*
Our house is one year old. Having trouble with the master bedroom being several degrees cooler in the winter. The master bedroom doesn’t have a basement under it. However, the rest of the house does. I have been told that this should not matter. Any suggestions?
Discussion Forum
Discussion Forum
Up Next
Video Shorts
Featured Story
A standardized approach, quick-to-install hardware, and a simplified design make building custom casework cost-effective.
Featured Video
SawStop's Portable Tablesaw is Bigger and Better Than BeforeHighlights
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Replies
*
Brent: what kind of heating system do you have (forced-air, hot water radiators, etc) and how is it run to the bedroom relative the rest of the house?
If you have forced-air heating, do you have a return-air duct from the bedroom? If not, and the door is kept closed, very little air will go into the room without some way to get back, eventually, to the blower inlet.
-David
*
Fred, thanks for the reply. Here is a little more background for you.
1. Natural Gas - Forced Air.
2. There is a return air duct right inside the double doors of master bedroom.
3. There is a crawl space that has insulation against the foundation.
4. Basement seems to be warmer than the rest of the up stairs.
5. We have two vent in the main bedroom. One in the mater bathroom and one in the walk in closet.
6. The bedroom is about 500 sqft.
7. We have one door that leads to the backyard.
8. The home is one level with a basement.
9. The duct work is fiberglass insulated tubing.
We have had the heating company come out and try to redirect air to this part of the house with no success.
Thanks in advance for your help!
Brent Collins
*Does anyone know of a good sealent and source for my forced air system i.e tape etc. I have some good leakage in the 2 main trunks I would like to correct without ripping it out????
*
I can't resist. Isn't is an appropriate job for duct tape? Sealing up a duct? Considering all the other things we use it for. -David
*Butyl rubber tape with a foil backing. Try your local plumbing/heating supply store. Home centers won't have it. BTW - David, duct tape in my experience is good for a few years then it turns to powder, or tears.
*There's an article here about duct tape:http://www.homeenergy.org/tocs.noframes.htmland to seal ducts use RCD #6 available here:http://www.efi.org/products/weather/insul.htmlBy the way, the http://www.efi.org site is worth some web surfing time.
*Duct tape was invented by the military for applications that have nothing to do with heater ducts. Mainly, it was for temporary repairs, with the key word being temporary. The foil backed tape is commonly called "silver tape" at supply houses. I got a blank stare once when I tried to buy some and used the specification number. A plumber in line behind me said, "Silver tape," to the counter man, and I got what I needed. Although I haven't experienced the foil backed tape failures described in the article Bill Conner recommends, I believe it's conventional wisdom that ducts should be sealed primarily with a mastic, then the joints covered with the tape.Barry
*
Brent
If you do replace your flex duct with metal duct be sure they stick as close to the ASHRAE standard of 30' max per run, where one 90 degree bend=10'. I encountered a similar problem a couple of years ago where the duct snaked 50' with 12- 90 degree bends.The final detail had it running inside an uninsulated bulkhead for the final 12'. It was already cold air by then.
*
Our house is one year old. Having trouble with the master bedroom being several degrees cooler in the winter. The master bedroom doesn't have a basement under it. However, the rest of the house does. I have been told that this should not matter. Any suggestions?