Townhouse Air Conditioner In Attic Gets Too Hot

In the summer the hot air from the attic pushes into the house letting hot muggy air in and roasting your second floor in the process.

Townhouse air conditioner in attic gets too hot. Having a properly vented attic is the best way to keep attic cool because it allows the hot air to escape during the summer. Whereas circulating air delivers the heat in a forced air system it s water that does the job in a hydronic radiant setup. An overheated attic can bake asphalt shingles on the roof and cause them to deteriorate. If you want to know how to keep upstairs cool and not blazing hot during the summer this guide can help.

From the boiler the water gets pumped through a network of tubes set. If hot air is allowed to sit in your attic it could overheat the shingles on your roof and cause damage. It ll also help reduce up down imbalance by counteracting reverse stack. Fortunately there are a few things you can try.

Open a window on the top floor. Let the hot air escape. Since hot air rises the rooms upstairs in your home will likely be much warmer than those on the lower level. It wants to move.

But then you still have a really crappy house. In order to let air out other air has to come in. An unventilated attic can reach 150 degrees in the heat of summer 50 degrees higher than it should be. And it can cause your air conditioner to work harder than it needs to and send your energy bills soaring with the temperature.

In addition hot air in your attic could increase moisture levels which could result in wood rot and mold growth. It s a thermodynamic principle that hot air will rise in order to try and escape an enclosed space like your home. Here is what the winter stack effect looks like. Install vent less air conditioning units.

The natural rise of heated air. Note the air escaping through recessed lights the attic hatch and so forth. Don t do this if you live somewhere that actually gets hot. It is called reverse stack effect in summer.

Even with the central air conditioner running on full blast it seems like the top level of a home never gets as cold as the rest of the house. When the attic and attic access are not properly sealed and insulated the hot air coming in through the roof can leak into the lower floors of the home. Suck cool air conditioned air into the attic and of course it won t be so hot. Combine this with the hot air rising from the lower floors and you re looking at a perfect recipe for uncomfortable upstairs environments.

It wants to move.