Hi, I hope someone on here could offer me some advice. I have a California Economizer system (now Zonex) that was installed when my house was built in 1999. I cannot find the model anywhere on anything. When I bought the house last year (2010) the home inspector noticed that the past owner had propped open one of the 2 main ducts. He suggested in his report that I ask that the owners take out the stick that was propping it open so that it could function correctly. I wish I would have caught on then that something was wrong and there was a *reason* it was being propped open!!
Flash forward 6 months, and winter hits (the AC was fine all summer). There is no heat downstairs. (It's a two level house, 2100 sf, bedrooms upstairs, living areas downstairs, no basement, on a slab, one HVAC unit). I call a heating and air company. They say that they don't work on Zonex, but that they think a circuit board is bad and thus the 2nd duct isn't opening correctly. I call Zonex, I order the exact circuit board in question, the company comes back out, says it won't control the duct, and charges me to not install it (!). I then call a 2nd company, who comes out and says they don't know whats wrong either, but they could install a whole new Honeywell zone system for xxx (LOTS!), and replace the main ducts and both sensors for the thermostats. I don't have that much extra money at the moment, unfortunately. (I just bought a house!)
So I got through last winter with the use of the gas fireplace downstairs. But now I'm approaching winter number two in my house, and I have to figure out what to do so that there is heat downstairs. I know that the cathedral ceiling in the living room is keeping it from being super warm, but the whole downstairs is so cold -- and it seems that both companies I've called can't diagnose the problem. I am thinking possibly there is a blocked duct? All the ducts in the attic are flexible ducts, and they are held up by nylon straps. It looks like a spaceship in the attic -- ducts *everywhere!* Also, I can't figure out why the old owners would have the duct they had propped open, as apparently its the upstairs duct (and the upstairs gets heat and air fine, and the duct will open fine).
Both sensors will come on, but nothing seems to make heat come out downstairs (AC didn't really come out downstairs either, but since cold air falls it was fine all summer). You can feel the tiniest bit of airflow, but it's just not coming out the way it needs to to give heat to downstairs.
Any advice on what to do -- or what direction to point the HVAC people to? Thank you so much!
Flash forward 6 months, and winter hits (the AC was fine all summer). There is no heat downstairs. (It's a two level house, 2100 sf, bedrooms upstairs, living areas downstairs, no basement, on a slab, one HVAC unit). I call a heating and air company. They say that they don't work on Zonex, but that they think a circuit board is bad and thus the 2nd duct isn't opening correctly. I call Zonex, I order the exact circuit board in question, the company comes back out, says it won't control the duct, and charges me to not install it (!). I then call a 2nd company, who comes out and says they don't know whats wrong either, but they could install a whole new Honeywell zone system for xxx (LOTS!), and replace the main ducts and both sensors for the thermostats. I don't have that much extra money at the moment, unfortunately. (I just bought a house!)
So I got through last winter with the use of the gas fireplace downstairs. But now I'm approaching winter number two in my house, and I have to figure out what to do so that there is heat downstairs. I know that the cathedral ceiling in the living room is keeping it from being super warm, but the whole downstairs is so cold -- and it seems that both companies I've called can't diagnose the problem. I am thinking possibly there is a blocked duct? All the ducts in the attic are flexible ducts, and they are held up by nylon straps. It looks like a spaceship in the attic -- ducts *everywhere!* Also, I can't figure out why the old owners would have the duct they had propped open, as apparently its the upstairs duct (and the upstairs gets heat and air fine, and the duct will open fine).
Both sensors will come on, but nothing seems to make heat come out downstairs (AC didn't really come out downstairs either, but since cold air falls it was fine all summer). You can feel the tiniest bit of airflow, but it's just not coming out the way it needs to to give heat to downstairs.
Any advice on what to do -- or what direction to point the HVAC people to? Thank you so much!
