is there a way to move coler air from the basement to the upper floor of the house?

[Clocker]

My basement is always significantly colder i was wondering f there is a way to move air to equalize the temperature better.

thanks
clocker

or can someone point me to a site they know that might address this issues

 

[EagleKeeper]

Standard law of thermodynamics.

Hot air rises, cool air sinks.

Only way would be to install a vent from the bottom to the top and use a fan to get the air from the basement to the upperlevels

 

[Fiveohhh]

a fan.....

 

[jadinolf]

Originally posted by: Fiveohhh
a fan.....

Yep.

 

[Jzero]

Whole House Fan, maybe?

 

[nakedfrog]

2 fans

 

[Clocker]

are there specific fans designed for this?

thanks

 

[blackdogdeek]

attic fans push air out of the attic. usually, you open the windows in the house which allow supposedly cooler air to come in as the hot air is pushed out of the attic.

i guess if you had windows in the basement, you could open those.

 

[richardycc]

Sorry to tell you this, but there is no free A/C in your basement. I bet your basement is very humid, thats why it feels cool. you might need a dehumidifier more than a fan.

 

[Fiveohhh]

my furnace is in the basement and I was going to setup a duct that would suck air from the basement(as opposed to from the returns) and bring it upstairs, but the furnace can't act as just a fan(most newer ones can from what I've noticed)

 

[Clocker]

i have a dehumidifier

but basements normal are colder than the mainfloor

also i believe my furnace does have a fan maybe that would help. i never thought about it.

thanks for the help

also someone pm me that i need to iinstall more cold air returns but i dont get it.

 

[jjones]

You'll need vents, ducts and fans to circulate the air from the basement to other areas of the house. It would most likely be a significant job to do it right so you might want to speak with someone that specializes in heating/ac. A lot will depend upon the design of the house as you'll want to push the warmer air from the upper area to the outside and bring fresh air into the basement for cooling and then circulation to the rest of the house.

I've actually been considering doing just this thing to my home but haven't started on it yet. We don't have a basement but the lower floor is significantly cooler than the upper floor and I've been toying with the idea of better circulation to take advantage of the cooler air below. By installing a modest air circulation system I'm hoping to cut down on the use of our a/c.

 

Cold air return

I am going to assume you have a forced air heating system, here's what you can do, either on the side or on the bottom of the furnace you will find a filter door, open that door and block off the cold air return and leave the filter door off, this will draw the cold air out of your basement and force it out of your heating vents.

You will have to install a A/C thermostat with a fan only option to have your furnace fan run without the furnace turning on.

 

[Fiveohhh]

Originally posted by: Roger
Cold air return

I am going to assume you have a forced air heating system, here's what you can do, either on the side or on the bottom of the furnace you will find a filter door, open that door and block off the cold air return and leave the filter door off, this will draw the cold air out of your basement and force it out of your heating vents.

You will have to install a A/C thermostat with a fan only option to have your furnace fan run without the furnace turning on.

The door on my furnace has a safety switch and won't run w/o it(I'm sure it's easily bypassable though) Also with the door off the air its circulating won't get filtered either. My thermostat has a fan only switch, but it not sure where to pull the wires from to get it to work.

 

The door on my furnace has a safety switch and won't run w/o it(I'm sure it's easily bypassable though) Also with the door off the air its circulating won't get filtered either. My thermostat has a fan only switch, but it not sure where to pull the wires from to get it to work.

Duct tape the switch closed and move your filter to the front where the door is, if the thermostat already has a fan only switch, it should work unless the HVAC contractor bungled the installation.

 

[Fiveohhh]

Originally posted by: Roger

The door on my furnace has a safety switch and won't run w/o it(I'm sure it's easily bypassable though) Also with the door off the air its circulating won't get filtered either. My thermostat has a fan only switch, but it not sure where to pull the wires from to get it to work.

Duct tape the switch closed and move your filter to the front where the door is, if the thermostat already has a fan only switch, it should work unless the HVAC contractor bungled the installation.

I added the thermostat, it used to just be the sliding kind, and I used a programmable one. IIRC there were only 2 wires going up to it. Might have my friend in hvac look at it, but when I asked him he said the electricians normally did that part.