Air Handler Warms Attic During Winter
Every year i get a call from the home owner about a smell.
Air handler warms attic during winter. I installed a air handler in attic of a ranch style home about 3 years back. Improper or no insulation of ducts. Many attics contain ductwork that supplies cool air to upstairs rooms during the summer and heated air during the winter. In the winter open up the drapes or blinds and let solar heat warm up your attic.
The air handler itself should have a secondary drain pan installed under the air handler in case if the air handler leaks then the secondary drain pan will catch the condensate and take it to another drain. We replaced the line. The first year one run of flex pipe had about 3 gallons of water in it. The insulation inside the air handler should also be enough to prevent major heat loss in winter months.
Indoor air conditioning unit. If the joints in your ductwork are not properly sealed your forced air system can suck attic air into the ducts air that s either really hot in the summer or really cold in the winter. It is code in many states to have a secondary drain pan and secondary drain pan safety switch installed on all attic air handlers and furnaces. Whenever there is a contact between the hot humid air and cold metal surface then there will be sweating or condensation on the metal surface so it is very important to have a proper insulation for the air handler ducts in case the portion of the duct is coming in contact with the.
Attic ventilation fans offer mechanical ventilation using a fan to draw in cool outside air and force out warm moist air. E the air handler is keeping your attic warm i d suggest contacting a local hvac technician to upgrade your air handler to one that might be better insulated. Roof vents remove warm air during the winter. A thermosyphon sets up with cold air falling into the rooms and more heat pulled into the return.
I like low on the wall returns to prevent the winter loss and to pull cold air off the floor for our forced air heat system. I was looking for input on this situation. All of the other tips listed below are good for cooling down an attic so that the rest of your house doesn t get too hot. Ensure attic windows are property caulked and insulated to prevent drafts and loss of heat.
Told the owner to shut off all the registers so warm air will not get in to. Too many people believe that because heat rises ventilating an attic space during the winter means you re releasing warm air and creating a drag on your heating efficiency. If this is true you ve got bigger problems to worry about than letting warm air escape from your home. If you re using your attic as a functional space like a bedroom or workroom then you ll want to consider adding an indoor air conditioning unit.
The home has hot water base board heat. Best way to cool an attic 1. However if you still suspect that you are losing heat through the unit i.