Heat can be frustrating as you can have the melting feeling in the summer days due to heat and you can do nothing about it but sweat. The issue is that we should get help from the hot outdoors and it can be done by remaining inside, which can be unhelpful if you are losing cold air in your basement.
There are methods that can be used to prevent air conditioning from reaching the basement and supply the cold air to flow inside your home and cool down the rest of the rooms. It has a procedure in which you need to open or close the basement door selectively along with some windows and in some cases, use a vent or fan to get assistance with a ventilation system.
If you want to prevent cold air from filtering into your basement from the upper floors of your home, then you must close your basement door. If you want to circulate cold air from your basement, open the door that will help cool air to be pulled up from the basement into the whole house.
Shut Your Basement Door in Summer Season
It has a simple logic that follows the statement of hot air rising and cold air sinking. Even if the air pressure system is in balance which we are going to tell you in the next section, cold air from your air conditioning will sink passively.
If you want to stay in your basement, then, you do not need to close the door, keep it open to enjoy.
However, if you are facing the summer heat and trying to bear it in the rest of your house and not just keeping your dryer, washer or boxes of Christmas decorations cool, you must close the door in order to stop the cold air from traveling from the upper floors into the basement.
Door at the Bottom of the Stairs
If you have a basement door at the bottom of the stairs rather than at the top, a return vent installation will be helpful to stop the cold air from gathering at the foot of the stairs where it is useless for everyone.
A return vent would take that cold air from the base of the stairs and move it back into your air conditioning system, allowing you to shift the sinking air to your entire house, where you can get the most out of it.
Balance Your Air Pressure System
Every house is equipped with an air pressure system.
In the summer season, when you shut down all the windows and doors in order to prevent the air conditioner-cooled air from going outside, it is necessary to keep the system balanced. If you do not do it, then it will result in unwanted air movements.
Many people consider it a good choice to close their basement vents/registers while leaving the return air vent open.
The thinking behind it is that the cold air from the upper floor cannot reach the basement through the registers, but the cold basement air reaches the HVAC system and is taken upstairs.
However, as a result, the basement loses more air than it gets, resulting in a negative pressure system. Consequently, the air from outside and upstairs goes into the basement through any gap, crack or opening available there.
The main things you want to prevent are avoiding the cold air from upstairs to pull into the basement and hot air from outside reaching inside the house.
Additionally, if you entirely sever the basement from house air pressure system or the HVAC system, keeping everything closed, then your basement is without ventilation, which result in a lot of issues, especially when you are facing humid summers.
Dealing With No Basement Ventilation: Common Issues
Basements are prone to dampness problems and ventilation is the way to control the moisture levels in basements and avoid the tendency to become a serious issue. Unluckily, this can be hard to get, especially when ventilating a basement is not similar to opening a window.
Moisture-rich basements can boost the growth of mold and mildew rapidly, with a smorgasbord of bacteria.
The moist environment can also help the pests to make their nests, ranging from cockroaches to raccoons. It causes more common problems linked to these infestations such as unhygienic conditions from the waste produced and the damage will affect the equipment, appliances and structure.
Additionally, a health risk is also linked to it when there is no ventilation in a basement. The conditions caused by a lack of ventilation can trigger pulmonary and respiratory problems. The microbes from the organisms hosted in the basement will result in allergies, dyspnea, sinus issues and coughs.
They can contribute to pre-existing conditions including lupus or asthma and make the condition worse in your home.
Open the Door and Warm Cold Air Basement
Open two or so strategic windows at the highest point as well as the lowest points possible in order to move the cold basement air upwards.
These selective windows will create a natural airflow when you open them. By opening the basement doors, you are helping the air to come out of the basement to flow into other portions of the house. The hot air remaining high up will take cold air out from downstairs.
You can use a fan to boost this system that is available at the higher windows to allow the hot air to push out of the windows and boost the pulling of cold air from the basement.
A fan can also be used to move cold air from your basement and flow it into the whole house. You have to get the right type of fans and they must be installed properly, otherwise, this solution will not work.
In this case, the right kind of fans are high-velocity or window fans.
Suggestion: Consult an HVAC Specialist
If you are not able to get the HVAC and want to get the air pressure system right in your house, the ideal way to do it is by consulting a professional.
Local professionals are familiar with your area’s weather and know how can set up an HVAC system in the best way to face or handle that climate.
They can also look at your particular situation, such as the position of your house, taking its layout into account rather than providing generic solutions that may not work with your setup. Additionally, you may not have to bear this expense again. Once you are familiar with the system management, if you keep it that way without changing anything (adding range hoods/extractor fans), then you can do it yourself whenever the weather changes into summer or winter.
