[HiHoSteveO]

Seeking others who experience a cold front bedroom during cooler/cold days.

Warms up OK, but cools much faster than the rest of the house. Insulation was added to ceiling. Airflow re-balanced and increased to that room. There are plenty of others with the same problem out there I'm told.

Two year old designer house. Problem was initially noted on the "New Home Checklist" right after purchase. HVAC installation company unable to find a problem with their system. Warranty Department seems unwilling or unable to fix.

[tuccillo]

The fundamental problem is single zone HVAC and the thermostat is in the main living area. Many of the the front bedrooms have 3 outside walls and perhaps a lot of windows space. The insulation of the walls in relatively low, as is the windows. The main living area will maintain it's temperature better and the HVAC will not kick on often enough to maintain the temperature in the front bedroom.

You could try setting the fan to "on", instead of "auto". This will keep air circulating, even when the compressor is off, and may even out the temperatures but this approach is not without other issues. You could also try relocating the thermostat to the front bedroom but this may result in the rest of the house being too warm. To properly address the issue you need an HVAC system with multiple zones.

Originally Posted by HiHoSteveO

Seeking others who experience a cold front bedroom during cooler/cold days.

Warms up OK, but cools much faster than the rest of the house. Insulation was added to ceiling. Airflow re-balanced and increased to that room. There are plenty of others with the same problem out there I'm told.

Two year old designer house. Problem was initially noted on the "New Home Checklist" right after purchase. HVAC installation company unable to find a problem with their system. Warranty Department seems unwilling or unable to fix.

[cquick]

we have a Holly with a big front bedroom with a walk in closet and bumped out bay type windows. It is colder than the rest of the house. I think it's because it faces north, and has no sunshine. Also because it bumps out it has only one wall connecting to the rest of the house. and the area around the windows is cold. It is fine in the summertime. I have considered using one of those small ceramic heaters in it when I am sewing or watching TV ( I use it as my TV/crafting/sewing/computer/office ) So I am in there a lot!

[virgind]

If you have a cold air return in that room throttle back or restrict the wild return in the main part of the house. That will cause more air flow to another part of the house.You may have to restrict the delivery air in the main part of the house also. Florida HVAC guys dont normally understand air returns. Most of them just use what we called wild returns which is only one return . If you have questions PM me maybe I can help. This will help only when AC or heat is running.

[Retiring]

When I was being shown around some new construction homes in TV, 3 of the 4 homes I was shown had a second heat pump dedicated to the master. I guess that’s how they’re handling that issue these days.

[outlaw]

A simple and not too expensive fix is to install a dedicated return from that bedroom/side of the house. That should improve the issue, if not totally fix it.

[tuccillo]

Nope, that won't address the issue. The problem, as I already stated, is that there is insufficient runtime to maintain the temperatures in the bedrooms on the periphery with the thermostat installed in the main living area. The bedrooms cool faster than the main living area. If the system isn't running because heat is not being called for by the thermostat it doesn't matter how many returns you have. The OP already stated that the room warms up OK.

Originally Posted by outlaw

A simple and not too expensive fix is to install a dedicated return from that bedroom/side of the house. That should improve the issue, if not totally fix it.

[tuccillo]

Yes, you need multiple zones if the heat gain/loss is not uniform in the house, otherwise you will see temperature variations.This can be achieved in one of two ways. The first is multiple systems. The second is a single system with dampers in the duct work to vary the air flow to each zone. The latter generally requires carefully designed duct work and may be problematic if trying to retrofit existing duct work. The Carrier Infinity system is an example of an intelligent system that supports multiple zones with a single airhandler/condenser.

Originally Posted by Retiring

When I was being shown around some new construction homes in TV, 3 of the 4 homes I was shown had a second heat pump dedicated to the master. I guess that’s how they’re handling that issue these days.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by Retiring

When I was being shown around some new construction homes in TV, 3 of the 4 homes I was shown had a second heat pump dedicated to the master. I guess that’s how they’re handling that issue these days.

I THINK that is only in Premier homes.

[Happinow]

We have the same thing. Our front bedroom is colder in the winter and warmer in the summer. We had HVAC people here and they tested the temp between the rooms and said it was within the limits of what is acceptable for how much air/heat was being put into that room. We didn't agree but didn't pursue. What could they do anyhow? It's only our guest room so it doesn't get used that often.

[outlaw]

Originally Posted by tuccillo

Nope, that won't address the issue. The problem, as I already stated, is that there is insufficient runtime to maintain the temperatures in the bedrooms on the periphery with the thermostat installed in the main living area. The bedrooms cool faster than the main living area. If the system isn't running because heat is not being called for by the thermostat it doesn't matter how many returns you have. The OP already stated that the room warms up OK.

It worked in my home. Guess my A/C didn't know any better.

[HiHoSteveO]

Originally Posted by tuccillo

Nope, that won't address the issue. The problem, as I already stated, is that there is insufficient runtime to maintain the temperatures in the bedrooms on the periphery with the thermostat installed in the main living area. The bedrooms cool faster than the main living area. If the system isn't running because heat is not being called for by the thermostat it doesn't matter how many returns you have. The OP already stated that the room warms up OK.

Thanks for responses so far.
The room does have a return vent in the ceiling and measurements by HVAC company show it is working properly. The main duct that feeds that area of the house was also replaced with a larger one. Other vents on that line partially closed by them to blow even more air to the cold room. No change. The room heats up just fine. It just cools down much too quickly. The rest of the house is OK but when you walk into that bedroom (office now) it's freezing on a cool (or cold) day. Although North facing, sunny or cloudy days make little difference. Home inspector checked with IR camera and no obvious problem with insulation.

It's a Lilac style house. Bedroom on the other end of house is fine. Similar outside wall exposure and similar glass area. Builder has asked what I thought was wrong. I hadn't considered a second zone being the solution.

[tuccillo]

So you claim. You might want to reread the OP. My home also has a cold bedroom and the issue is it has higher loss than the main living area where the thermostat is located. The system doesn't run enough to counter the heat loss. Pretty basic stuff.

Originally Posted by outlaw

It worked in my home. Guess my A/C didn't know any better.

[tuccillo]

I have essentially the same issue. All homes in my area have returns in each room (as they should). The front bedroom has 3 outside walls plus the front wall is covered with windows. Windows, even double pane, have low insulating value and the walls are pretty low also.The heatloss is greater than the main living area where the thermostat is located. When our system kicks on the room also warms quickly but the system runtimes are not very long and the room cools down quickly. I see about 4 degrees difference between the main area on a cold day, before the system kicks on. The volume/area ratio works against smaller rooms on the periphery.

Originally Posted by HiHoSteveO

Thanks for responses so far.
The room does have a return vent in the ceiling and measurements by HVAC company show it is working properly. The main duct that feeds that area of the house was also replaced with a larger one. Other vents on that line partially closed by them to blow even more air to the cold room. No change. The room heats up just fine. It just cools down much too quickly. The rest of the house is OK but when you walk into that bedroom (office now) it's freezing on a cool (or cold) day. Although North facing, sunny or cloudy days make little difference. Home inspector checked with IR camera and no obvious problem with insulation.

It's a Lilac style house. Bedroom on the other end of house is fine. Similar outside wall exposure and similar glass area. Builder has asked what I thought was wrong. I hadn't considered a second zone being the solution.

[mm1717]

Its an old problem that nobody wants to address !!!