Looking for inexpensive ideas to cool upstairs?

[seashoreCM]

While you are at it, adjusting the central air conditioning, find the "return air registers." Be sure that these, at least the ones upstairs, are not covered or full of dust or blocked by furniture. Except you might try closing off the downstairs return air register so the AC unit will tend to involve the upstairs more for the air circulation through the ducts. If the return register is in a bedroom, that bedroom door should not be closed unless there is a good sized gap at the bottom.

You should not close off too many vents otherwise you may overload the AC internal blower. Suggest having at least 2/3 of the vents open and at least 2/3 of the overall return air register louver area open at all times.

 

[Dizlvr]

Do either of the bedrooms that you keep open upstairs get full sun? If so get some thermal curtains and keep them closed during the day. I know its nice to have them open, but it really helps.
I have C/A but my living room gets full sun at the hottest part of the day so the CA is running alot, and if. If I keep the curtains closed it helps.

 

[Dakota731]

My heating guy said not to keep fan switched to "on" all the time but keep it on "auto" for the good of the unit. Anyone else hear that?

 

[elaine amj]

This will help and it DOES work. Its ingenious and almost free!

Pretty awesome!

I remember one time when my mom stayed with me the window AC in her room wasn't working too well. She was so hot she got a bucket of ice and set the tabletop fan to blow over it while she slept on the wooden floor. I remember being rather impressed with the ingenuity. Would never have occurred to me.

 

[oddman]

most likely the cold air is falling down the stairs , if you can reduce the amount of air that falls down while increasing the upstairs airflow and decreasing the downstairs airflow you might resolve the issue.

we close the lower vents, open the upper and close the bedroom doors to keep more of the cold air in them... to slow its movement down...

 

[NotUrsula]

The issue with keeping the A/C switched to "on" overnight is relevant when you live in a place where it can get cooler at night and early in the morning. If the outside temp falls below the temp. setting for inside of the house, the compressor coils on your central air unit can coat themselves with ice. Running the compressor when the coils are iced over can easily burn it out -- we learned that the hard way once.

If you have an open stairwell, cold air is going to settle down the stairs, because warm air rises and displaces it along the path of least resistance. If you can add a door to close off the stair landing at night you can really cut down on that.

 

[UCFGrad01]

I would think about looking into the cost of an attic fan, which should pull the hot air up and out of the house, forcing the cooler air upstairs. Aside from that, there is a portable air conditioner unit at Target that's about $225. It's good for a decent size bedroom, and I used to go in right after I got home from work and turn it on to like 68, then close the bedroom door. It was nice and cool when it was time for bed It does need to vent out the window, but it's just a small panel in your window, with a vent hose inside that kind of looks like a dryer hose.

 

[Lilliputian]

Having a 2 story living room makes everything a little more difficult. It can be a struggle to keep both floors the same in that situation even if you have separate thermostats and air conditioning units for each floor. If you have big windows in the living room, do what you can to keep too much heat from coming in. Solar screens are great if you have them where you live. They were just in a few parts of the hottest south at first, but they're starting to become more popular in more places. I'm guessing you do live in the south if your vents are in your ceiling. I strongly recommend paying extra to have grid lines added if the solar screens are put on the front of your house. It makes a huge difference in curb appeal.

 

[Disneygrl71]

Thanks everyone, closing (partially) all the vents downstairs has made a big difference and I also bought heat/light blocking curtains. I'll see how that goes over the next couple weeks (gonna get up close to 100).

 

[xlxo]

Not cheap, but I've been exploring additional ways of spreading the cool air around pockets of my home..... battery powered fans.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-One-Plus-Portable-Fan-P3310/100485407 (excludes battery and charger... this makes it expensive)

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Arctic-Cove-18-Volt-Two-Speed-Misting-Bucket-Top-Fan-MBF0181/205744083 (comes with a battery and charger)

Placed in the middle of the room with my other window fans, it draws cool air deeper into the home without worrying about extension cords and being a senior trip hazard.

 

[xlxo]

Not cheap, but I've been exploring additional ways of spreading the cool air around pockets of my home..... battery powered fans.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-One-Plus-Portable-Fan-P3310/100485407 (excludes battery and charger... this makes it expensive)

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Arctic-Cove-18-Volt-Two-Speed-Misting-Bucket-Top-Fan-MBF0181/205744083 (comes with a battery and charger)

Placed in the middle of the room with my other window fans, it draws cool air deeper into the home without worrying about extension cords and being a senior trip hazard.