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My second story is always warmer in the summer and cooler in the winter than the ground floor. I've had the ducts cleaned and sealed and I've also adjusted the blower motor speed. It occurs to me that most of the ducts to the upstairs go along an outside wall, which might explain a temperature difference between the ground floor and second story. I have no idea how much insulation exists in the walls and I haven't gotten around to actually measuring for a temperature difference from the ducts yet.

I'm wondering if it's possible and practical to remove the end of the supply ducts where they blow up from the floor and put some sort of insulation around them. I think expanding foam would get expensive pretty fast and might cause damage. Any ideas?

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  • This question may actually solve your problem. Many of us may not be helping you with your problem since you didn't ask that question. – BMitch♦ Nov 13 '13 at 16:48
  • Thanks BMitch. One answer there actually points to a previous questions I asked. The only new idea for me on the page you linked is putting a ceiling fan in the stairway, which I may try. However, I continue to wonder if it's a good idea to try to stuff insulation around the ducts from the top floor down. – davidkovsky Nov 14 '13 at 0:16
  • Insulating around the ducts seems like it would do as much good as changing a hood ornament would improve gas mileage. The only time I've seen ducts insulated is when they are in unconditioned space (exterior/attic). Ensuring all the joints on the ducts are properly sealed (tape) would help, and they may not be properly sized. You may want to have a look at the insulation in the upstairs walls/ceiling since you may be losing heat faster than the rest of the home. – BMitch♦ Nov 14 '13 at 0:55
  • The ducts were professionally cleaned and sealed last year. We did new attic insulation 3 or 4 years ago, and the top floor does not lose heat in the summer. – davidkovsky Nov 14 '13 at 1:17

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