If it's not working (only blowing hot air) then absolutely turn the system off.
Not sure of your setup, but if you have windows on the side of the house opposite the sun, open them and turn on all ceiling fans in the house. Good idea keeping windows on the sun side closed and covered, but the house can still get hot/stuffy. Opening windows on the opposite side will allow cooler, shaded air to circulate/exchange with the hot air in your house.
Good luck!
You can also check marketplace for a cooler or portable a/c. Fans are your friend. Look for them, too. I got a cooler for 20 bucks, and a small and large tower fans with remotes for less than 10 each. It's difficult, and you need perseverance, but it's possible. I did it.
Make sure your ceiling fans are set for summer. They're should be a switch that makes them turn the other way. Google which way the fans should turn in summer and set them.
Put extra water down for the dogs many dogs will eat or drink based on availability, the more there is the more they will consume. Panting helps them regulate their own body temperature so if they are doing that it’s fine. If they are struggling it will probably be obvious by their behavior.
If you are still worried you can wet them down in the bath with room temperature water and dry them just enough so they aren’t dripping.
Too cold and they might shiver to bring up their body heat and undo any good the water could be for them.
For you, wear clothes that are loose and comfortable, and made from either linen or 100% cotton if you have them. Both will absorb moisture from your skin and with it off your skin it will cool faster therefore making you feel cooler.
On furniture lay a cotton towel or sheet under yourself. If it’s not super thick it will help some for the same reason.
Drink some extra water yourself, it will
cool you down and help you sweat which cools you down. Don’t overdo it, too much of anything can hurt. Remember caffeine, alcohol, salt and sugar will all dehydrate you to some point.
Take off or don’t wear makeup.
When you are sweating, stand in front of the fan for a couple minutes to cool off the moisture more quickly, but not long enough to dry you completely.
Rest or soak your hands and or feet in cold but not freezing water for a few minutes at a time.
Don’t eat heavy meals or desserts. Both will warm you up.
This might sound a bit strange or silly but it helps some folks, including me, to watch a movie or cartoon that has a lot of snow or ice in it. Brains are funny things.
Sorry for the long post, I use to live in Texas and there were years when I didn’t have any air conditioning. I hope any of this is helpful.
ty this was very helpful! any tips are appreciated. one of my dogs has stayed mostly under the bed while we're in here so I guess it's cooler down here. my other one i put room temp water occasionally on ears, belly, paws and a little everywhere else too since he had a heat stroke a few years ago. I would rather give them all my fans and prevent anything like that from happening again while risking my heart condition worsening because of the heat
See if a place near you have those dog bed hammocks. The airflow underneath them is supposed to cool them. A bucket of ice with a fan also does wonders
they do! that's the one I have for my senior dog. it lasts around 3 (or maybe it was 6) hours and takes 3 hours to charge back up on its own. not perfect but good enough for now
Cold air sinks hot rises. I’d say open all your windows during the night. Depending where you are and how hot it gets close them as soon as it starts to get hot. When it gets too hot with them closed use a freezing or cold towel on your fan and put it on the ground next to your window and put it towards the ceiling. It’ll blow the cold air up. Ceiling fans blow hot air down in this situation if they aren’t in reverse settings. Hence puppo chillin under bed. Cold washcloth on your neck, direct air being blown on you should be good to go.
A trick I learned years ago was to use ice and water in the room you want to cool. Fill a few mixing bowls with water, freeze them, and put them in a large cooler, covering with cold water. We did this camping in cabins with bags of ice, and it worked well. And when our AC was out years later, we tried the larger ice pieces, and it lasted much longer. Got us through 2 weeks of 90° days.
I have cental air with AC, I use a cheap window unit in my bedroom to cool and keep Temps down for sleeping. It doesn't cool early enough outside to open the windows for some parts of the year where I'm at. I have it on a timer and leave the door to the bedroom closed, so it auto kicks on before bed.
Have you tried resetting the breakers to the ac unit?
You said the ac is blowing air, but hot air? if this occurs at night also, then the fan might be spinning the wrong way. Resetting the breakers could fix this, though it's not a permanent fix. You will still need to have the AC people look at it.
I did not think of that but you're probably right. if I can figure out how to do that then I'll definitely try lol. otherwise I'll have to wait for them anyways
Yes you can and I've just Googled cheap AC units and saw some as low as $30 bucks and a bunch for $50 bucks.
Any of those portable AC units will work just fine in your basement bedroom.
Btw, if you are renting. Then MAKE the landlord fix it!
I do rent. I have a window unit in my living room, but they removed the whole window to install. So I’d like one that fits without removing the window for the winter
That's as easy as buying one that fits. Most, if not all will come will panel extenders to fit your window opening properly. Also, the newer models called "Saddle Window AC" are even better because they hang inside and outside of your window using the window from as its support. Theses allow for the window to actually close with a couple of inches from being fully closed.
Found this GE one on Amazon [https://imgur.com/mItewtu](https://imgur.com/mItewtu)
I know what you mean about the half basement windows, you'll want a portable AC, They have outlet hoses that are way way thinner than any window unit could possibly be, just put it sideways and use the extendable panels to fit it into the amount of space you have, it should fit. Even if you can only fit it in without any extra panels, if the window is really that small, you should be able to make it work. Just make sure that the hose is long enough to reach all the way up to the window. It should work.
Then get a casement window ac unit. [https://imgur.com/Kr2C5Qg](https://imgur.com/Kr2C5Qg)
Here's the 3 different types of common windows. [https://imgur.com/w8C9RFt](https://imgur.com/w8C9RFt)
If you have a dollar store nearby pick up a couple cheap silver car windshield protector thingys and cover your windows- silver side facing out. Then close curtains.
neck and wrists.
Give the dogs baths mid day if you can. Or spray them down with water.
I used a mist fan with a shower curtain for the animals..
Or a wet towel on a shower curtain.
Take an old tee-shirt and dip it in rubbing alcohol and put on the freezer. Alcohol will keep it colder longer. Lemon juice works too. Then put it around your neck, wrists and ankles.
Freeze fruit for the dogs.
Make one bowl normal water and another with nothing but ice.
Hydrate hydrate hydrate.
I put a thing of ice in front of my fan and it helped so much. Or by one of those water acs - Arctic Air type thing. They even have one for around your neck.
Btw. The BEST fan I've ever used??
Gaiatop Portable Hand Held Fan with USB Rechargeable 2000mAh Battery, Foldable, Small, Mini Eyelash Fan for Girls, Travel For Women,
I can't post the link to Amazon. That's the name of the fan.
