AC - Air Conditioning

[ocnbrze]

thanks guys for your thoughts and suggestions. i'm gonna do some research next weekend. i plan on getting an estimate on some ideas from an AC guy. maybe it just needs some maintenance as i can't remember the last time we had somebody over to service our AC unit. or if the ducts just needs cleaning. and i will see if i can install a window ac unit with my shudders or if just putting it into the wall would be better.

i'll keep you guys posted.

 

[puppykickr]

all good points. i will probably do this as a project for next weekend. i will look into the ducts and see if there is buildup somewhere.

and i agree my tanks are what my room temp is more or less, especially in the summer time. in the winter the aquarium heaters kick in to keep it at 78 degrees or so........if i can get the heat issue squared away, i really do not have to worry about my tank temps.


i have a ceiling fan but it is stuck on medium speed, so it does distribute the air. i do keep my door open during the day. i think if i get a better ceiling fan installed that can circulate the air better, it will help a lot.


modify? i guess that will depend on the price.....LOL

my door stays pretty much open all day, as my dog sleeps in my room so i leave it open for him.

i think if i'm going to mount something into a wall i prefer it to be a small ac unit. it might be slightly more expensive, but would most definitely be more efficient at cooling my room down.

Well, no, probably not.
A vent with a fan that can move air out is really cheap, and simple to install.
Outdoors or in the attic all that would be visible is a louvered box about the size of a dryer vent.
The louvers open and close when the fan is on or off, and you wrap the flexible vent pipe with insulating tape (everything usually comes in the kit).

An AC unit is one of the largest power consuming devices in a household, often more expensive to run than an electric space heater in the winter.

 

[puppykickr]

 

[ocnbrze]

@puppykickr alright i will add that to my list.....thanx

 

[puppykickr]

@puppykickr alright i will add that to my list.....thanx

Of course, this will only help in your case if the nearby rooms are noticeably cooler than yours.

 

[ozonetrooper]

If stagnation is the issue one way to resolved it would be to install a small return air duct in the room and tie it into the main return air plenum at the system. Again it has to suck to blow. Usually the furthest runs from the machine are the ones that suffer from this.

The on demand duct fan is a good idea, one other would be if there is access to the area the duct work is in, is to run a new larger duct to the room. Again remember the size of the equipment designates the CFM it has to move, it is not wise to put in more duct than you have air, just as it is not wise to not unload the recommended CFM.

If you will tell me the capacity of the unit, ie: 3 ton, 4 ton etc, and the room size, I can tell you how much CFM is recommended for that room. 'Course it will take a CFM meter to determine what you are getting, but, my guess is it is not enough.

 

[rootabaga]

Your ceiling fan is stuck on one speed…but will it reverse direction? If you can turn it off, there usually is a direction switch, and most people keep this in the downward direction. And though it is counter-intuitive, you actually want it in reverse. Remember, you have a bunch of warm air congregating on the ceiling and with it downward, it moves that warm air down. In the upward direction it will push that air out and create an upward swell, so cooler air will come off the floor and mix, and some more of the warmer air will likely migrate out of the room.

Also…do you have any handyman skills? The web is a wealth of information and mounting a small window air conditioner is not terribly difficult. It has to be secure, level and sealed, with adequate power nearby (extension cords are not recommended and may violate local codes) but it’s pretty straightforward. If you check out some of the units online you may be able to download the info to install it and give it a read-through. If you decide it’s beyond you, then at least you have made a more-informed decision.

 

[Bearsyzf]

My ac is me having my windows open.

 

[olbriar]

My ac is me having my windows open.

That's all the AC I had while growing up. All the boys in the neighborhood slept outside most of the summer. The girls had to sleep inside. Go figure.

 

[ocnbrze]

Since the average temperature in many cities worldwide is well above 30 C, and "feel" the temperature is above 40 C, especially from March to May, having a good fan is necessary.

Well not in Los Angeles...... it is not necessary.....especially if you have good air movement from the ac....... which I do not.

Right now it's the opposite. When the heater is on, my room gets especially hot compared to the rest of my house. If I have it set to 69F, I can sleep in my room without a cover.

 

[puppykickr]

Since the average temperature in many cities worldwide is well above 30 C, and "feel" the temperature is above 40 C, especially from March to May, having a good fan is necessary.

Even in the midwest USA, these temperatures are fairly common for 2-3 months during the summer.

Around here, it is quite normal for humidity levels to exceed 50% (often much higher) when the temperature is over 90°F.

Inside my storage container, I have seen temperatures of 120°F, and typically it reaches 110°F in the rear.

 

[ozonetrooper]

It is 72° with humidity level of 97% this morning (December) ... My a/c is set on 70 and it is very comfortably dry inside.

 

[Dobrodav]

Since the average temperature in many cities worldwide is well above 30 C, and "feel" the temperature is above 40 C, especially from March to May, having a good fan is necessary. Heat reflective paint reduces the temperature "caused" by the sun's heat. Paint is specifically designed to reflect sunlight. It effectively reduces the temperature inside your rooms. To top it all off, you can buy a large industrial fan. It will definitely cool the room down. With Planner 5D, you can see where to put it and if it will fit at all.

 

[ocnbrze]

ok some updates. i just had an ac guy come out. i had no idea that there were filters that needed to be replaced on a monthly basis. so its probably been a few years up to 5 years since the filter was replaced. that helped with air flow.

i also had a new ceiling fan that was bigger and had more flow. so now i have a lot more flow into my room. it has been coming down in temp. but while installing the ceiling fan i found out that there is no insulation above my room.

could that be one of the causes for my room to get hot? should i call a roofer or whoever does insulation?

