Hi all. I have a 2 storey, ~1200 sq ft home in a hot climate. I have a single HVAC unit...central air and ductwork, electric AC/heat. There is no zoning to the system. The thermostat is downstairs.

Everything is great in the winter months. But in the summer months, the upstairs is absolutely stifling. I don't have a thermostat upstairs, but it feels like it stays at least 10 degrees hotter than downstairs. I get that hot air rises, but considering the bedrooms are upstairs, it makes things unbearable.

My HVAC air handler and condenser are from 2008, so they are rather old and I'm likely to have to replace them soon. When I do so, I want to figure out how to keep the upstairs more comfortable.

Before I start asking companies for quotes, I want to figure out what I'm doing first. Some things I've come across...

1. Install something like a Nest system with a remote temperature sensor. Place the temperature sensor upstairs and have the Nest use that to figure out when to cycle the AC on instead of the downstairs thermostat. I could install something like this myself instead of needing an HVAC company, though it isn't necessary very efficient.

2. Consult with an HVAC company about having dampers/a zoning system installed. From what I've read online, it seems like people are saying this isn't really financially worth it. But if I'm at the point where I want a new system anyway, would it make sense?

3. Window AC units are an obvious "solution", but I can't have them due to the HOA.

4. I have read of suggestions of people saying to close the vents downstairs in the summer, but it seems like this is bad advice, as supposedly it will stress your HVAC and cause it to fail prematurely.

Edit: Just found a new one...setting the fan on the thermostat to "on" instead of "auto". Although some people seem to warn of mold growth.

Would love to hear any and all suggestions. Thanks!

Hi all.

This happened several months back as well in June. However, at the time, I had an incredibly old water heater that had not been serviced. I replaced it due to its incredibly advanced age (not due to the smell) and the smell eventually went away.

But this week I noticed my water has suddenly developed the same smell again. However, my new water heater is only a few months old. Surely it doesn't need to be serviced already? It is still outputting very hot water. I have it set to 130F, which is above the temperature that it was set at by default. (I think when I got it, it was set to 120F at first, which I found too cold. So I upped it not long after).

ALL faucets and things with a water supply within the home (ex toilets) exhibit the smell when the water is running. It is not limited to one spigot, floor, or room. Hot water makes it worse (as in showering), but I still notice it with cold water (as in flushing the toilet or room temp water from the tap...I can't get my water super cold where I live though).

The smell reminds me of when I used to swim in a lake or pond. It doesn't smell like sewage and it doesn't smell like fish, but it is not overly pleasant.

Is there a way I can investigate this easily enough without hiring a plumber? And how can I tell if it's safe to drink.

I have city water, NOT well water.

Thanks all.

I know this is a cleaning request than a home improvement one, but I would appreciate some advice.

Some months back I moved into a place where the only carpet is located on a staircase. The carpet is thick and maybe considered to be medium to high pile??

The entire time I've lived here, I've struggled to figure out how to clean the damn stairs. The carpeting seems to be a magnet for every particle of dirt and strand of hair.

I have a full size vacuum with a hose. The hose doesn't actually seem to vacuum up anything from the stairs and the main part of the vacuum is too large to use. So the vacuum does fuck all for it.

I'm thinking I maybe need to use something like a wire bristle brush and a lint roller to actually remove dirt and hair??? Is there a best methodology for something like this?

Also of note...I was gifted a Bissell Crosswave recently. It doesn't seem like it would work well on thick carpeting, but I'm wondering if there's a technique where I could maybe use it for that???

I appreciate any advice! Thanks!

Somewhere within the last few updates, it seems that haptic feedback has been added to whenever you swipe over a post.

I know a lot of Apple users were asking for this, but I really don't like it as an Android user who doesn't have haptic feedback for apps normally. It's annoying for my phone to be vibrating every 2 seconds when I'm doing things. Is there no option to turn it off?

Thanks! Loving the work you guys do!

I moved into a place with one very hazy window screen that is difficult to see through.

I have tried scrubbing it with a brush with soapy water and blasting it with the hose. But I cannot get rid of the hard material buildup. I even tried dipping a brush in CLR and scrubbing the screen.

When I Google how to clean a window screen, I just run across people telling me to do what I already tried. But I think the people touting these methods simply have screens with dirt in them.

This doesn't seem like simple dirt buildup. I enclosed a close up photo of what it looks like.

I bet if I poked all of the holes individually with a toothpick I could clean it, but that would take eons. Any advice? Thanks.