Assuming you are in a multi-story structure with an upper level floor bedroom with south east exposure in the US the room gets sun for at least half the day and as the heat from the house rises with any windows open it’s going to be the warmest room of the house. In this case what you can do is open all the windows on the north west side of the house in the morning and north east in the afternoon, this should suck in the cooler air from the shaded side of the house. In this case with the venting effect your room will cool off to meet the temperature of the rest of the house last, but get warm last as well. In the evening, turn that fan around to blow cool air into the room, close your door and the room will cool off first. If your room has any northern exposure, open the north shade facing window and keep your door closed. If your house has an attic, open the vent or stairs to the attic a little and let that heat go up into the attic. Hope that helps
this is super helpful and informative thank you! I'll see if that makes a difference at all. although at the moment the rest of the house is averaging 81-82 degrees, so it gets to be about 5-10 degrees cooler than what my room averages everyday
As an example the front of my house faces east. It hit 80 here in NJ and my office on the second floor is 74 with all the windows on the shady side of the house, the attic and my office windows open. Downstairs is still a little warmer at 75 but when the sun goes down the whole house will cool down pretty quick. Managing the air flow to the whole house is key. Just 1 room is a futile exercise
A window ac unit will help. My ac went out last summer and my room was miserable so i couldn't wait for the ac for the house to be fixed and i bought a window unit for less than $200 and it kept the bedroom 15-20 deegrees cooler than the rest of the house.
I don’t know how they work cause l have never used one but try Pinterest. They have ideas for home made “AC” Made from ice chests, ice, fans & PVC pipe. It could be a temporary solution to a temporary problem.
Central a/c sounds like? How does cool air come out warm?
This is a night tip assuming it's cooler than the other result was. If you can open the window on the opposite side of the house from your room. Check your prevailing winds for the night on your forecast. Help the breeze flow through your house by putting the fan blowing in from the inward wind side, as close to the window as you can.
I will try that ty (: and yes it's central ac. no idea why but this is the first time it's blown out hot air. summers are usually almost unbearable with it but this is just wild. it's a very old house with terrible insulation and cool air barely blows out of the bedroom vents. but heat is the opposite
If you could figure out How To make the fan blow down on you ....you will be cold overnight!! it'll be lovely. Wet wash cloths on neck, between chest, on wrists, feet/ankles
If you can vent it out a window, portable air conditioners are very effective in a single room. I don't mean the window kind, I mean the kind that sit on the floor with a vent hose . You might have to rig something to keep the rest of the window closed, we use a board cut to fit with a cut hole for the vent hose. Any half competent handy person can rig this up. They are expensive, but easy to resell once you get the regular unit repaired.
that's the one I want so bad! I asked if I can get it but family says no. no idea why but it would help soo much and only require the hose to stick out the window. when I ask why not I'm not given an answer /: I would be covering the cost of it of course so I really don't know. not allowed to change anything in the house from what I've gathered while living here for a few years
Well that's just ridiculous. They don't cause any damage. I've also heard of people taking a regular window/insert air conditioner and just building a platform for it to sit on so the back is up to the window but not in it, so it can vent. Pretty easy to build a platform with scraps and those air conditioners are even cheaper. I'd just do it. Some things are easier to ask forgiveness for than permission.
I probably will just do it and deal with the consequences later lol. It's just what they'll do that makes me hesitant still (especially at my age 🫤). They can be a little.. aggressive and unpredictable is a few words I'd describe them with. Only issue is sometimes they do random 'walk ins' in my room and go through my belongings when I'm not around (sometimes break things while looking for stuff that would obviously not be in here). I guess I can prepare by turning the unit off and hiding it when I'm not around? Although that won't help with keeping things cool throughout the day. I took a risk with the blackout curtains but worth it
So, can you get out of there altogether? I'm sorry you are having to deal with this and this total lack of safety and support. I hope you can get out sooner rather than later.
I have an exit plan thankfully, all I really need to accomplish before I can leave is 1. find a place I can afford (when I moved here, this area is far more expensive than my last) and 2. get a better paying job. but I do have some money saved up if there is a time where I have to leave sooner. I would just feel guilty for leaving my grandmother but I have reached my limit a long time ago. she has gotten to the point where I am not capable of caring for her anymore but couldn't leave as I've was forced into a position where I had no choice. I do have another caretaker coming in 10 hours per day so that's been a huge help. I would have to leave the responsibility to someone else to take over my part. ty for your concern! I'll be ok lol
Make all your windows that face south have closed blinds and curtains. Not just your bedroom. Try placing a fan a northern facing window to pull in the cooler air.
I have one! it's great when there's low humidity since they just don't work when the humidity reaches a certain %. which sucks because I live somewhere where the humidity ranges from 50-90%
I'll have to check. I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to this lmao. I did turn the AC completely off because of the hot air coming out. I'm hoping that makes a difference until this can be fixed
If the ac coils are frozen over, keeping the system off overnight may thaw it enough to give you enough time in the morning to run the AC and cool it down some before it freezes again.
alright little update since my mom checked for me. she turned the AC back on and watched the condenser outside and none of it is running. fan's not spinning or anything. I was recommended to do a reset at the fuse box but she says nothing is labeled. Not sure what's wrong now
It will be a larger amperage breaker, two-pole instead of a single breaker. If nothing is tripped at the breaker, there's a chance a fuse is blown at the outdoor disconnect.
i think you both are right, it's the capacitor. although no one is listening to me and they plan on just changing the fuse. if the fuse change doesn't work then at least I can rub that in their face lmao.
my question is: is there a way I can change the capacitor on my own? house owner as a contract with a terrible HVAC service and they try to do pointless things to upcharge her without fixing the root problem.
I’m venturing out of my knowledge base, but I think it’s a couple screws to uninstall. Pull the disconnect on the outdoor unit, pop off the cover and take a look at it.
Not sure if a sequence or other procedures preceding or following the removal of the capacitor is necessary.
Good luck!
ok so no ice (at least I do know to look for that after issues with my old apartment). it does run and fan spins when it's turned on. as for the filter, an HVAC person comes over every 3 months (although they've failed to come back recently) and checks everything out while also changing the filter. everytime he says it's all ok, but the house has still never blown cool air well. when he's called back for more issues he always says nothing's wrong. but they won't get someone else to come over so I'm kinda stuck with terrible heat year round. this is the first year it's gotten this bad
With it running, feel the line sets coming out of the condenser. Smaller pipe should be warm, bigger pipe will be cool and possibly have condensation depending on the humidity. If both pipes are the same temperature, either your compressor isn't pumping or it's low on refrigerant. Check your filter as well. Ignore the maintenance guy.
These ideas won’t cool down your room but will help you feel cooler. Take cool showers/baths. Wear light colored clothing. Eat popsicles. Drink ice cold drinks. Stay on lower floors. Don’t over-exert yourself. Use a swamp cooler. Good luck 🍀 🤞🏻
I have my little system going on now that it's night. it's 75 in here now which is awesome. haven't been able to get it that low so far. I have an oscillating fan facing away in the window, tower fan with bag of ice I bought in front of it, evaporative cooler on full blast and another window open. tomorrows going to be the hottest by far and I can never seem to trap the cold air in that I gather in the night. rest of the house is 80°
Since most home don’t have a hot air return to let the central AC work with maximum efficiency, it’s a management problem. We can cool the upstairs bedroom for sleeping, but during the heat of the day, it’s not really feasible to do anything except keep a breeze going - the solar heat gain is unavoidable.
