Having a house cooling problem...

VR3

My house is super sealed - like I wont even describe what I have done to it to prevent any air from escaping the house...

But essentially I have several uncontrollable factors going on right now that are heating my house like a furnace...

1) I have four uncovered (large) windows in the house letting in alot of light which is heating the house.

2) The floor of the house is uninsulated

3) The ceiling while insulated is spotty and small

4) When the house heats up, it takes forever to get rid of due to just how hot it gets in the house (90 degrees)

Anything I can do other than cover the windows that could make a difference?

Im holding off on insulating the floor and attic until all wiring and plumbing is done. Ill have approx 18" of insulation in the attic and 6-8" under the floor

Face

Attic fan.

VR3

Hmmm yeah me and Russ talked about that - it gets pretty freakin hot in the attic

Thanks for the tip - will defnitely implement

obieone

Need a little more info: How many sq. ft? Do you have ceiling fans? Central A/C, or window units?

decal

Sounds like you don't have enough AC tonnage.Just a thought.

nadams

Insulate the ceiling... it will keep the heat out in the summer and in in the winter.

If those windows that catch the sun are not low-e coated argon-filled, consider replacements. I've only purchased one new window for my house, but I put it in a room with a single west-facing window. The difference it's made in that room is considerable.

Also, as above, how are you currently cooling the house? I've got a total of 3 window units (one small one in each bedroom upstairs, and one large one that cools the entire downstairs). When it's 90* in the house when I come home from work at 5, I can have the downstairs to 74* in about an hour. And that's with only a 10k BTU 110v window unit.

Polkersince85

You may consider the Sunblocker screens which you can make to be placed on the outside of the windows. They knock out a lot of heat and you could remove them in the wintertime. Also look at the solar powered attic fans or ridge vents. Make sure that the eves are not blocked preventing convection in the attic. Ventilation and insulation is the trick.

PerfectCreature

The only problems I have is my house being to cold all the time. haha. I will give you some of my cold air if you let me have some of your warm air?

Rev. Hayes

You've got to cover the windows...
I have a very similar situation insulation wise and the best thing for me is not letting the sunlight in. This is a major point of contention with my sun loving wife. But if you can keep the temp in the house below 80 during the day (without central air) just by not letting the sun directly in it's worth the darkness.

If curtains are out of the question you should get some really big trees

BIZILL

professional window tint can cost a fortune. but you're an apt and able young lad. i'll bet if you can purchase some semi-reflective tint, you can install it yourself. llumar is what we used to use when i tinted homes and businesses in the Tucson desert. it also cuts glare and blocks uv rays, thus protecting your speakers.

VR3

Im running a central AC unit - I rinsed out the coils the other day - it blows out nice strong air...

I have one ceiling fan in the house currently (remodeling) - it is on 24/7 - I will eventually have one in each room

I am meeting with Russ tomorrow to look at attic exhaust fans

Insulation and window coverings will have to wait till the other rooms are done

Thanks for all the advice --- Seems like the biggest thing as mentioned is insulation and ventilation

j allen

It's going to sound odd, but seriously: consider just some shiny bug screens on the outside of your window. They reduce the heat transfer of a given panel by about 10%, per ACCA (Air Conditioning Contractors of America) load calculation standards.

tonyb

Vr3MxStyler2k3 wrote: »

Im running a central AC unit - I rinsed out the coils the other day - it blows out nice strong air...

I have one ceiling fan in the house currently (remodeling) - it is on 24/7 - I will eventually have one in each room

I am meeting with Russ tomorrow to look at attic exhaust fans

Insulation and window coverings will have to wait till the other rooms are done

Thanks for all the advice --- Seems like the biggest thing as mentioned is insulation and ventilation

Seems like you have a handle on it,and some good suggestions by others too. I might add to check your AC to make sure it's running properly and is the right size. Cover those windows too,even if you have to throw a sheet over them for now. Adding a whole house fan may benefit you too, for those days when it's warm,but not warm enough to run the ac.

Mike Kozak

We had an attic fan while I lived in Michigan and my dad would turn it on at night and I would open my bedroom window and crack open my door and the cool night air would exaust all the hot air out of the house.

tonyb

Mike Kozak wrote: »

We had an attic fan while I lived in Michigan and my dad would turn it on at night and I would open my bedroom window and crack open my door and the cool night air would exaust all the hot air out of the house.

They are nice, but you have to remember to leave windows open.:)

I know a few knuckleheads who ...didn't.

edbert

As much work as you have been doing in your house, how often and what kind of A/C filter are you using? I just got done doing a thorough cleaning of my A/C blower and evap. coil. My unit isn't that old but it sure was dirty even with regularly switching out the filters. It isn't hard to do but it might help your system run a little more efficiently.

