So there is a pretty good chance I am moving into a house that does not have central A/C. It has a forced air furnace, but no A/C.
Is there something I can do for temporary A/C until I can get central air installed? I know I can get a couple window units, but how does one figure out how big of one they need?
What about those units that stand in the middle of the room and has a dryer style vent hose going to a plastic piece that fits in your window?
Thanks in advance
it's a BTU to sq/ft to cool...
I didn't have a good experience with the "portable" unit and ended up returning it
another option is the dual split units... but at that point it's much more of a permo unit option
Roughly, 5000btu will cool a small bedroom. Past that?
I'll leave this, thanks to Home Depot.
Buy a cheapy for the bedroom and the biggest one you can afford/power for the living room.
This is what window a/c units are perfect for. The roll around ones are noisier and a lot more expensive.
When I needed some I looked on Craigslist and found someone selling three for one price at a good deal. I bought them and they lasted me the couple years I needed them to and I gave them away (still working) when I moved out.
Careful with the really big units - they won't fit in all windows and they sometimes have the 15amp plug (one sideways blade) on them. One "Medium sized" a/c unit took care of my downstairs just fine, and one small one took care of my bedroom.
buy window one for bedroom and only use that room if it's unbearably hot enough to need AC. like above 75
Ok, so window units are obviously the way to go, so I could purchase some box fans or oscillating fans to help push some of the cold air into other rooms.
SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote: Ok, so window units are obviously the way to go, so I could purchase some box fans or oscillating fans to help push some of the cold air into other rooms.
You are going to have to have find a window AC with some crazy output for it to be enough to cool multiple rooms. I would use the fans at night to blow in cool air from outside and save some power.
How big a house is it? Does it have good shade? How old is it, and how well built?
If it is a small house with good shade and decent insulation, you'll probably be able to get away with a small window unit in the bedroom, and a small unit in the living room and/or kitchen.
patgizz wrote: ...unbearably hot enough to need AC. like above 75
huh!?
Is this a humidity thing?
mtn wrote: How big a house is it? Does it have good shade? How old is it, and how well built? If it is a small house with good shade and decent insulation, you'll probably be able to get away with a small window unit in the bedroom, and a small unit in the living room and/or kitchen.
It was built in the 1880s. The inside was gutted and redone at some point, so I imagine the insulation is more modern. All new windows and doors were put in a few years ago. The house is pretty solid.
It is a two floor house, their are two bedrooms and a loft upstairs. Downstairs there is a small livingroom, a large dining room, a large kitchen and another bedroom.
The house has partial shade, not much really, so I'm thinking I may get a descent one for the kitchen, a small one in the livingroom, and small one for the bedroom.
What's the average humidity? I use swamp coolers in my shop made out of Chicago electric 2spd fan, a paint tray full of water, some bolts and a shammy cloth.
You can do a lot with an old house by opening it up at night and keeping the hot air out in the day, even in a humid area. The mass of the building helps. Add in a ceiling fan in the bedroom and you'll be amazed.
SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote: It was built in the 1880s. The inside was gutted and redone at some point, so I imagine the insulation is more modern. All new windows and doors were put in a few years ago. The house is pretty solid. It is a two floor house, their are two bedrooms and a loft upstairs. Downstairs there is a small livingroom, a large dining room, a large kitchen and another bedroom. The house has partial shade, not much really, so I'm thinking I may get a descent one for the kitchen, a small one in the livingroom, and small one for the bedroom.
3 seems somewhat overkill to me. Without knowing the exact layout, I'd imagine you would be fine with one in the bedroom and one in the Kitchen OR Living room. Also ask yourself which room you would be spending more time in.
Also, half of it is keeping the heat out. Put in good blinds and drapes. My girlfriends place last year with crappy insulation and crappier windows was MUCH easier to keep cool after I put up cardboard wrapped in aluminum foil in the windows, then taped plastic wrap around the window sill (normally done in winter). That was the ghetto cheap college solution for a cheaply built place; you could likely get by with just good drapes.
I have two 5600 window units , one downstairs, the other up. They do a satisfactory job here in upstate NY. Before they are needed I use a window fan to draw the cool night air in. Ceiling fans help.
I also forgot to mention that my wife has asthma. So humidity for her can be a help or a burden. Generally we try to keep the house as humidity free as possible.
I needed to do something last year while my wife was laid up. We had a 5oo in the bedroom and added a 7800 to the living room. We used ceiling fans and box fans to keep the air moving and it kept the house comfortable. I ordered it on Amazon and got free shipping, and when it got delivered she tipped the guy and he set it down right at the window.
Keith Tanner wrote: Add in a ceiling fan in the bedroom and you'll be amazed.
This!!!! It is amazing what a ceiling fan blowing over your bed will do!!!
A 5000 Btu/hr window unit in your bedroom will be enough, as long as it's less than 20 feet on a side.
Don't air-condition the whole house. You can get used to being hot in the rest of the house fairly readily; it's just falling asleep that's the problem.
Cross-ventilation helps a lot, as does out-the-top ventilation. Attic windows need to be wide open, as it'll usually broil you otherwise. If you can feel warmth through the door to the attic staircase you need an attic fan.
aircooled wrote: huh!? Is this a humidity thing?
I don't know about anybody else, but anything above the 22*C mark I would count as "unbearably" hot to sleep. I'm pretty picky about my sleeping temp. Too cool is fine since you have blankets, but too warm is truly "unbearable".
HiTempguy wrote:aircooled wrote: huh!? Is this a humidity thing?I don't know about anybody else, but anything above the 22*C mark I would count as "unbearably" hot to sleep. I'm pretty picky about my sleeping temp. Too cool is fine since you have blankets, but too warm is truly "unbearable".
That, I grew up in a wood heated home, so I prefer being a bit cold than working hard to keep the fire hot and sweat very easily.
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