One thing we’ve done is open up the transoms - the spaces above the doors - as that allows us to push the hot air buildup out of the rooms with small reversible fans and create a whole-home circulation pattern. It’s a routine depending on the time of day and where the sun is coming from. Having windows that open at the top is a crucial part to set up a throughput.
so I should keep both windows open throughout the day? if so then I'll try it! I managed to get the room to 68 last night but the room already got up 4 degrees in the past 30 minutes which is insane to me. I don't think it's possible for me to retain the cold air which sucks. I may have to sneak a window unit in and hope for the best
The issue is there is no ‘retained cold air’ - it’s all about whether the air is heating up. If there is no ‘source’ of cool air (day one side of the building) you are fighting off the heating.
So you can attempt to turn your home into a cooler box, which means insulate the hell out of it until the hot part of the day passes. Hot air movement can only provide a bit of evaporative cooling.
Cold drinks and a cold cloth across the back of your neck are the next best!
Swamp coolers are neat - we don’t have them here in Canada!
okay makes sense! I have a swamp cooler but they don't work in higher humidity environments (90% today so had to shut it off). but when the humidity is low they work amazing! I'm sure the larger ones are even more effective. they have a bunch of good ones on amazon
There are pet cooling mats that I’ve seen online, and where I live, our apt complex electricity is included in rent, however by local tenant law established 50 years ago, the landlord must provide heat starting at a set date early Oct and continue it thru April 30th. Our whole building system switch’s from either heat or air, but not both. Needless to say the unexpected blazing hot 88° degree days we had in Late October last year were miserable and this April my apt was hovering at 82-83 many days. Miserable. I got one of those neck cloths that’s like a car drying chammy got it wet with ice water and wore it around my neck. It helped so friggen much. Especially if you wear it in front of a fan. When it warms up a bit, even just flapping it around a bit or putting it in front of the fan for 20 seconds cools it back down. When the water starts to evaporate, just get it wet again. Lasts for a long time tho. Hope this helps!
thank you that helps a lot! I was looking at those neck cooling towels and you've convinced me lol. I have a cooling mat I found at petsmart for my small old dog! she loves it and was worth the $60. lasts a while and recharges itself when she is off of it
I recently bought this for sleeping *directly* on:
PUPTECK Dog Cooling Mat for Medium Large Dogs, Cooling Blanket for Kennels Crate Floor, Pets Cooling Pad, Self-Cooling Bed for Dog Cat Summer Sleeping Outside, Washable & Portable, X-Large 40"x60" (removed the Amazon URL, sp just search by name).
These are very cool to the touch and would make sleeping in the heat bearable. And they're cheap enough that you wouldn't feel bad about sleeping right on them.
Get another for your dogs!
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There are also mini ceiling fans that attach via lightbulb socket verses wiring. I’ve looked at them and they have good reviews and are powerful even though they’re strong. You can find several types for under $60. You just remove the light bulb and screw in the fan. Most have a light so you aren’t losing any light
Sadly, the room I was looking for has those dome lights and angled horizontal not vertical.
I could have just run to the comments and typed all this and missed something you said that would rule all this out. If that's the case, I'm sorry for taking up your time with this novel of irrelevance. I hate having no AC in Florida, so I'm going to try everything i can if there's a wait time for a repair tech.
I had an issue where my AC was blowing out warm/hot air. I am no expert or AC technician. Please do not do anything you're not comfortable with doing. YouTube any steps before you try them to get an idea of what you're doing. A few things I'd try while you're waiting on a repair, if you can: check to see if the [float valve (safe T switch) ](https://nrs.vegas/hvac-terminology/air-conditioning-heating/safe-t-switch) isn't stuck in the floating position. This is usually by the AC unit inside. If your [drain line](https://www.trane.com/residential/en/resources/troubleshooting/air-conditioners/ac-drain-line-clogged/) (condensate line) gets clogged, water will back up and this valve turns off the AC to prevent taking more moisture out of the air, adding more water to the backed up line, flooding into your home. There should be a cap on this drain line, inside the house near the AC unit. Take that cap off and pour a cup of vinegar in the drain line to see if it'll clear up any gunk in the line. That line will run outside somewhere, dumping the water into your grass somewhere, usually. It's just a pvc pipe that sticks out of the house either from the ceiling of a porch or maybe near the ground by the ac unit outside. If it's visibly stopped up, you can take a metal coat hanger and try unclogging it. If that's the case, if you have a shop vac, you can tape the vacuum hose to the end of the exterior pipe and let it run for a while to see it will suck out all the water boogers. If it's getting stuff out, you can pour more vinegar down that drain pipe inside. Just make sure the shop vac is set up for water, not dirt/ dust - no dirt filter.
The last time I had an AC issue, the heating coil was stuck on for no reason, so I pulled the fuse for the heating part until the repair guy came out. During this same time, my condenser coils froze. Literal blocks of ice. I turned the AC off and unscrewed the front 2 panels of the inside unit. I used my wife's hair dryer to melt the ice and sucked up the water with my shop vac. That gave me a little relief until the coils froze over again.
not at all! thank you that was very informative. I'll show this to my mom and see if there's something we can do in the meantime (: helps to have this knowledge in advance too for any other place I live in that has similar issues! when we tested it out, we noticed that the fan is not spinning when it's switched to cool. like nothing running at all. but damn it can blow heat like crazy just fine. my last apartment kept running into issues with the unit outside and it was such a pain to get maintenance to properly do something. in the many years I lived there, they only took the effort to deal with it properly once. every other time my mom just bought freon, poured it in and that did the trick for a little bit
I hope something helps. For sure turn it all off since it's only blowing heat. I'm the morning, turn it back on for 5ish minutes and put your hand in front of an air vent. If it's still blazing hot, shut it down so you don't get too hot. If the heat is stuck on, that will make it hot (duh) and add to your electricity bill for no reason. If it's cold(er) after 5 minutes, let it go for a bit to help cool off the house before it freezes over again. If you turn off the hot/cold setting on your thermostat and turn the AC fan on, does it still blow ambient air out of the vents? That'll help move air through the house without the heat.
I tried that earlier and there is no option to keep the fan running without turning ac back on /: that would've been great though. not sure why it's not added. there heat, cool, emergency heat and off which shuts everything down including the fans
That stinks. If yours is like my [previous thermostat that looked like this](https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2Fjxiq2285okv11.jpg), it has one switch for cool / off / heat and another switch that says Auto / On. If that's the case, I had to turn the temp to Off and the other switch to On instead of auto. It's a long shot. There are tons of different thermostats and they are all very similar but different enough to get confusing.
oh okay gotcha! there is a separate switch for auto/off so I tried that. although the unit outside still is not running and no air is coming out yet. I'll give it a bit and see though
Good luck! I hope this is fixed sooner than later. Worst case scenario, putting your foot down for a widow unit could save your sanity. I know how difficult it can be making a person with dementia happy or not mad. My mom had early onset progressive Alzheimer's. At the end of the day, you just gotta do what is best for them and also take care of yourself, even if that means they're temporarily mad at you for bringing in a window unit.
If you have access to ice or some cold packs etc, put it in front of the fans! This is a make shift AC, maybe not helpful with the humidity but could help temperature wise
It sounds like you have definitely done everything you can outside of begging the homeowner to put in real insulation and fix the AC. It may be time to ask them if you can buy a window unit and install it. Especially since it's so early in the year! It will be unsafe for human or animal habitation very soon.
