That spare room over your garage, you know, the one that is stifling hot during summer and freezing in the winter? We have solutions to help you keep that room’s temperature consistent with the rest of your house. Learn how to get air traveling in that bonus room.
Why Your Heat Pump Isn’t Doing the Job
If you continually notice that your additional room above the garage is not heating and cooling correctly, there is more you can do. There is a simple reason for this in consistency in temperature: warm air moves naturally to cooler areas. In winter, the bonus room is colder than other rooms, as the warm air escapes to adjacent warmer spaces. In summer, warm air escaping from parts of your home joins the Bonus Room, as it is the hottest place to hang out. This can be increasingly frustrating, as the addition of box fans just do not do the trick. Below are some steps to follow in order to ensure that your home’s envelope is strengthened (by envelope, we mean your home’s thermal and air barrier to the outside).
Sealing
Prior to insulating the room above the garage or the room adjacent to the attic it is imperative to create a barrier against air entering the room. Gaps and spaces within the room, often at the seams, create air flow that is in opposition to your desired temperature. One of the first steps to maintaining temperature is to seal these cracks with foam.
Insulation
Most building codes state that insulation is to be installed around habitable areas. Being that garages are not considered to be livable, they are not required to have insulation in the initial build, unless the buyer specifies differently. Another step to ensuring adequate temperatures is to insulate between your garage and the Bonus Room. Insulation will reinforce the thermal barrier, envelope, of your home.
Ductwork
Contractors can also fail to establish adequate ductwork specific to a room over the garage or next to an attic. Calculations need to be performed to assess ductwork amount and sizing. At times, contractors may not consider the distance air has to flow when designing ductwork.
Contact Your HVAC Expert to Learn More
We can assist you in determining what your thermal envelope needs are specifically. An experienced HVAC technician can assist you in to maintaining proper airflow. In Knoxville, TN or surrounding areas, please contact us online by clicking HERE or drop us a call at 865-938-1005.