Hi, I’m looking for some advice on upgrade paths for my home central AC, which is not able to keep up with our current usage. I’m not sure if I should consider a new system, upgraded insulation, or an additional small unit for one extremity of the house.
We have a ten year old, two story house, approximately 3500 sq ft including the finished basement. It has a two zone Lennox AC system (3.5 ton downstairs, 3 ton upstairs). The attic is insulated with some type of blown insulation.
The upstairs (where my wife and I work during the day) is always considerably warmer than downstairs, despite the upstairs AC cooling well. I measure a 30 degree drop in air temp compared to outside at the vent closest to the unit, but it is running continuously when the weather gets into the 90s and can’t really keep up. I suspect part of the problem is that we keep the downstairs a bit warmer… relatively speaking it feels freezing cold downstairs so there is a temptation to bump it up a bit.
One corner of the upstairs (my office) is always 75-80 even with the AC running. It is at the longest stretch of the duct. I am wondering if a powered vent would help, or if I should consider a new upstairs compressor in general… I don’t see any big gaps in the insulation in the attic but I don’t know how to gauge its effectiveness. One (other) corner of the house with a bathroom does seem to “leak” heat / AC more than the others as gauged by closed doors and feel.
I could also consider a separate unit for the office but I’d prefer not to have the noise. I know there are mini, split units but wondering if that is really warranted or if I should try something else first.
Any advice would be appreciated. thanks!
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