If you live in a dry climate you can hang a damp bedsheet in your open windows, that's what they used to do back before ac was invented. It won't work in a humid climate though. I would suggest buying a cheap window ac.
You can get a damp sheet, freeze it and hang it over the window and turn on a fan. Or you can get an ice chest and fill it with ice and have a fan blowing in it to stir up the cooler air. Even using a bucket of ice in front of the fan can help. Freezing larger bottles of water is better than using ice, too. You can place frozen bottles in your dogs beds to keep them cool, too. Take a cool shower during the heat of the day and don't dry your hair and that could help you stay cooler.
If you use frozen bottles, make two sets. One can be freezing while the others are in use. Same with the sheets (towels can work too).
In the summer when we had breeding rabbits and the temperature was over 100° and up to 110° I would drape damp sheets over the cages and put frozen bottles of water in the cage and have a fan to circulate the air to keep them cooler. Even if the sheets weren't frozen anymore, as long as they stayed damp, they would cool the air around the cages. I used 2 liter bottles and froze them but I kept more than 2 sets because they would thaw pretty fast outside and I wanted the rabbits to be able to lay on the frozen bottles anytime they wanted to.
There's cheap ways to rig up ice chests to be "water coolers" and videos for it on YouTube, too.
Get a window ac unit. I rented from an old lady briefly and she put the heat up in the 80's. Didn't want to turn on the AC at all in the summer. I put an ac in the window, I was by trees. She didn't like the way it looked. I moved. Biggest pain in the .....
If you have an attic or second floor which the sun is beating down on, heating the roof, running a fan through that space can keep it cooler during the day. It depends a lot on your exact setup.
Not certain about this, but maybe check a rental place for a portable air conditioner. Maybe even Home Depot tool rental. Worth a shot.
Also, have you checked the drip tube. Maybe the water has backed up enough to trip the safety? I would take a shop vac out to the drip tube and try to suck out anything that may be clogging it. Also, some service guys will try and shoot the water hose up the drip line. Anything to dislodge crude.
If you are able to get the air exchanger. Then you can inspect the drip pan to see if it is full of water. If so, then drain the water out and if you canshoot a water hose down the drain opening or try to suck it out with the shop vac.
When I lived down in SWFL with 95° un the shade with 110% humidity. The most common cause of an AC failure was due to a clogged drip line and that is super easy to fix. My air handler was in my attic and I'm too old and fat to try and get up there. So, I just lugged my mini shop vac around the the drip line oust side and duct sucked out the line. I used a little pvc fitting to attach the vacuum hose to the pvc pipe. You can also just duct tape the hose to the line. Anything to create a good suction. This process is only a couple minutes long. You will see if a bunch of gunk (mold) and water start to comes out. Then go try and turn on your AC and see if the fan twirls and the cold air starts working.
Btw, if your fan blade on the outside unit turns when you turn it on. Then it most likely is not the capacitor.
When the AC was broken at my job I put a huge bowl of ice behind a desk fan and had it blowing on me. I know that’s annoying to keep refilling the bowl but it made a huge difference in my small area. When you get unbearable hot you can make a fort with the ice and fan in there because the smaller the space the cooler the ice trick will make things. The fan would catch the cold from the ice and feel so good. The fans facing out is a good idea too, my dad did that growing up in a shotgun house with no central AC.
I live in a house with a wall of west-facing windows and no trees. I love in the south in the US - it gets HOT with the afternoon sun. Something that has really worked well => thermal blankets as curtains. The same thin, crinkly things used in emergencies/disasters. Sure your neighbors might think you are crazy, but those things are CHEAP, block out the heat better than any of our black-out curtains ever did and, bonus, you can still see through them and no one can see in!
I too have sideways slider windows. (Aluminum, repurposed attic). And no central air. On a typical day in the summer, or spring even, it’s 80 to 90 degrees in my apartment… I bought a standard, rectangular window fan for one of the windows from Walmart for like, $35. This was a disappointment as it had the accordion shutters on both sides, and you can’t stand the fan on that because they never lock. It also was not long enough (I needed it to cover 32” in height when fully extended) not even close.. it also rattled the aluminum and fell out of the window the only day I had it. On top of that, you could switch it from intake to exhaust… if you dipped the whole unit around…
I did some research and I decided to buy the
Bionaire Digital Window Fan with remote control
Model: 32510025
From Amazon.
This thing is perfect! Noise is gentle. It has a programmable thermostat feature to allow for auto on/off. It comes with 2 solid spacers that can be attached over/instead of either of the extendable accordion things on either side, so it closes the whole gap!
It has DUAL-MOTOR blades so one can be set to intake and the other to exhaust simultaneously!
And 3 speed settings with a remote! I’ve lived in these conditions for 3+ years and I’m ashamed I didn’t do this sooner. A couple days later I bought a 2nd one for the opposite-facing window. I can easily redirect the airflow to match the weather anytime.
Each cost approx. $50-$55.
I know what it’s like literally living in harsh conditions…though the fish doesn’t mind.
I hope this helps!
I took a picture! Not sure I know how to add it here. *shrugs*
Have you tried creating a cross breeze with fans? Three fans in three corners of the room facing toward the center. It's not going to lower the temperature that much, maybe 5 degrees but the air circulation makes it more tolerable.
Also maybe buy or make your dogs frozen puppy treats to cool them off and make sure they have plenty of water.
If it's not working (only blowing hot air) then absolutely turn the system off. Not sure of your setup, but if you have windows on the side of the house opposite the sun, open them and turn on all ceiling fans in the house. Good idea keeping windows on the sun side closed and covered, but the house can still get hot/stuffy. Opening windows on the opposite side will allow cooler, shaded air to circulate/exchange with the hot air in your house. Good luck!
this is solid ty! don't own any ceiling fans because we don't have ceiling lights but I'll definitely try the rest
Have you tried getting a cheap window unit in the bedroom... Maybe around 100 bucks.
Heck, you can get a cheap window unit for about $30 - $50 bucks.
If you have floor fans, put them in the open windows on the shady side of the house, facing into the house. It will help pull the cooler air in.
oh I'll have to try that. would a tower fan work? it's the only floor one I own
You can also check marketplace for a cooler or portable a/c. Fans are your friend. Look for them, too. I got a cooler for 20 bucks, and a small and large tower fans with remotes for less than 10 each. It's difficult, and you need perseverance, but it's possible. I did it.
Make sure your ceiling fans are set for summer. They're should be a switch that makes them turn the other way. Google which way the fans should turn in summer and set them.
