where is the return intake vent?

Hmmm. I am sorry to say I don't know. What would it look like, or how would I identify it?

Tigerdunes, thank you. I now know which is the return air grill. It is downstairs, in the wall between the laundry room (where the furnace is) and the family room.

Both the ceiling vents and baseboard vents for the heat and AC have levers you can use to adjust the flow, and we do use them.

In winter we close off nearly all flow of heat to the upstairs, so (theoretically) all the available heat will come out the downstairs vents and at least have a chance at warming the rooms before floating up the stairs.

This still leaves us with a very significant difference in temps between the two spaces.

Same with the reverse situation in summer.

So, would the downstairs hallway (about 18 feet from the return air) be a good location for the thermostat, or the same wall the return air vent is located on? It seems like the return air vent wall would be the easiest install.

moving the tstat is not going to change the uneven heat or cooling but it appears that by your first post the tsat is by the front door? if you use that door it is never a good location to begin with. somewhere near the return is always better...... I would have someone evaluate if you can have dampers put in your ducts though. it is not as simple as that but more than can be explained in a post

Leafy

If you don't have a return upstairs, you need one preferably centrally located.

And just to be clear, the damper controls I spoke about are on your ductwork system. Not to be confused with your grills in your home's living area whether supply or return.

IMO

I think we do have some returns upstairs. There are wall vents up near the ceiling that don't put out heat or AC and that don't have levers to adjust the flow. They are in both bedrooms and the living and dining rooms.

I got what you are saying about the damper controls. I can't see any signs of anything like that in the parts of the ductwork that are visible in the laundry room. When the heating and AC guy comes out to move the thermostat, I will ask him about how involved and $$ it would be to put them in. It would no doubt save us money in the long run if it isn't cost-prohibitive for us.

Before you spend money on moving the thermostat, you should try an experiment. Set the thermostat upstairs so the temperature is comfortable downstairs. See if you like the temperature difference. This is how it will feel when you move the thermostat downstairs.

The right way to solve this problem is to create a separate zone downstairs controlled by a second thermostat. You may have a branch for the downstairs which could be controlled by a zone damper, or you may have to add some new duct work. The upstairs thermostat could be moved away from the first door so it not so noticeable.

My suggestion is going to cost more money, but you should at least investigate the feasability.

A split foyer home is next to impossible to maintain the same comfort level upstairs and downstairs unless it is closed off and zoned. As the upper level heats, the cool air drops to the lower level. The thermostat upstairs will be arrive at the set temperature long before the downstairs reaches the set temperatures. If you move the thermostat downstairs, the upstairs will not experience the same comfort level as downstairs, usually too warm.

You could move the thermostat into the hall way. You could also add a door to close off the entrance into the lower level. Closing off leaks and insulation will also help.

Thank you, everyone. For whoever invented the split-foyer home, I have a thousand curses. (But hey, *I* am the one who decided to buy it!)

I called my heating and AC guy today. He's coming out on Wednesday to replace and relocate the thermostat, and to check out whether our current configuration will make dampers a possibility or a good idea. Closing off the downstairs is not a possibility for us right now--it would be too much like giving the teenagers their own apartment! Once they are grown and gone, I think installing a door there will be a good idea--and so would moving to a ranch!

Hi Leafy,

I, too, live in a split foyer home built in 1971. My tstat is in my hallway and away from the front door. I have had the same problems you are experiencing and I am not sure if there's any way you'll ever be able to totally accomplish what you want. I don't think moving the tstat will solve your issue though.

I have had my attic insulation increased and the other day bought a shutter cover fo the attic fan to keep any air up top at bay during the winter. The insulation has helped a lot. Our homes are so wide open, so to speak. I have not considered it but maybe a tstat for your downstairs area would be ideal. I am not downstairs in the winter much. In the summer, because it's underground, it's always cooler down there.

All in all, I love this house, warts and all. Good luck.

Peachie

If possible, I would like to get in on this discussion. I have two zones, and both thermostats are located in the front foyer - one upstairs and one downstairs. Each unit is located directly by the associated return. However, I wanted to move the thermostats because I always thought putting them in line with the front door was not a good idea in that they are affected by outside temps when the front door is opened (or by any winter leaking). Also, the upstairs unit is in the hallway between three bedrooms and as the hallway cools at night, this pours too much heat into the bedrooms. Wouldn't the upstairs unit best be located in the Master bedroom - for (the Master's) best sleeping comfort? My wife and I are empty nesters and our bedroom temp seems most important. Your thoughts?

I'm tacking on to this thread since our question is similar to steve2359's unanswered 3-year old question. Except that we're not concerned with the downstairs thermostat (it's far enough away from the front door and not a problem). Our house has an open-concept loft from upstairs to downstairs, so the upstairs thermostat (very close to the ceiling return) really is just measuring the temps coming up from downstairs. The rooms are freezing the winter because the upstairs thermostat never kicks in. We were told by one HVAC technician that we should never move the thermostat away from the return. It would be just about 6 feet away but inside the most highly used room rather than in the hall. Thoughts?

We have a two story house with 9 rooms. The downstairs thermostat is in the front hall and the upstairs one is in the hallway at the top of the stairs. All of the cold air is upstairs in the hallway because the downstairs is cold due to my spouse keeping the heat off downstairs. There are two separate furnaces for each floor. The upstairs is very hard to heat because the bedroom doors are closed most of the time do the cold air in the hallway keeps the thermostat running and the bedrooms are either too hot and we have to turn it off and every room is too cold. The thermostat is right under the uptake from the attic. I want to move the thermostat but do not have a clue where to put it and my husband says it would be useless and too expensive. Help! I know, open the darn doors. Not an option. He still won't turn on the heat for more than half an hour a couple of times a day. I give up.

Why don't you leave the bedroom doors open when unoccupied?

LindaR, Moving thermostat will do no good for your situation.

Install air returns from each room leading to hallway. Depending on how it's done these returns may require filtration.

It's either that or turn on downstairs system to relieve the chill... because what you are doing by running upstairs system and doors closed, you are forcing this system to pull cold air from downstairs into upstairs hallway. Where else can this upstairs system draw air from? (air in = air out)

Air takes path of least resistance. If you have returns in those rooms...Currently, the system kicks on and blows these rooms up like balloons... the air has really no where to go. So a suction pressure is created down that hallway. I like to call it 'wind tunnel' effect.

If you put air returns in those rooms, they can not be 'blown up'... positive pressure versus negative pressure. ---- air flows to negative pressure.