Bonus Room – Heating / Cooling problems
Posted on July 29, 2014 by All Contractor Marketing
Kennesaw Heating Cooling Problems & Solutions
Most homes in Kennesaw, GA have a room or two that is too cold or hot to be comfortable depending on the season. For example, you may have a “bonus room” over the garage that’s too hot in the summer and also too cool in the winter. We are your local heating and cooling expert.
Cooling and Heating Remedies
Here are some items to consider that affect the heating and cooling of the bonus room:
1. Make sure you have a supply duct and also return duct in the room. Also, make sure the supply and return duct are balanced. This means the same amount of air is being blown in the room as is being sucked out of the room. If both duct sizes are the same (ex. 8 inch supply duct and 8 inch return duct) then you have equal air being blown in as being sucked out. If you have a supply duct and also do not have a return duct, you may want to install a return duct.
Other Remedies
2. Most bonus rooms have knee walls. A knee wall is a wall that does not have the full 8 foot height as a standard room would. It may be from 3 to 7 feet tall. The concern comes from the back side of the wall. The back side of the wall is usually in an attic area. Attic areas in the summer get very hot. That hot air is a big heat gain on that bonus room. The house is designed to have attic area over the room. However, a bonus room has attic area on the ceiling and behind 2 knee walls, plus an outside wall at the end of the room, and also finally a floor over the garage usually with no insulation in it.
This means you only have one common wall to this room, and that the door you walk through going into that room. This room is not like any other room in the house. Bottom line; what all this means is; (1) you probably don’t have enough BTU’s to heat or cool this room, (2) the knee walls need to be sealed (3) you need to ventilate the hot air out of attic area behind knee walls.
Heating Cooling Issues
At this point, I would advise these solutions in this order. 1) I would use ½” foil backed foam board to be installed on the back side of the knee walls. Seal all joints with mastic paste. (2) Ventilate the attic areas with roof vents and side gable vents. This causes outdoor ambient air to circulate through the attic area; thus reducing the attic temperature/heat gain from 130+ degrees to 80 to 90 degrees in the summer season. (3) Add more BTU’s of heating and cooling by installing more supply or also return ducts in bonus room as needed.
Kennesaw Cooling Expert – D McKeon Heating & Air
D McKeon Heating and Air Conditioning have Comfort Institute Certified Advisors to help with these bonus room problems and also many other HVAC issues you might have in your Kennesaw home. Call D McKeon at 770-425-8779 for a free evaluation or also request appointment online.
By Dennis McKeon Sr. Call today!