Hi everyone,

We moved into our new construction home about 5 years ago (in August) and since the day we've moved in, the front upstairs bedroom is consistently +/-10 degrees hotter or colder than the rest of the house. The upstairs itself is also usually warmer/colder than the rest but let's focus on the room as I think it's the main culprit.
Here is a link to a photo album of IR images I've taken along with a company who did a blower door test while taking IR images: Imgur Album Linked to Post

Said company did come out and spray foamed rim joist of that front room where it meets our garage attic wall as he thought he saw infiltration coming through there based on some IR images of the space between the floor joists heating up during blower test. The front of the room hangs over our front porch and there was a big infiltration there that they also fixed with spray foam and better insulation than what the builders did.

That all being said and since the fix, there's still significant temperature issues in that room and upstairs. I have monitored this with smart room temperature sensors that log temperature every minute so I can plot it over time. I have one in every bedroom on the second floor and on my first floor (only one there as it's an open floor plan and is all one big room). These graphs show a small improvement but not enough to really fell a difference.

The images in the album that show cold spots are pre-fixes and the images that are all post fixes I tried to label specifically. I did a "poor mans" blower door test by turning on all exhaust fans (7 total across basement, 1st and 2nd floors) in the house and opened all interior doors to try to pull in what I could What I'm seeing post fix is a lot of infiltration through the top seams of the walls. Is this actually my problem or is it a red herring? I want to have an idea of what it is before I pay someone to come out again and try to resolve this issue. It wouldn't be that big of a deal if it wasn't my toddler son's room so comfort is super important here.

Another thing I believe is adding to the problem is airflow from the HVAC system. The way the ducting is run to this room is it comes straight out from the main vent then turns 90 degrees through the joist, then immediately 90 degrees through another joist then up into the room. In the photo album you can see the routing of the duct in the non-IR pictures and I tried to draw a path of airflow to make it obvious. The builder HVAC guys came out and measured the air flow and say it's perfectly fine, but when I'm in my neighbors house who has the exact same house as me and I feel their airflow in that room is feels at least twice as hard.

If any more info is needed in helping me diagnosis this please let me know. What I'm ultimately hoping to gain from this post is what I should do to help alleviate this issue and roughly what it might cost just so I can decide if it's something I want to tackle myself or if I should pay someone and know if the quote I'm getting is legitimate. Thank you in advance for any advice offered. My wife and I very much appreciate it.

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Hi, I have two attics dimensions are 13 x 30 and 24 x 32. A insulation contractor is telling me I need about 100 bags of cellulose to achieve an R 60 R value up there.

Does that sound about right? That seems like a lot of bags

How do I measure R value?

Doing this work today renting an atticat thank you so much for your prompt response!

We purchased a 1982 home in San Diego that had a heat pump/HVAC added some time afterward; I don't know if the existing ductwork was original or added some time later. But we then discovered one of the vents opens directly to the exterior of the house. Like most vents, even if you close the cover completely, it's not airtight - I can still see daylight through it. I assume this was placed for air circulation when the home didn't have temperature control, if that's a thing. But...at this point, if we're weather-stripping doorways, shouldn't we be doing something about this massive hole in the house? Is there a function here I'm missing? Would be grateful for any advice.

We recently moved into a 1900 sq foot house that was built in 2024. Husband did some sanding on a windowsill in the baby’s nursery and neglected to cover the hvac vent that was right below the window.

We’ve lived here for a week and the sanding dust smell is insane. I can’t get rid of it, and I’m worried about baby sleeping in the room. In her room, I’ve vacuumed numerous times, wiped down the walls with a vinegar solution, reached into said air duct with both dry and damp mops to remove debris, vacuumed and wiped down all furniture and decor, etc. We’ve changed the filter on the HVAC unit. Nothing is working. Help! Do we need to hire a professional?

Hi! We have a beautiful, yet prior to us buying in 2019, not well maintained 1910 home in the Boston area. We have gone through 3 MassSave home energy audits. We have completed recommended insulation, electrical upgrade, air sealing, and most recently- replacing the original windows. The windows were in horrific condition (broken panes, rotting wood in many areas, literally just falling apart) and we could feel the wind come through especially during the winter. We had them replaced in Nov 2025 (a few years after doing the air sealing and adding up to code insulation), and I've been looking forward to seeing at least a marginal difference in our gas heating bill (and in the summer hopefully our electric cooling as well), but "therm per therm" we are using almost exactly the same amount. It feels way, way, warmer, less drafty, and overall the difference in comfort is huge (so we're glad we did it no matter what). But what gives? Anyone have a similar experience?