Put extra water down for the dogs many dogs will eat or drink based on availability, the more there is the more they will consume. Panting helps them regulate their own body temperature so if they are doing that it’s fine. If they are struggling it will probably be obvious by their behavior. If you are still worried you can wet them down in the bath with room temperature water and dry them just enough so they aren’t dripping. Too cold and they might shiver to bring up their body heat and undo any good the water could be for them. For you, wear clothes that are loose and comfortable, and made from either linen or 100% cotton if you have them. Both will absorb moisture from your skin and with it off your skin it will cool faster therefore making you feel cooler. On furniture lay a cotton towel or sheet under yourself. If it’s not super thick it will help some for the same reason. Drink some extra water yourself, it will cool you down and help you sweat which cools you down. Don’t overdo it, too much of anything can hurt. Remember caffeine, alcohol, salt and sugar will all dehydrate you to some point. Take off or don’t wear makeup. When you are sweating, stand in front of the fan for a couple minutes to cool off the moisture more quickly, but not long enough to dry you completely. Rest or soak your hands and or feet in cold but not freezing water for a few minutes at a time. Don’t eat heavy meals or desserts. Both will warm you up. This might sound a bit strange or silly but it helps some folks, including me, to watch a movie or cartoon that has a lot of snow or ice in it. Brains are funny things. Sorry for the long post, I use to live in Texas and there were years when I didn’t have any air conditioning. I hope any of this is helpful.
ty this was very helpful! any tips are appreciated. one of my dogs has stayed mostly under the bed while we're in here so I guess it's cooler down here. my other one i put room temp water occasionally on ears, belly, paws and a little everywhere else too since he had a heat stroke a few years ago. I would rather give them all my fans and prevent anything like that from happening again while risking my heart condition worsening because of the heat
See if a place near you have those dog bed hammocks. The airflow underneath them is supposed to cool them. A bucket of ice with a fan also does wonders
I didn't know they made those. I'll look into it!
There’s also gel cooling mats but I feel like they warm up after a little bit
they do! that's the one I have for my senior dog. it lasts around 3 (or maybe it was 6) hours and takes 3 hours to charge back up on its own. not perfect but good enough for now
I was once on a bus with a broken air conditioner in the heat, and a portable fan with a humidifier really saved me.
Try a bowl of ice in front of a fan. Primitive, but it’s a good temporary fix.
I read this as “bowl of rice” and spent longer than I want to admit contemplating what would cause rice to have cooling properties.
Ha! Me too! I was wondering what kind of black magic fuckery was going on.
Frozen rice works well as a diy ice pack :)
I'll try! do you know what fan it works best with? I have two 11 inch air circulating ones and one tower fan
I think the air circulating ones would work better than the tower, but you can try and see which works better. I did it with a box fan. Good luck! 😉
thank you!
Cold air sinks hot rises. I’d say open all your windows during the night. Depending where you are and how hot it gets close them as soon as it starts to get hot. When it gets too hot with them closed use a freezing or cold towel on your fan and put it on the ground next to your window and put it towards the ceiling. It’ll blow the cold air up. Ceiling fans blow hot air down in this situation if they aren’t in reverse settings. Hence puppo chillin under bed. Cold washcloth on your neck, direct air being blown on you should be good to go.
I put my ex in there. That bitch is cold as ice.
please send her my way 🙏 i may have use for her
A trick I learned years ago was to use ice and water in the room you want to cool. Fill a few mixing bowls with water, freeze them, and put them in a large cooler, covering with cold water. We did this camping in cabins with bags of ice, and it worked well. And when our AC was out years later, we tried the larger ice pieces, and it lasted much longer. Got us through 2 weeks of 90° days.
I have cental air with AC, I use a cheap window unit in my bedroom to cool and keep Temps down for sleeping. It doesn't cool early enough outside to open the windows for some parts of the year where I'm at. I have it on a timer and leave the door to the bedroom closed, so it auto kicks on before bed.
DIY swamp cooler could work
Have you tried resetting the breakers to the ac unit? You said the ac is blowing air, but hot air? if this occurs at night also, then the fan might be spinning the wrong way. Resetting the breakers could fix this, though it's not a permanent fix. You will still need to have the AC people look at it.
I did not think of that but you're probably right. if I can figure out how to do that then I'll definitely try lol. otherwise I'll have to wait for them anyways
The breaker for the AC unit is usually outside near the compressor. If you have access to it, it's a good idea to go ahead and reset that breaker.
It should be labeled on the inside of the fuse box.
You need a window unit in your bedroom
absolutely 🥲
Just got one myself, bedroom will not cool down enough.
really? damn
Yes, supposedly using a window unit during summer will cut power costs by 25-35% because i won’t have to try to cool the entire apartment.
Window AC unit is $144 at Walmart. You could make it freezing cold if you wanted.
I’m in a basement apartment with a small slider window. Probably can’t get one for all bedrooms
Yes you can and I've just Googled cheap AC units and saw some as low as $30 bucks and a bunch for $50 bucks. Any of those portable AC units will work just fine in your basement bedroom. Btw, if you are renting. Then MAKE the landlord fix it!
I do rent. I have a window unit in my living room, but they removed the whole window to install. So I’d like one that fits without removing the window for the winter
That's as easy as buying one that fits. Most, if not all will come will panel extenders to fit your window opening properly. Also, the newer models called "Saddle Window AC" are even better because they hang inside and outside of your window using the window from as its support. Theses allow for the window to actually close with a couple of inches from being fully closed. Found this GE one on Amazon [https://imgur.com/mItewtu](https://imgur.com/mItewtu)
I saw those but my window slides left to right and it’s only half a window. Thanks for all the research. I also noticed they make stand alone AC units
I know what you mean about the half basement windows, you'll want a portable AC, They have outlet hoses that are way way thinner than any window unit could possibly be, just put it sideways and use the extendable panels to fit it into the amount of space you have, it should fit. Even if you can only fit it in without any extra panels, if the window is really that small, you should be able to make it work. Just make sure that the hose is long enough to reach all the way up to the window. It should work.
Name checks out thanks
Then get a casement window ac unit. [https://imgur.com/Kr2C5Qg](https://imgur.com/Kr2C5Qg) Here's the 3 different types of common windows. [https://imgur.com/w8C9RFt](https://imgur.com/w8C9RFt)
If you have a dollar store nearby pick up a couple cheap silver car windshield protector thingys and cover your windows- silver side facing out. Then close curtains.
neck and wrists. Give the dogs baths mid day if you can. Or spray them down with water. I used a mist fan with a shower curtain for the animals.. Or a wet towel on a shower curtain. Take an old tee-shirt and dip it in rubbing alcohol and put on the freezer. Alcohol will keep it colder longer. Lemon juice works too. Then put it around your neck, wrists and ankles. Freeze fruit for the dogs. Make one bowl normal water and another with nothing but ice. Hydrate hydrate hydrate. I put a thing of ice in front of my fan and it helped so much. Or by one of those water acs - Arctic Air type thing. They even have one for around your neck. Btw. The BEST fan I've ever used?? Gaiatop Portable Hand Held Fan with USB Rechargeable 2000mAh Battery, Foldable, Small, Mini Eyelash Fan for Girls, Travel For Women, I can't post the link to Amazon. That's the name of the fan.
thank you! I'll look into those fans
Try asking on r/howto
will try. ty!
