We are giving you the gist of the problem as it is-
“A few days ago, I noticed something strange.
I wasn’t really happy with the temperatures on the second floor of my house. As I went to check on the settings, it showed me 85 (though it was set to 75 initially).
The first-floor temperatures are okay, but I’m not entirely happy with the temperatures of the second floor? Why is my upstairs not cooling?
Is there anything I can or could have done to remedy the issue?”
Unfortunately, there’s no easy fix to the upstairs ac zone not working. As a matter of fact, professionals may charge you with a good chunk of money.
Here’s the sad part-you won’t even know what happened!
Fortunately, we are here today to help you out with the situation.
Despite the fixes being beyond the knowledge of the average consumer, we will try our best to offer an AC zone damper not working solution. As we progress throughout today’s discussion, we will be showing and explaining all we can within a very short period of time.
So, without wasting any more time, let’s get started!
Air Conditioning is zones: Simple principles in laymen’s terms
While the cold downstairs is a blessing, low airflow in the attic or upstairs can cause enough trouble. Dual zone air conditioning often produces a lower air duct and invalid insulation. Well, what to do then?
If heating and cooling were to be divided into zones, it will bear highly personalized benefits for all the residents. But how to do it, especially in the attic and upstairs? Let’s find out the hvac zone control troubleshooting.
How does it work?
It all starts with an HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Unit) that can perform both heating and cooling at the same time. It ensures the optimal air circulation, temperature and heat of the room.
First of all, your entire home gets separated into zones (the very first principle of zoned heating and cooling). Each zone has its own thermostat control and dampers. They possess independent controlling capabilities, which keeps the zones separated from each other.
Let’s say you have a 2-zone system. If it’s warm and unbearable, how will this zoning system help you out?
For starters, simple physics dictates that heat always rises upwards. So, in order to cool your home entirely (where two different zones exist), your air conditioner will start cooling the bottom zone first.
So, the zone damper ducts get closed off that are going to the first floor. This allows the cold air from downstairs to flow in the upper floor.
After a while, the whole house gets a sweep of the coolness and gets to the desired temperature.
One thing to note is that all the controlling happens in the central command line of the HVAC system. This checks all the controls and oversees the controls that take effect.
How does it all stack up?
Let’s start with the problem first. Installing such a zoned arrangement is by no means affordable. As a matter of fact, the cost itself (which is close to 4000-dollars) is enough to scrap the plan of your mind.
But the higher price tag does come with some intimidating benefits.
More control
With a zoned cooling and heat pump, you can enjoy personalized settings to their fullest extent. The uneven cooling and optimal temperature can be restored.
Less money to pay
A zoned HVAC system doesn’t have to deal with high levels of load all the time. The intelligent sensing capabilities are enough to keep excessive loads at bay and keep your energy bills in check.
Extended lifespan
One of the main advantages with having to deal with low and bearable energy demand is an expansion in overall lifespan. Zoned systems are less power-hungry and have to deal with controlled loads-one of the prime reasons for zoned HVAC systems to run longer overall.
Upstairs AC Zone Not Working: Things that can happen
There are two major possibilities here:
First of all, a part or two may not have been installed properly in the system.
The second is an electrical anomaly. Unfortunately, these types of issues are the worst problems to have! Poor airflow can also be another one.
Whether you’re using a pneumatic or an electrical zoning system, the troubleshooting methods are pretty much the same (with a few minor changes in details here and there)
This requires a complete shutdown of the system and diagnosing the air flow from one to the other end of the system.
Step one: Check the control board for indications
A blessing with modernized product creation is the addition of a unified zone control board. In general, these boards have troubleshooting indicators like LED or custom codes.
Grab the manual that came with your system and try to identify the issue. And if there are no indications, then you can swap the board with the help of an electrician.
Step two: Check the sensor output
This is an issue of inconvenient sensor placement.
Most of the time it’s hard to even identify this issue in the first place. You will certainly need a professional opinion to troubleshoot this issue.
Step three: Check the issues Damper control
Damper bypass issues are very common.
With different zones, the main problem that comes along is the bypass pressure. Also, the pivoting may also cause serious problems if it’s not tackled entirely.
Lubricating the pivot mechanism can help out in this case.
Step four: Zone setup and control
Dual zone air conditioning problems and control are one of the major issues with zoned HVAC.
For a 2-zone system with a 3rd zone (very minimal coverage), the issue may arise from the small zone itself.
To tackle this Ac zone issues, permitting some air vents may come in handy. But further checking will help to meaningfully reduce the problem.
Step five: Check for faults in thermostat readings
You need to check the multiple thermostats reading, especially the upstairs thermostat. The problem is small with very annoying (and sometimes expensive) after-effects.
Your zone control board will probably give you indications of such failures. But you can never get past the efficiency of manual checks!
Closing remarks
As mentioned earlier, the problems with the upstairs ac zone not working are hard to identify and eradicate.
And there’s probably no way you could get past them without the help of a seasoned professional.
But it never hurts to know how to identify the issues. And if you can make some repairs on your own, that’s a bonus.
And that’s where we stop blabbering and let you take some time to take the bits of information into your brain. Good luck with your future endeavors.
Check other resources related to kitchen :
1. Car Organizing Tips: 10 Brilliant Cleaning Hacks To Keep Your Car Tidy When You Have Kids
