Attic Too Hot For Ac Unit

In the summer the hot air from the attic pushes into the house letting hot muggy air in and roasting your second floor in the process.

Attic too hot for ac unit. Hang pencil and paper next to the thermometer and record the outdoor and attic temperatures. An overheated attic can bake asphalt shingles on the roof and cause them to deteriorate. Insufficient ventilation can lead to moisture problems during the winter and decreased energy efficiency during the summer but too much ventilation can be just as bad if not worse. Ideal attic temperatures shouldn t be more than 10 to 20 degrees hotter than outside temperatures.

Another problem with vaulted ceilings at least here in the southeast is that builders use tradeoffs to put in less insulation than is required for flat ceilings. Add ventilation for improved circulation. If the home doesn t have ducts there still may be reasons a homeowner would want to reduce the attic temperature. Without a cooling agent an attic fan won t make the air much cooler if temperatures rise far beyond 80 degrees but it can serve as a far more cost effective alternative to central air.

And it can cause your air conditioner to work harder than it needs to and send your energy bills soaring with the temperature. When the attic and attic access are not properly sealed and insulated the hot air coming in through the roof can leak into the lower floors of the home. If hot air is allowed to sit in your attic it could overheat the shingles on your roof and cause damage. An unventilated attic can reach 150 degrees in the heat of summer 50 degrees higher than it should be.

It is called reverse stack effect in summer. Hang an outdoor thermometer in your attic making sure its range reaches at least 130 degrees fahrenheit. Just like properly sizing your furnace and air conditioning unit you want precisely the right amount of attic ventilation for your home. When the air conditioner ran it sucked lots of hot attic air right into the room and the ceiling near those lights got to temperatures well above 100 f.

Hot summer weather poses the opposite problem for maintaining recommended attic temperatures. Reverse stack effect jargon demystified in the winter heat rises in your house and exits in the attic just like a smoke stack. Having a properly vented attic is the best way to keep attic cool because it allows the hot air to escape during the summer. Heat also goes to cold though.