Sometimes low-tech is just safer, even if it’s not perfect.
I get wanting to keep things simple, but honestly, if you’re having that much temp difference between rooms, there’s probably an airflow issue or something up with your ductwork. Cracking doors only helps so much. Might be worth checking if your vents are balanced or if something’s blocking the return. Towels and cracked doors are more of a band-aid than a fix in my experience.
Towels and cracked doors are more of a band-aid than a fix in my experience.
Yeah, I tried the towel trick and just ended up tripping over it at 2am. Not worth it. I’m with you—if the temp’s that off, something’s probably up with the vents or returns. I keep worrying about what’s hiding in my ductwork... but I’d rather deal with that than keep sweating in one room and freezing in another.
Had a customer once who swore by shoving blankets under his bedroom door, but the temp difference was still wild—like, 10 degrees off. Ever notice if your vents are super dusty or rattling? Sometimes it’s just a damper stuck half-closed or a return that’s blocked by some random box in the attic. I’m always surprised by what gets lost in those ducts... one time it was a toy car causing all the weird airflow. Makes me wonder, have you ever checked inside yours?
Blankets under the door always seemed like a band-aid to me—never really fixes the root problem. I’ve pulled apart more than a few vent covers and found everything from dust bunnies to, once, a petrified sandwich (don’t ask). People underestimate how much a blocked return or a half-closed damper can mess with airflow. I’d also check if the ductwork’s insulated—sometimes it’s just bleeding heat or cold into the attic. It’s wild how much difference a little attention to the ducts can make.
People underestimate how much a blocked return or a half-closed damper can mess with airflow.
That’s the truth. I once found a return vent stuffed with old magazines—no idea how they got there, but it basically turned the whole upstairs into a meat locker. Ever checked if your returns are actually pulling air, or just sitting there looking pretty? Sometimes folks forget about the filter behind those too...
