One of the Four Seasons Home Comfort Specialists encountered a customer that had a problem in his home that we suspect many of our other customers probably deal with every summer. The problem was insufficient cooling to the second floor of his home, and Four Seasons had a solution! Many of us probably put up with the problem year after year and simply assume that this is how it is for everyone. There are a few ways to increase the amount of cooling that reaches your second floor, and Four Seasons will walk you through the process to choose which will work best for you.
Air Conditioner Sizing Check
The customer our salesman encountered had replaced his central air unit a few years back, but was still dealing with this problem. He called out Four Seasons to have a look. First was assessed this size of his air conditioner compared to the demands of the home, and everything seemed to be sized properly. If he had increased the size of the air conditioner the system would not get enough air flow and he would have much bigger problems on his hands. So, next we looked to the ducts.
Duct Work and Insulation Check
He had sufficient duct work in the home and everything was in working order. Next we checked the insulation in the attic. His home was not very old, and the insulation in there was enough for the needs of this environment. So, what is causing the problem? The problem was the design of the home. Cold air was getting trapped downstairs causing the air conditioner to shut off before the upstairs could get cold enough for comfort. Plus, heat rises, so the upstairs had extra heat within it to begin with. Four Seasons gave him an easy solution.
Mini Split Solution
Adding another central air conditioner would have required downsizing the original unit that was just replaced a few years prior to our visit. So, this was not an option. Plus the customer didn’t want to waste energy cooling some of the rooms upstairs that weren’t used frequently. He needed cooling in his office and in his bedroom, and the Mitsubishi Electric Mini Split System was the perfect solution. This unit uses a central compressor that is connected to 4 wall hung units that deliver cooling to the rooms. Each unit works independently on a remote control, so the customer could pick and choose which rooms got cooling at which times during the day. This type of system seemed to solve all of his problems at a price he could afford, and with Four Seasons expert installation, he no longer has cooling problems on his second floor.
