Cooling chin rooms w/ central air!

[Rickman]

I just put this in another thread, and realized there's been a lot of questions recently about it, so I'll mention what worked for me!
If you open the ductwork for your forced air, completely, in the room your chins are is, you can restrict the other rooms accordingly [some like the bedroom or bathroom warmer or cooler] by adjusting the ducts!
If you restrict the one the thermostat is in, yes, it will run longer, but not if you turn it up!
In other words, your chin room can stay cooler than the rest of the house by making these adjustments, but remember to do the opposite in the winter, and change the filters, monthly!!
Saves a ton on your bills!!

 

[AZChins]

Do you mean by adjusting the air registers in each room? You don't mean that we have to actually break open duct work, do you?

 

[mishalaa]

I completely covered two of the three registers in my living room (with slats of cardboard and duct tape) and closed half of the metal flaps on the third register. I left the registers in my chin room alone. The thermostat is in the living room, so although I have the thermostat at 72, the chin room stays much cooler.

 

[Rickman]

I said ductwork as everyone calls the registers different things - whatever you have for the adjustment of air coming into a room from your heating/air conditioning system!
Mish - that's exactly what I mean, and your bill shouldn't be bad at all!!

 

[lindsay1980]

lol I bought a stand alone ac unit for that reason. Works well for emergencies too

 

[lauralynne]

My house is a quad level. The main level is a formal living room, dining room and kitchen. If you take the stairs up, the thermostat is located right at the beginning of the staircase. If you take stairs down, there's another living room, bedroom, and bathroom (this is the level the chins are on). If you take another set of stairs, you go down more to the basement completely underground. Since it's so open where my thermostat is, do you have any other suggestions? I can't do a window-unit where the chins are because all that's in that living room is a big sliding glass door. Should I just plan on getting a stand-alone unit?

 

[Rickman]

If their in a room by themselves, open the register all the way and feel the airflow.
In your case, you can close the ones in the lower level, [as hot air rises] and feel if that increases the airflow in the room with your chins.
What you're ultimatly trying to do is get more cold air into that room, by restricting the others minutely, without effecting comfort!
If you've got a room that's not on use, you can close those off entirely, or just open a little to make them bearable.
It may take a little playing around, but it'll be so worth it, and the chins'll love it!

 

[lauralynne]

I'll experiment. Thanks so much, Rickman!