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    Suggestions for HVAC zone splitting?

    I've got an Omni II Pro with three HAI thermostats controlling three HVAC zones in my home and have everything running relatively well.

    One problem, however, is that the upstairs of our home is one large zone (I want to kill my builder for that one). This necessitates freezing out the kids' rooms to make sure our master bedroom and bathroom stay cool due to how differently they cool and heat.

    Thus, I want to split the upstairs zones into two zones but am not sure the best way to go about this. I've thought of having temperature sensors put in each of the bedrooms with automatic dampers that would close off the kids' rooms when they got too cold thus leaving the AC flowing to our room.

    Having zero experience with HVAC.... I'm curious for the thoughts of others on the best way to tackle this problem.

    Thanks!

    Paul

    #2
    We have a similar problem, and I tried manually opening and closing the registers in the HVAC system (for those other rooms) to rememdy the situation. If that worked, I thought of motorized dampers installed in the registers / ductwork. But it didn't look like it was going to work very well, at least for us.

    The problem is that HVAC systems are balanced as a whole for forced air systems. You need to have an appropriate amount of return air relative to the amount of heated / cooled air the system is supplying. If you start messing with only the outflow (i.e., closing those dampers) it changes that balance and the system doesn't seem to perform as well. I'm FAR from an expert in this area, but in general I've found that closing off several rooms in an HVAC system just doesn't work well.

    For our situaiton, we ended up purchasing a reasonably attractive free-standing cooling unit for the MBR. It's not a window unit, so it doesn't detract from the exterior appearance. It just has a fairly small exhaust hose that goes to a window, which has to be opened about 4 - 6 inches. There is a piece that fits the hose to that opening, and it looks fine from outside. The unit is fairly large, about the size of two of those office "cube" regrigerators stacked on top of each other. But it isn't hideous, per my wife's assessment. The biggest problem is that you do hear it running, but after the second night or so it became just white noise. And the house is now comfortable throughout. The other benefit we found was that since we no longer have kids at home, we can set the temp in the rest of the house higher at night unless we have guests, and only the bedroom AC is needed.
    Madcodger

    This would be a lot easier if I knew what I was doing...

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      #3
      Originally posted by Wazoo View Post
      ... the upstairs of our home is one large zone (I want to kill my builder for that one). This necessitates freezing out the kids' rooms to make sure our master bedroom and bathroom stay cool due to how differently they cool and heat.

      Thus, I want to split the upstairs zones into two zones but am not sure the best way to go about this. I've thought of having temperature sensors put in each of the bedrooms with automatic dampers that would close off the kids' rooms when they got too cold thus leaving the AC flowing to our room.

      Having zero experience with HVAC.... I'm curious for the thoughts of others on the best way to tackle this problem.

      Thanks!

      Paul
      I think you have a very difficult problem. I recommend that you seek recommendations for a knowledgeable local heating contractor. Once you have identified someone who is well regarded, ask him to recommend a course of action for your situation. In particular, what needs to be done, not just how much it will cost. After you have an informed plan you can decide if it's worth the trouble. My guess is that a room A/C unit may be the only practical alternative at this stage, so ask him to include that option as well. The key point is that attempting quick fixes could simply cost money with no benefit, or even make the problem worse.
      Mike____________________________________________________________ __________________
      HS3 Pro Edition 3.0.0.548, NUC i3

      HW: Stargate | NX8e | CAV6.6 | Squeezebox | PCS | WGL 800RF | RFXCOM | Vantage Pro | Green-Eye | Edgeport/8 | Way2Call | Ecobee3 | EtherRain | Ubiquiti

      Comment


        #4
        All good advice... thank you both.

        I have an appointment this week with the HVAC company that installed the system originally so I'm hoping they have some constructive thoughts on the process.

        I'll let you know.

        Paul

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