Why Is The Upper Floor Of Your Business Too Hot?

It seems to happen every summer. The air conditioning on the ground floor of your business stays comfortable, but the upper floor seems to have very little air conditioning.

This could result from a variety of issues working in conjunction or a single problem that is blunting the effectiveness of your commercial air conditioning system.

If you have decided to finally address the issue, you may get lucky and just need some simple filter replacements or diffuser cleaning; however, you should be prepared to spend some money if a more complex issue is causing the problem.

The good, bad, and ugly possible causes of temperature variations between floors?

The good: dirty filters and/or diffusers or balancing issues

While it is likely that your entire air conditioning system was installed at the same time, that may not be the case if the building was modified or expanded in the past.

Likewise, if multiple businesses have inhabited various spaces in previous years, they may have had maintenance such as filter changes and diffuser cleaning performed on an accelerated schedule because of the nature of the business.

This means that some filters and diffusers may be dirtier than others and require cleaning or replacement for more consistent performance.

This is relatively good, because it is the least expensive possibility for your upper floor heat wave.

If your air conditioning system is improperly balanced, the flow of air will not be consistent. An HVAC service contractor can balance the system to improve the flow to the upper floors.

This is also a good thing because balancing your system is relatively inexpensive compared to other issues.

The bad: inadequately insulated roof 

A poorly insulated roof is not related to your air conditioning system, but it can cause the upper floor of your business to absorb additional heat from the roof, especially if the roof is black.

A black asphalt roof will both absorb the sun's rays and retain the heat. If the space between the roof and working space is poorly insulated, much of the heat can transfer into the upper floor of the building.

This will require additional insulation as well as covering the roof with a reflective coating that reflects the heat from the sun instead of absorbing it.

The ugly: improperly sized ductwork

If the contractor that installed the system used duct that was too small to handle the air flow, the upper floor will be particularly affected because it is farthest from the central unit.

This is the most labor intensive and thus expensive possibility because the old ductwork, hidden begin walls and ceilings, will need to be torn out and replaced.

An HVAC contractor from a company like Associated Mechanical Contractors, Inc. can determine the issues that may be causing the top floor of your business to become a sauna in the summertime and provide an estimate of the cost to alleviate the problem.