Also along the curtains route, I can also attest to that making a huge difference. We have three large windows on the east side of our house that if we leave uncovered in the mornings the A/C never seems to catch up the rest of the day. Now if we drop our translucent shades it stays a nice temp in the house and if it is really hot(stays in the upper 80's or low 90's) overnight, then we drop the opaque(red) curtain as well.

Good luck!

Oh yeah, I don't know how easy it is to find it in your area but radiant barrier foil attached to the underside of your attic rafters can make a huge difference. I have been in attics with both the spray barrier and the foil and the foil does make a bigger difference. Others may experience something different, but that has been my experience. Check out www.atticfoil.com for more info.

VR3

I use the 1300 filtration filters (not the super cheap ones) - they are 90 day filters, with all the work going on in the house they last about 20 days

edbert

I figured that might be the case. I would at least get something temporary up covering those windows. Even a cheap white sheet or two that you have tacked up(or even taped with all the work you are doing) will make a huge difference without a large cost upfront and then get the nice stuff later.

FYI - on curtains or other window dressings, swing by your local fabric store or hobby lobby and talk with a few of the ladies that teach the sewing classes. Many of them could make you custom curtains in a variety of styles for much cheaper than going to an interior design place and you will save a ton if you buy the fabric yourself.

madmax

Cover the windows for sure, something light colored towards the outside. Reflective window tint makes quit a difference. My house has it and would be unbearable if it didn't.

disneyjoe7

I also had large issue with cooling my house, the biggest thing I done was to have the west side windows tinted. I found a LLumar tint company which as done most of the house and the difference in the house is "Night and Day" I fell in love with the DR35 tint. Neutral enough to mess with colors of the sky or grass, and light enough to allow me to look outside when lights are on. 3M makes a product like that but the price is much higher then the LLumar tint looking the same more or less.

thsmith

Vr3MxStyler2k3 wrote: »

Im running a central AC unit - I rinsed out the coils the other day - it blows out nice strong air...

I assume you the A coil that is located inside. Do not forget the outside unit, the fins can get dirty and need to be cleaned as well.

Have you put a thermometer at the vents and see how cold the air is coming out?

VR3

Well - today was one of the hottest days so far.....

And we installed the attic fan yesterday ---- normally when I come home it is anywhere from 81-90 degrees.

Today I came home and the AC was right in line with the programming I gave it at a brisk 75 degrees! And had worked like three hours less.

The attic fan is a success for sure!!!

Now I just gotta insulate the **** out of everything and Ill be rockin and rollin!

Face

You went with a hard wired unit, correct? I've been eying solar powered units.

VR3

Yeah I went with the hardwired one...

I didnt see any solar powered ones when I was there

sda2mike

Face wrote: »

Attic fan.

ditto

Demiurge

edbert wrote: »

As much work as you have been doing in your house, how often and what kind of A/C filter are you using? I just got done doing a thorough cleaning of my A/C blower and evap. coil. My unit isn't that old but it sure was dirty even with regularly switching out the filters. It isn't hard to do but it might help your system run a little more efficiently.

Also along the curtains route, I can also attest to that making a huge difference. We have three large windows on the east side of our house that if we leave uncovered in the mornings the A/C never seems to catch up the rest of the day. Now if we drop our translucent shades it stays a nice temp in the house and if it is really hot(stays in the upper 80's or low 90's) overnight, then we drop the opaque(red) curtain as well.

Good luck!

Oh yeah, I don't know how easy it is to find it in your area but radiant barrier foil attached to the underside of your attic rafters can make a huge difference. I have been in attics with both the spray barrier and the foil and the foil does make a bigger difference. Others may experience something different, but that has been my experience. Check out www.atticfoil.com for more info.

What kind of window shades do you have there? They look like they'd do a very good job of room darkening during the day. I run my projector in my living room and have been thinking about some shades like this for 3 of the windows in that room where blinds just won't cut it.

edbert

They are custom made from an interior designer my mom and grandmother have used for years. Funny thing is, my wife took a couple of classes at Joann Fabrics after she got her sewing machine and discovered she could have made them herself.

Basically you have a rear translucent sheer with a translucent liner on the window side. The front shade is just a darker heavier fabric(not as thick as upholstery fabric) with liner behind it. The front shade lets virtually no light through and also helps to keep the heat out. The front shade is also shorter than the rear so that you can have both pulled up and the front shade doesn't have a bunch of extra fabric.

In our bedroom we have a similar style shade but with just a single shade and it can completely black out the room. You have a little light bleed from the edges of the window because it is mounted inside, but not enough to really make a difference. Let me know if you have any other questions.