Man I feel for my girlfriend. After a nice dinner we go back to her place and it was HOT! (and I don't mean between us). It was 10 PM and over 80 in her house. The sad part is I had her AC checked today and there is nothing wrong with it (or so they say). So what can we do? I read the MSN tips but I am not sure they can provide the relief she needs. I really feel sorry for her dog and cat. Any poor man (or woman) suggestions out there?
What kind of aircon is it? Maybe not enough horse power for the room space. During desperate times get one of those standup fans
If rental unit you probably would not want to install ceiling fans but they really help. A wet wash rag around neck also helps.
Also, if she's living in a safe area she can open the windows at night to let the cool air in and then close them in the morning before it heats up again.
Here's a few tips from being a homeowner over the years. If the house has a basement or a lower level (2 level house or backslpit) close all of the vents on the lowest levels. Now, by closing them I don't just mean flipping the toggle on the vent, get your screwdriver, take the vent off and stuff some old towels in there. You need to STOP the airflow not just reduce it. You can also buy those magnetic vent covers from your local home store but nothing is as effective as shoving a towel or rag in the vent, usually about 2 feet into the duct. Give the ducts 6-8 hours to equalize and you will see a dramatic increase to the upper level of the house. As cold air falls there is no reason to have any basement vents open in the summer. Also, install a ceiling fan on the highest level of the house, usually in a bedroom and keep it on medium speed in reverse. This will create a negative pressure in the house and actually pull the cold air that falls down to the main floors back up and maintain a good constant temp in the house. If your central air unit is set at around 21C (not sure the the Farenheight is) and the house is not cold then check your filter or replace it and make sure your fan in the furnace is clean. Turn the furnace off and grab a flashlight, take the bottom cover off and look for the silver cylinder at the bottom. Most of the fans have fins on them, check the fins and make sure they are not clogged with dust, pethair etc. You'd be surprised to see what collects in these things and what they send back into the air in your house. If they are clogged disconnect the fan. It usually sits on rails, unbolt it and take it outside and spray the sucker off with a high pressure stram of water. Let dry and replace it back. If none of this works then either think about calling a HVAC pro or moving to the arctic circle till it cools down. Good luck. Cheers from a do it yerselfer, Bruiser
she is staying here tonight. Aren't i a nice guy? the AC guy came and didn't even look under the house. I definitely need to check the ducts under the house and the fan thing talked about. Man it is getting a lot hotter.