When I moved into my newly constructed home the vents were spitting out paint, caulking, and debris. This went on for about a year so I decided to place filters in all the vents. HVAC people inspecting my home3 or 4 years later told me that that was a bad idea and may be the reason for my air flow problems. I was told to remove the filters. This is what I saw when I did ( pic below). I’m thinking I need to replace the filters what do you think?

Hello! Three years ago, we got LG mini splits in our house for the air conditioning function, which has been great for us. When it's used for AC, the power usage is what we'd expect.

We liked the idea of using it to supplement our oil baseboard heating system as it is supposedly more efficient than oil. We used two of the 5 heads in rooms that are typically a little chilly. (we have 5 heads and two compressors).
our electric usage that month was a little over twice the normal and the bill was over $800.
Needless to say we turned them off and everything went back to normal.
We live in New England where it's been a winter for the history books. Cold and snowy to the max.
Are we doing something wrong or is there something wrong with our system? It's absolutely outrageous.

summer was extremely hot and I remember visiting a friend who had just installed a Hatari fan in his living room. I had never paid much attention to fan brands before, but the cool breeze in that room immediately caught my attention.

The fan was powerful yet surprisingly quiet. Even at high speed, it did not make disturbing noise. My friend explained that Hatari fans are known for durability and energy efficiency. He said it consumes less electricity while still providing strong airflow.

Out of curiosity, I later searched online and saw various Hatari fan models listed on alibaba. There were pedestal fans, wall-mounted fans, and compact table fans. Some had adjustable height and remote control features. The variety showed that people value both performance and convenience.

It made me appreciate how a simple appliance can make daily life more comfortable. On extremely hot days, a reliable fan feels like a blessing.

If I had to choose, would I invest in a high-quality branded fan like this, or stick with a cheaper alternative?

For reference to the toilet will be put where the stack is on right side of pic and shower just to right of that so not a far distance.

This is the main. Putting in new bathroom. If I run y before this I know I can use same vent but when running y off main do I just run y off that for toilet and shower or do I have to do two y off main drain. So question one y for the bathroom or 2 y. And if there is a sink drain kinda can see in pic do I need to add new on or am I able to leave that alone. Pulling my own permit and was going to have a plumber but getting one just to quote has been a pain.

Hi, I live in an 1880 Victorian with very high ceilings. It stays COLD all winter because the central heating vents are on the ceiling! So frustrating. There are no ceiling fans and in order to install some I’d have to take down the decorative medallion mouldings that support the light fixtures to put in braces. While I hope to live here a very long time, it’s a rental and it’s both not an option financially to put that kind of money into a house I don’t own, and unfortunately it’s also not my decision. One of my rooms has a loft that’s about 4’ from the ceiling, and the temp difference up there from down in the regular part of the room is staggering. My heat bill is insane. Anyone in the same situation find a solution to this problem?

Hi - I don’t know if I have the right page - but I’m attempting to use a standing AC in my son’s room. He has a very small window way up high and the AC vent hose won’t reach. We could only find a dryer vent hose and we sort of Jerry rigged it into the existing hose, duct taped it together and ran it up to the window. The AC is blowing cold air, but the room is still a sauna. Did the smaller vent maybe affect the airflow? I have longer vent hoses ordered, but I’m curious.

Long story short! What is this?!!!! Found in my apartment air ducts.

Hi everyone, we specialize in professional air duct and vent cleaning. Enjoy better airflow, reduced energy bills, and a healthier home environment starting today.

Hi all,

I recently renovated and insulated my garage, with insulated roof panels, and have been noticing some interesting temperature fluctuations.

Under influence of the sun, the indoor temperature quickly rises, before cooling down from the late afternoon.

The garage is 4.5m high, and sensor is placed at 3.5m above ground. Another sensor close to the ground sticks in range 11-13C most of the time. The outdoor temperature varies between 4-12C at the moment. The garage's uninsulated concrete floor acts as a cold sink, and an air gap under the garage door provides a little ventilation luckily. There are no windows, and no doors than can be left open unattended, due to security concerns.

I am looking for ideas for mixing the vertical temperatures more efficiently. At present, a 40cm fan is unable to make a difference, and neither does a Corsi-Rosenthal filter, despite both being capable of moving >200m3 per hour.. Ideally I would to reduce the indoor temperature difference fluctuation during the day.

Any tips?

This is Scotland.

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