 

[olbriar]

Insulation... a must. If you have access to a heat gun you would be amazed at the difference between the temp at your ceiling compared to the floor. I'm sure that your area is no different than mine in that you will find contractors that just do insulation. Roofers specialize in doing roofing. I am assuming there is a space between your ceiling and the underneath side of the roof that can be insulated. If there is a space, it can be insulated with batts or blanket insulation or you might opt to have the insulation blown in.

 

[ozonetrooper]

I tell my customers to get into the habit of : every month when the power bill comes in check the filter !

Summer may require a monthly change, winter may allow it to go for a couple of months before needing changing.

Please do not use pleated filters, they do work better, but equate it to the dirty filter situation. They reduce the air flow when new and after they accumulate some dust/dander, they really cut the air flow down.

Just a thought, did the tech open the machine and look inside ?

Some brands come with a factory installed fiber filter and if it is allowed to remain in the machine and never changed that will drastically cut air flow.

If there is provision for a external filter, I always remove this filter, and do not replace it.

It will be inside the machine and look like this :

 

[ocnbrze]

I tell my customers to get into the habit of : every month when the power bill comes in check the filter !

Summer may require a monthly change, winter may allow it to go for a couple of months before needing changing.

Please do not use pleated filters, they do work better, but equate it to the dirty filter situation. They reduce the air flow when new and after they accumulate some dust/dander, they really cut the air flow down.

Just a thought, did the tech open the machine and look inside ?

Some brands come with a factory installed fiber filter and if it is allowed to remain in the machine and never changed that will drastically cut air flow.

If there is provision for a external filter, I always remove this filter, and do not replace it.

It will be inside the machine and look like this :


View attachment 163090

i just got a pleated filter from Home Depot. did not see any that looks like a filter pad rather than a pleat. where can i get non pleated filters? amazon?

the tech looked at the ac unit outside and told me it was the best of the best. all he did was hose down the grates along the sides and on the top of the unit. it was pretty dirty.

 

[ocnbrze]

and by the way i am finding these guys thru an app called thumbtack.....and so far they are 2 for 2 on connecting me with the right guys for my ceiling fan and ac maintenance.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.thumbtack.consumer&hl=en_US&gl=US

 

[ozonetrooper]

There are two things the homeowner can do to ensue maximum performance, rinse out the condenser unit and keep a clean filter.

A dirty condenser will drive up the cost of operation and lower the capacity for cooling while a dirty filter will cause several issues, low air flow/insufficient cooling is one condition and what is called slugging the compressor with liquid, which can cause the compressor to fail !

In the summertime the light bill reminder for the filter check can also be used to rinse out the condenser unit.

Walmart filters : https://www.walmart.com/ip/Flanders...Nested-Glass-Air-Filter/16225740?athbdg=L1200

 

[ocnbrze]

so it turns out that my attic needs insulation really bad. all of the old insulation has pretty much deteriorated to almost nothing. so for this one company they will come in and add and remove the insulation, vacuum the attic, rodent proof it, add a fan and vents all for $8495!!!!!!!!

is that a good price? i'll post the quote the guy gave me later today......that's a lot of money.

 

[olbriar]

Any insulation is good. Adding more is better. I can't understand the removal of what's there. I'd not want to pay for that. Adding vents is a good thing. Any air moving across that space will pull some of the build up heat out. Eight grand sounds way expensive to me. I'm not in the business and have no idea the cost involved but eight grand... ouch!!!

 

[ocnbrze]

Any insulation is good. Adding more is better. I can't understand the removal of what's there. I'd not want to pay for that. Adding vents is a good thing. Any air moving across that space will pull some of the build up heat out. Eight grand sounds way expensive to me. I'm not in the business and have no idea the cost involved but eight grand... ouch!!!

yeah that's a lot of money. i'm going to get a 2nd and 3rd opinion on it..i will say this that the fan and ac fixes has helped tremendously......so i can now take my time with it.

 

[olbriar]

yeah that's a lot of money. i'm going to get a 2nd and 3rd opinion on it..i will say this that the fan and ac fixes has helped tremendously......so i can now take my time with it.

You are wise to get multiple bids. I just looked at Lowes insulation prices. It looks like you could insulate 75 square feet with a R19 value for $54 plus tax if you did it yourself. Eight grand sounds way out of reason to me.

 

[ozonetrooper]

it is a good housekeeping thing to rid the attic of the bad insulation. It breaks down into fine dust sized particles that eventually find cracks/holes to filter down into the living space and become nuisance to keep cleaned up.

What is your roof covered with, to cut in vents means sealing the hole around the vents, may involve lots of work.

There are three kinds of vents, gable vents, roof vents, and ridge vents, make sure you know which is being bid.

Also, we are in the triple digits here right now, no amount of money sounds like too much to work in a hot attic, to me.

 

[ocnbrze]

it is a good housekeeping thing to rid the attic of the bad insulation. It breaks down into fine dust sized particles that eventually find cracks/holes to filter down into the living space and become nuisance to keep cleaned up.

What is your roof covered with, to cut in vents means sealing the hole around the vents, may involve lots of work.

There are three kinds of vents, gable vents, roof vents, and ridge vents, make sure you know which is being bid.

Also, we are in the triple digits here right now, no amount of money sounds like too much to work in a hot attic, to me.

the roof itself is asphalt shingles.....i think. i understand it is a lot of work. just insulation alone is $6500. i just do not know what an average price would be. next week i'll look into getting more quotes, just so i know what the market is for this job.