Case Study: Multi-Zone HVAC Keeps All Three Floors Comfortable

Case Study: Multi-Zone HVAC Keeps All Three Floors Comfortable - Ocean City, NJ

Multi-Zone HVAC Keeps All Three Floors Comfortable – Ocean City, NJ


Problem: Rooms in an Ocean City, NJ, home were always too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter. And, the third floor didn’t have any heating or cooling at all.

Solution: Replaced the old heater with two Bryant furnaces. Replaced the AC condenser with two Bryant Coast Guard-Protected outdoor condensers for multiple zones. Added a ductless mini split on the third floor for two more zones. Now, each part of the house gets the exact heating and cooling it needs. 


Bryant Systems From Broadley’s

The owners of a beautiful three-story Ocean City, NJ, house wanted their home to finally feel as good as it looked! They had a conventional furnace and air conditioner set up, but it wasn’t strong enough to cover the whole house. And, there were no ducts and vents on the third floor. 

As a result, many rooms on the second floor had hot spots in the summer and cold pockets in the winter. On top of that, the temperature upstairs was always different than the first floor. 

It’s a common concern for almost any home. But, with the thermostat regulating the system based on the temperature on the first floor, the second-story rooms never got the right treatments. 

Then, having no heating and cooling on the third floor made the problem worse. With no treatment up there, it was always much hotter or colder than the floors below it. That throws off the balance for the rest of the house. 

Our homeowner went with a multi-zone system. Instead of one thermostat, one furnace, and one AC treating the entire home, they’d get a separate system for each floor. 

The first two floors would each still use conventional gas heat and AC condensers. Since there was no ductwork on the third floor, they went with a ductless mini split. It provided excellent comfort without requiring extra construction. And it helps keep the energy bills low. 

With this strategy, our Ocean City, NJ, homeowners are more comfortable in every single room of the house — including some that never got any heating or cooling at all! 

In this case study, we’ll cover:

  • Why One Furnace And AC Wasn’t Enough
  • Benefits Of “Zoned” Heating And Cooling 
  • Adding A Ductless Mini Split To The Third Floor
  • Heater, Central Air, And Ductless Installation In Ocean City, NJ

Broadley’s can make your shore house, rental property, or year-round South Jersey home more comfortable than ever with a customized heating and cooling system that meets your exact needs. Call or email us today for a free consultation! 

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Why One Furnace And AC Wasn’t Enough

This Is One Of The Condensers We Added To Create Zoned Comfort

Here’s a problem we often see in larger homes such as this one: When the temperature is different in various parts of the house, then a conventional setup with one thermostat controlling a single heat and AC system won’t do the job. 

The big problem is that a single thermostat only measures the temperature for the room where it’s located. If that room is hotter or cooler than, say, the second floor, it won’t provide additional heating and cooling to those rooms. 

Differences like that are common. In the winter, heat rises to the top of the house and escapes through any leak or opening available. In the summer, the heat rising gets trapped on the third floor when it meets the heat coming from the sun beating down on the roof. 

And, as we mentioned, no heating or cooling on the third floor made the problem worse.

Fortunately, there was a good solution. And, it didn’t involve a whole lot of construction. 

Read More: Heating And Cooling Is Important When House-Hunting. Here’s Why.

Benefits Of “Zoned” Heating And Cooling

We solved our homeowner’s problem by breaking up the heating and cooling into four zones. Now, the first, second, and third floors each have separate thermostats and heating and cooling supplies (we added two zones on the third floor — more on that later). 

In this case, the best solution was two conventional furnace and AC setups on the first and second story, respectively. This way, our homeowner could use the existing ductwork while getting more control over each floor. 

Regardless of what’s happening on the first floor, the second floor now has its heat and AC that kicks on and off as needed. 

And, with ductless heating and cooling, we turned a potential problem on the third floor into a significant upgrade. 

Case Study; High-Efficiency Water Heater And Furnace Installation

Adding A Ductless Mini Split To The Third Floor

A Mitsubishi Ductless Mini Split Solved The Issues On The Third Floor

With no ductwork on the third floor, we needed a different approach for that part of the house. Adding ductwork is expensive, messy, and takes up a lot of room. Instead, we installed a two-zone ductless mini split. It offers incredible comfort without — as the name suggests — using ducts and vents. 

Instead of a traditional furnace or AC that moves air from one place to another, the mini split uses an outdoor heat pump to transfer heat from one place to another. 

You can read more here about the technical side of how it works. But, the end result is that we only need to run a few small lines from the outdoor unit to the air handlers inside. 

And, each wall-mounted unit has a built-in thermostat. That’s how we ended up with two more zones: each indoor unit controls its space independently of the others. 

Case Study; Ductless Mini Split Cools A Bedroom With High Ceilings

Finally, ductless mini splits are whisper-quiet and use very little energy. That means our homeowners will hardly see any increase in their energy bills, even now that they’re creating more space. 

Read More: What Does A Ductless Mini Split Cost?

Heater, Central Air, And Ductless Installation In South Jersey

Whether your South Jersey  home needs a conventional heater and central air, or if you’re interested in a state-of-the-art ductless installation, Broadley’s has you covered! We’ve served Marmora, Ocean City, Avalon, and other Atlantic and Cape May towns for more than a century. Reach out today for your free consultation!

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