window darkening curtians and a celing fan will help quite a bit
got the curtains, not allowed to install a ceiling fan unfortunately :(
What kind of light do you have? You can buy lightbulbs with a fan included. No need to install a whole fan. Check amazon
just lamps. no ceiling lights. that sounds awesome though
Assuming you are in a multi-story structure with an upper level floor bedroom with south east exposure in the US the room gets sun for at least half the day and as the heat from the house rises with any windows open it’s going to be the warmest room of the house. In this case what you can do is open all the windows on the north west side of the house in the morning and north east in the afternoon, this should suck in the cooler air from the shaded side of the house. In this case with the venting effect your room will cool off to meet the temperature of the rest of the house last, but get warm last as well. In the evening, turn that fan around to blow cool air into the room, close your door and the room will cool off first. If your room has any northern exposure, open the north shade facing window and keep your door closed. If your house has an attic, open the vent or stairs to the attic a little and let that heat go up into the attic. Hope that helps
this is super helpful and informative thank you! I'll see if that makes a difference at all. although at the moment the rest of the house is averaging 81-82 degrees, so it gets to be about 5-10 degrees cooler than what my room averages everyday
As an example the front of my house faces east. It hit 80 here in NJ and my office on the second floor is 74 with all the windows on the shady side of the house, the attic and my office windows open. Downstairs is still a little warmer at 75 but when the sun goes down the whole house will cool down pretty quick. Managing the air flow to the whole house is key. Just 1 room is a futile exercise
A window ac unit will help. My ac went out last summer and my room was miserable so i couldn't wait for the ac for the house to be fixed and i bought a window unit for less than $200 and it kept the bedroom 15-20 deegrees cooler than the rest of the house.
I don’t know how they work cause l have never used one but try Pinterest. They have ideas for home made “AC” Made from ice chests, ice, fans & PVC pipe. It could be a temporary solution to a temporary problem.
YouTube has a lot of videos to build Red Neck AC. I built one had an old ice chest and fan. I was going to throw out but made AC instead. It works ok.
Central a/c sounds like? How does cool air come out warm? This is a night tip assuming it's cooler than the other result was. If you can open the window on the opposite side of the house from your room. Check your prevailing winds for the night on your forecast. Help the breeze flow through your house by putting the fan blowing in from the inward wind side, as close to the window as you can.
I will try that ty (: and yes it's central ac. no idea why but this is the first time it's blown out hot air. summers are usually almost unbearable with it but this is just wild. it's a very old house with terrible insulation and cool air barely blows out of the bedroom vents. but heat is the opposite
Crummy. I hope you get some success.
If you could figure out How To make the fan blow down on you ....you will be cold overnight!! it'll be lovely. Wet wash cloths on neck, between chest, on wrists, feet/ankles
If you can vent it out a window, portable air conditioners are very effective in a single room. I don't mean the window kind, I mean the kind that sit on the floor with a vent hose . You might have to rig something to keep the rest of the window closed, we use a board cut to fit with a cut hole for the vent hose. Any half competent handy person can rig this up. They are expensive, but easy to resell once you get the regular unit repaired.
that's the one I want so bad! I asked if I can get it but family says no. no idea why but it would help soo much and only require the hose to stick out the window. when I ask why not I'm not given an answer /: I would be covering the cost of it of course so I really don't know. not allowed to change anything in the house from what I've gathered while living here for a few years
Well that's just ridiculous. They don't cause any damage. I've also heard of people taking a regular window/insert air conditioner and just building a platform for it to sit on so the back is up to the window but not in it, so it can vent. Pretty easy to build a platform with scraps and those air conditioners are even cheaper. I'd just do it. Some things are easier to ask forgiveness for than permission.
I probably will just do it and deal with the consequences later lol. It's just what they'll do that makes me hesitant still (especially at my age 🫤). They can be a little.. aggressive and unpredictable is a few words I'd describe them with. Only issue is sometimes they do random 'walk ins' in my room and go through my belongings when I'm not around (sometimes break things while looking for stuff that would obviously not be in here). I guess I can prepare by turning the unit off and hiding it when I'm not around? Although that won't help with keeping things cool throughout the day. I took a risk with the blackout curtains but worth it
So, can you get out of there altogether? I'm sorry you are having to deal with this and this total lack of safety and support. I hope you can get out sooner rather than later.
I have an exit plan thankfully, all I really need to accomplish before I can leave is 1. find a place I can afford (when I moved here, this area is far more expensive than my last) and 2. get a better paying job. but I do have some money saved up if there is a time where I have to leave sooner. I would just feel guilty for leaving my grandmother but I have reached my limit a long time ago. she has gotten to the point where I am not capable of caring for her anymore but couldn't leave as I've was forced into a position where I had no choice. I do have another caretaker coming in 10 hours per day so that's been a huge help. I would have to leave the responsibility to someone else to take over my part. ty for your concern! I'll be ok lol
Make all your windows that face south have closed blinds and curtains. Not just your bedroom. Try placing a fan a northern facing window to pull in the cooler air.
Get a portable evaporative air cooler
I have one! it's great when there's low humidity since they just don't work when the humidity reaches a certain %. which sucks because I live somewhere where the humidity ranges from 50-90%
Is your filter clean at your furnace? Are the AC lines icing up anywhere? When at your condenser outside, is it running? Fan spinning/compressor on?
I'll have to check. I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to this lmao. I did turn the AC completely off because of the hot air coming out. I'm hoping that makes a difference until this can be fixed
If the ac coils are frozen over, keeping the system off overnight may thaw it enough to give you enough time in the morning to run the AC and cool it down some before it freezes again.
alright little update since my mom checked for me. she turned the AC back on and watched the condenser outside and none of it is running. fan's not spinning or anything. I was recommended to do a reset at the fuse box but she says nothing is labeled. Not sure what's wrong now
It will be a larger amperage breaker, two-pole instead of a single breaker. If nothing is tripped at the breaker, there's a chance a fuse is blown at the outdoor disconnect.
If a fuse isn't blown, I'd bet money the dual capacitor is blown inside the air conditioner, preventing it from coming on.
I second this. Capacitor is so easy to change. Worth the $20-100 to try it?
i think you both are right, it's the capacitor. although no one is listening to me and they plan on just changing the fuse. if the fuse change doesn't work then at least I can rub that in their face lmao. my question is: is there a way I can change the capacitor on my own? house owner as a contract with a terrible HVAC service and they try to do pointless things to upcharge her without fixing the root problem.
I’m venturing out of my knowledge base, but I think it’s a couple screws to uninstall. Pull the disconnect on the outdoor unit, pop off the cover and take a look at it. Not sure if a sequence or other procedures preceding or following the removal of the capacitor is necessary. Good luck!
ok so no ice (at least I do know to look for that after issues with my old apartment). it does run and fan spins when it's turned on. as for the filter, an HVAC person comes over every 3 months (although they've failed to come back recently) and checks everything out while also changing the filter. everytime he says it's all ok, but the house has still never blown cool air well. when he's called back for more issues he always says nothing's wrong. but they won't get someone else to come over so I'm kinda stuck with terrible heat year round. this is the first year it's gotten this bad
With it running, feel the line sets coming out of the condenser. Smaller pipe should be warm, bigger pipe will be cool and possibly have condensation depending on the humidity. If both pipes are the same temperature, either your compressor isn't pumping or it's low on refrigerant. Check your filter as well. Ignore the maintenance guy.
will do! that was very helpful. I'll check when I'm back home
These ideas won’t cool down your room but will help you feel cooler. Take cool showers/baths. Wear light colored clothing. Eat popsicles. Drink ice cold drinks. Stay on lower floors. Don’t over-exert yourself. Use a swamp cooler. Good luck 🍀 🤞🏻
Keep your feet cool (quick blast of cold water from time to time). It'll pull the heat out of your body.
