local company to check the system out. it sounds as if what is really needed here is a system balancing.
-=> HvacTech2
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