I have a large 4 bedroom ranch home. The two smaller bedrooms never get as cool as rest of home. Master bedroom is cold enough to hang meat. Return and thermostat are in hallway. Can I close vents in bathrooms, closet, laundry area to help cool those two small bedrooms?
Will closing vents in closet and bathrooms help cool other areas better
hvac
Related Solutions
Go to any big box store and get some 6" flexible insulated duct (this pic shows black sheathing on the outside, but it's often made of shiny reflective mylar):
And a couple of 6" boots, one for each end:
Use aluminum HVAC tape or a large band clamp or zip tie to connect the inner sleeve of the duct to the boots, then use another layer of tape to seal up the insulated layer and prevent it from sliding around. Cut holes in the ceiling to match the rectangular boot opening, keeping one long edge of each hole flush to a ceiling joist. Then take your duct assembly up into the attic and insert the boots into each hole. You can just leave the flexible duct lying on top of the ceiling joists. Back downstairs, use small nails (with heads, not finish nails) to nail through the inside of the boot opening into the side of the adjacent ceiling joist. Then install a couple of register grilles and you're done!
The room in question is fairly large and has several heat loss factors. Not withstanding the fact that the room sits on the cold basement floor, has large windows etc., the main problem is that the temp in the room is not thermostatically controlled properly. The only thermostat and heat zone is on the main floor and controls heat based on temps in the main living space. Your typically closed bedrooms and lower level rooms will never heat or cool at the same temps as the room the thermostat is monitoring. If you really want to have accurate temp control, it may be necessary to install zones. One zone for open living areas (kitchen, dining, living spaces) , a zone for bedrooms, and a separate zone for the office level. Without separate zones, you cannot monitor and adjust temps in the areas isolated from the living space.
Best Answer
Yes, this will work, but it could be hard on the furnace blower motor if you close too many vents.
I actually do this in my tri-level home - during the summer I close some of the vents on the lower levels so more cool air makes it upstairs, and in the winter I close vents on the upper levels so the lower levels aren't as cold.