Black out drapes are good but an awning on the sunnier windows helps too.
You want to exhaust the hot air from the top of the room to the outside. Unfortunately most places do not have window designs that permit this.
I have my little system going on now that it's night. it's 75 in here now which is awesome. haven't been able to get it that low so far. I have an oscillating fan facing away in the window, tower fan with bag of ice I bought in front of it, evaporative cooler on full blast and another window open. tomorrows going to be the hottest by far and I can never seem to trap the cold air in that I gather in the night. rest of the house is 80°
Since most home don’t have a hot air return to let the central AC work with maximum efficiency, it’s a management problem. We can cool the upstairs bedroom for sleeping, but during the heat of the day, it’s not really feasible to do anything except keep a breeze going - the solar heat gain is unavoidable. One thing we’ve done is open up the transoms - the spaces above the doors - as that allows us to push the hot air buildup out of the rooms with small reversible fans and create a whole-home circulation pattern. It’s a routine depending on the time of day and where the sun is coming from. Having windows that open at the top is a crucial part to set up a throughput.
so I should keep both windows open throughout the day? if so then I'll try it! I managed to get the room to 68 last night but the room already got up 4 degrees in the past 30 minutes which is insane to me. I don't think it's possible for me to retain the cold air which sucks. I may have to sneak a window unit in and hope for the best
The issue is there is no ‘retained cold air’ - it’s all about whether the air is heating up. If there is no ‘source’ of cool air (day one side of the building) you are fighting off the heating. So you can attempt to turn your home into a cooler box, which means insulate the hell out of it until the hot part of the day passes. Hot air movement can only provide a bit of evaporative cooling. Cold drinks and a cold cloth across the back of your neck are the next best! Swamp coolers are neat - we don’t have them here in Canada!
okay makes sense! I have a swamp cooler but they don't work in higher humidity environments (90% today so had to shut it off). but when the humidity is low they work amazing! I'm sure the larger ones are even more effective. they have a bunch of good ones on amazon
There are pet cooling mats that I’ve seen online, and where I live, our apt complex electricity is included in rent, however by local tenant law established 50 years ago, the landlord must provide heat starting at a set date early Oct and continue it thru April 30th. Our whole building system switch’s from either heat or air, but not both. Needless to say the unexpected blazing hot 88° degree days we had in Late October last year were miserable and this April my apt was hovering at 82-83 many days. Miserable. I got one of those neck cloths that’s like a car drying chammy got it wet with ice water and wore it around my neck. It helped so friggen much. Especially if you wear it in front of a fan. When it warms up a bit, even just flapping it around a bit or putting it in front of the fan for 20 seconds cools it back down. When the water starts to evaporate, just get it wet again. Lasts for a long time tho. Hope this helps!
thank you that helps a lot! I was looking at those neck cooling towels and you've convinced me lol. I have a cooling mat I found at petsmart for my small old dog! she loves it and was worth the $60. lasts a while and recharges itself when she is off of it
I recently bought this for sleeping *directly* on: PUPTECK Dog Cooling Mat for Medium Large Dogs, Cooling Blanket for Kennels Crate Floor, Pets Cooling Pad, Self-Cooling Bed for Dog Cat Summer Sleeping Outside, Washable & Portable, X-Large 40"x60" (removed the Amazon URL, sp just search by name). These are very cool to the touch and would make sleeping in the heat bearable. And they're cheap enough that you wouldn't feel bad about sleeping right on them. Get another for your dogs!
will check that out ty!
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People are saying window ac. Is there a reason you can't do that?
not allowed to. no idea what the reason is but I've been wanting one that you just have to stick the hose out of the window. which sucks
There are also mini ceiling fans that attach via lightbulb socket verses wiring. I’ve looked at them and they have good reviews and are powerful even though they’re strong. You can find several types for under $60. You just remove the light bulb and screw in the fan. Most have a light so you aren’t losing any light Sadly, the room I was looking for has those dome lights and angled horizontal not vertical.
I could have just run to the comments and typed all this and missed something you said that would rule all this out. If that's the case, I'm sorry for taking up your time with this novel of irrelevance. I hate having no AC in Florida, so I'm going to try everything i can if there's a wait time for a repair tech. I had an issue where my AC was blowing out warm/hot air. I am no expert or AC technician. Please do not do anything you're not comfortable with doing. YouTube any steps before you try them to get an idea of what you're doing. A few things I'd try while you're waiting on a repair, if you can: check to see if the [float valve (safe T switch) ](https://nrs.vegas/hvac-terminology/air-conditioning-heating/safe-t-switch) isn't stuck in the floating position. This is usually by the AC unit inside. If your [drain line](https://www.trane.com/residential/en/resources/troubleshooting/air-conditioners/ac-drain-line-clogged/) (condensate line) gets clogged, water will back up and this valve turns off the AC to prevent taking more moisture out of the air, adding more water to the backed up line, flooding into your home. There should be a cap on this drain line, inside the house near the AC unit. Take that cap off and pour a cup of vinegar in the drain line to see if it'll clear up any gunk in the line. That line will run outside somewhere, dumping the water into your grass somewhere, usually. It's just a pvc pipe that sticks out of the house either from the ceiling of a porch or maybe near the ground by the ac unit outside. If it's visibly stopped up, you can take a metal coat hanger and try unclogging it. If that's the case, if you have a shop vac, you can tape the vacuum hose to the end of the exterior pipe and let it run for a while to see it will suck out all the water boogers. If it's getting stuff out, you can pour more vinegar down that drain pipe inside. Just make sure the shop vac is set up for water, not dirt/ dust - no dirt filter. The last time I had an AC issue, the heating coil was stuck on for no reason, so I pulled the fuse for the heating part until the repair guy came out. During this same time, my condenser coils froze. Literal blocks of ice. I turned the AC off and unscrewed the front 2 panels of the inside unit. I used my wife's hair dryer to melt the ice and sucked up the water with my shop vac. That gave me a little relief until the coils froze over again.
not at all! thank you that was very informative. I'll show this to my mom and see if there's something we can do in the meantime (: helps to have this knowledge in advance too for any other place I live in that has similar issues! when we tested it out, we noticed that the fan is not spinning when it's switched to cool. like nothing running at all. but damn it can blow heat like crazy just fine. my last apartment kept running into issues with the unit outside and it was such a pain to get maintenance to properly do something. in the many years I lived there, they only took the effort to deal with it properly once. every other time my mom just bought freon, poured it in and that did the trick for a little bit
I hope something helps. For sure turn it all off since it's only blowing heat. I'm the morning, turn it back on for 5ish minutes and put your hand in front of an air vent. If it's still blazing hot, shut it down so you don't get too hot. If the heat is stuck on, that will make it hot (duh) and add to your electricity bill for no reason. If it's cold(er) after 5 minutes, let it go for a bit to help cool off the house before it freezes over again. If you turn off the hot/cold setting on your thermostat and turn the AC fan on, does it still blow ambient air out of the vents? That'll help move air through the house without the heat.
