Why Your Upstairs Is Hot Every July in Utah
Duct leakage, attic radiant gain, and stack effect — a practical troubleshooting order for two-story homes.
Start with the attic: ducts in vented attics cook. Then look at return air paths and bedroom door closure — starved returns mimic cooling problems. Radiant gain through the roof deck makes upstairs stats worse even when airflow is “fine.”
We use thermal scans to separate duct issues from envelope issues. Fixing leakage at the ceiling plane often drops upstairs delta-T before you buy a bigger AC.