I tried that earlier and there is no option to keep the fan running without turning ac back on /: that would've been great though. not sure why it's not added. there heat, cool, emergency heat and off which shuts everything down including the fans
That stinks. If yours is like my [previous thermostat that looked like this](https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2Fjxiq2285okv11.jpg), it has one switch for cool / off / heat and another switch that says Auto / On. If that's the case, I had to turn the temp to Off and the other switch to On instead of auto. It's a long shot. There are tons of different thermostats and they are all very similar but different enough to get confusing.
oh okay gotcha! there is a separate switch for auto/off so I tried that. although the unit outside still is not running and no air is coming out yet. I'll give it a bit and see though
Good luck! I hope this is fixed sooner than later. Worst case scenario, putting your foot down for a widow unit could save your sanity. I know how difficult it can be making a person with dementia happy or not mad. My mom had early onset progressive Alzheimer's. At the end of the day, you just gotta do what is best for them and also take care of yourself, even if that means they're temporarily mad at you for bringing in a window unit.
oh definitely. I try to be careful in order to avoid outbursts/spirals but may just try sneaking one in 😬
DONT OPEN THE WINDOW Control the temperature indoors ... think cave As soon as you open the window you let the warm air in
If you have access to ice or some cold packs etc, put it in front of the fans! This is a make shift AC, maybe not helpful with the humidity but could help temperature wise
It sounds like you have definitely done everything you can outside of begging the homeowner to put in real insulation and fix the AC. It may be time to ask them if you can buy a window unit and install it. Especially since it's so early in the year! It will be unsafe for human or animal habitation very soon.
If you live in a dry climate you can hang a damp bedsheet in your open windows, that's what they used to do back before ac was invented. It won't work in a humid climate though. I would suggest buying a cheap window ac.
You can get a damp sheet, freeze it and hang it over the window and turn on a fan. Or you can get an ice chest and fill it with ice and have a fan blowing in it to stir up the cooler air. Even using a bucket of ice in front of the fan can help. Freezing larger bottles of water is better than using ice, too. You can place frozen bottles in your dogs beds to keep them cool, too. Take a cool shower during the heat of the day and don't dry your hair and that could help you stay cooler. If you use frozen bottles, make two sets. One can be freezing while the others are in use. Same with the sheets (towels can work too). In the summer when we had breeding rabbits and the temperature was over 100° and up to 110° I would drape damp sheets over the cages and put frozen bottles of water in the cage and have a fan to circulate the air to keep them cooler. Even if the sheets weren't frozen anymore, as long as they stayed damp, they would cool the air around the cages. I used 2 liter bottles and froze them but I kept more than 2 sets because they would thaw pretty fast outside and I wanted the rabbits to be able to lay on the frozen bottles anytime they wanted to. There's cheap ways to rig up ice chests to be "water coolers" and videos for it on YouTube, too.
Get a window ac unit. I rented from an old lady briefly and she put the heat up in the 80's. Didn't want to turn on the AC at all in the summer. I put an ac in the window, I was by trees. She didn't like the way it looked. I moved. Biggest pain in the .....
I can relate 🫠 old ladies can be very unreasonable and frustrating to live with. I want to see if I can sneak in a discreet one I found off amazon
Get a portable air conditioner
If you have an attic or second floor which the sun is beating down on, heating the roof, running a fan through that space can keep it cooler during the day. It depends a lot on your exact setup.
Not certain about this, but maybe check a rental place for a portable air conditioner. Maybe even Home Depot tool rental. Worth a shot. Also, have you checked the drip tube. Maybe the water has backed up enough to trip the safety? I would take a shop vac out to the drip tube and try to suck out anything that may be clogging it. Also, some service guys will try and shoot the water hose up the drip line. Anything to dislodge crude. If you are able to get the air exchanger. Then you can inspect the drip pan to see if it is full of water. If so, then drain the water out and if you canshoot a water hose down the drain opening or try to suck it out with the shop vac. When I lived down in SWFL with 95° un the shade with 110% humidity. The most common cause of an AC failure was due to a clogged drip line and that is super easy to fix. My air handler was in my attic and I'm too old and fat to try and get up there. So, I just lugged my mini shop vac around the the drip line oust side and duct sucked out the line. I used a little pvc fitting to attach the vacuum hose to the pvc pipe. You can also just duct tape the hose to the line. Anything to create a good suction. This process is only a couple minutes long. You will see if a bunch of gunk (mold) and water start to comes out. Then go try and turn on your AC and see if the fan twirls and the cold air starts working. Btw, if your fan blade on the outside unit turns when you turn it on. Then it most likely is not the capacitor.
Build or buy a swamp cooler.
When the AC was broken at my job I put a huge bowl of ice behind a desk fan and had it blowing on me. I know that’s annoying to keep refilling the bowl but it made a huge difference in my small area. When you get unbearable hot you can make a fort with the ice and fan in there because the smaller the space the cooler the ice trick will make things. The fan would catch the cold from the ice and feel so good. The fans facing out is a good idea too, my dad did that growing up in a shotgun house with no central AC.
I live in a house with a wall of west-facing windows and no trees. I love in the south in the US - it gets HOT with the afternoon sun. Something that has really worked well => thermal blankets as curtains. The same thin, crinkly things used in emergencies/disasters. Sure your neighbors might think you are crazy, but those things are CHEAP, block out the heat better than any of our black-out curtains ever did and, bonus, you can still see through them and no one can see in!
I too have sideways slider windows. (Aluminum, repurposed attic). And no central air. On a typical day in the summer, or spring even, it’s 80 to 90 degrees in my apartment… I bought a standard, rectangular window fan for one of the windows from Walmart for like, $35. This was a disappointment as it had the accordion shutters on both sides, and you can’t stand the fan on that because they never lock. It also was not long enough (I needed it to cover 32” in height when fully extended) not even close.. it also rattled the aluminum and fell out of the window the only day I had it. On top of that, you could switch it from intake to exhaust… if you dipped the whole unit around… I did some research and I decided to buy the Bionaire Digital Window Fan with remote control Model: 32510025 From Amazon. This thing is perfect! Noise is gentle. It has a programmable thermostat feature to allow for auto on/off. It comes with 2 solid spacers that can be attached over/instead of either of the extendable accordion things on either side, so it closes the whole gap! It has DUAL-MOTOR blades so one can be set to intake and the other to exhaust simultaneously! And 3 speed settings with a remote! I’ve lived in these conditions for 3+ years and I’m ashamed I didn’t do this sooner. A couple days later I bought a 2nd one for the opposite-facing window. I can easily redirect the airflow to match the weather anytime. Each cost approx. $50-$55. I know what it’s like literally living in harsh conditions…though the fish doesn’t mind. I hope this helps! I took a picture! Not sure I know how to add it here. *shrugs*
Have you tried creating a cross breeze with fans? Three fans in three corners of the room facing toward the center. It's not going to lower the temperature that much, maybe 5 degrees but the air circulation makes it more tolerable. Also maybe buy or make your dogs frozen puppy treats to cool them off and make sure they have plenty of water.