how can i cool down my room - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

pacaveli · 07-22-2005, 09:56 PM

well my house has central air, my room is on the second floor, and it is the hottest room in my house. It's noticible hotter, when u walk in the room the temperature changes abotu 4-7 degrees, it's really hard to sleep in, so i was wondering if anyone knows of any inexpensive ways to cool down my room.

note: i have a ceiling fan and a HUGE fan on almost all of the days, also i have central air, the vent blows tons of cold air, none stays in my room,door open or closed

maleficent · 07-22-2005, 09:57 PM

If you get cooler air in the hallway, put the fan near the hallway to coax the air into your room... Keep the ceiling fan running to keep the air circulating.

Now generally, poltergeists make the room cooler, but maybe you have some strange poltergeists... Have you tried an exorcism?

Cynthetiq · 07-22-2005, 10:18 PM

is that room over the garage?

some rooms just will never balance well because of proximity to the garage.

Bill O'Rights · 07-22-2005, 10:41 PM

What direction does your room "face"? Rooms that face West, or south, are harder to keep cool. Try keeping your windows covered with heavy curtains that do not admit a lot of sunlight. Also, you could have a problem with poor insulation.

phredgreen · 07-23-2005, 02:04 AM

here's a big question... is your computer in your room? do you hae a crt monitor? those two items tend to act as space heaters, especially if the room is enclosed. follow the advice of those above, and if you can set your monitor to some kind of powersave mode where it actually cuts power to the crt, you may do a bit to help the situation.

william · 07-23-2005, 04:37 AM

Put your huge fan in the hall, and get an oscillating fan for your room. The new fan will help circulate the hotter air further up (and away!). I live in a place w/the same problem, and the fan really works.

iamnormal · 07-23-2005, 04:59 AM

More insulation would be best in the long run.
My room is hot like 10 to 20 degrees hotter than the rest of the house. I dont have central air ran to it. Right now I have a window AC unit that I add a remote on and off switch. That way I can get it cooled down before I go there.

What I like to do is add a hot roof system to the roof. That is were the roof is insulated right under it in stead of haveing an air gap to keep it cooler.
They make expanding spray foam that can be sprayed to the underside of the roof.
If you need a new roof then adding foam panels to the top of the roof would be good. That can be done by adding 2x4 or 2x6 with foam panels in between then plywood on top then the new roof. Another way is useing SIPs(Structural Insulated Panels). They make them with plywood just on one side for adding to a existing roof.

A powered roof vent could help pull hot air out of the attic and help your room from geting as hot. There are solar powered vents that don't need power run to them.

A reflecting insulator in the attic could help reflect the heat to make it cooler as well. There is reflecting insulator made that is like reflecting bubble wrap.

pacaveli · 07-23-2005, 10:03 AM

to answer some of your questions, yes my computer is in my room, but it was just recently moved and it was hot reguardless, my room is not over the garage, and it is also on the corner of the housei think facing north, but im not sure on that.

should my fan be blowing air in the hall way or from the hall way?

thanx for all the help btw

vanblah · 07-26-2005, 06:42 AM

Point the fan IN to your room from the hallway. This will displace the hot air by forcing cooler air into the room. If you point the fan out your are forcing hot air from the hallway IN to your room and pulling the cool air OUT of your room.

Where is the second floor return (intake) duct for the A/C. You probably need one in your room; I don't know how feasible that is.

If the return is in the hallway you can cut a hole in the top of your wall next to it ( or close to it ) and put in a vent that would hopefully improve airflow. Nothing fancy, just a hole in the wall with a return air grill on both sides.

j8ear · 07-27-2005, 04:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vanblah

If the return is in the hallway you can cut a hole in the top of your wall next to it ( or close to it ) and put in a vent that would hopefully improve airflow. Nothing fancy, just a hole in the wall with a return air grill on both sides.

It's all about a high return to your hvac system. You need to suck the hot air out, send it to the air conditioner, and replace that hot air with nice cooled air from the conditioner.

All the solutions with fans blowing here or there are going to be only marginally effective, and will consume additional energy in the process.

If this is your house, add high returns to your HVAC system everywhere you possibly can. Your energy costs will drop drastically, and your over all climate will be much more stable through the environment.

I've been through this personally.

-bear

JStrider · 07-27-2005, 10:05 PM

make one of these?
http://mirror.lerfjhax.com/www.eng.u.../~gmilburn/ac/

when i'm at home my room always seems really hot, its south facing and i have my computer,crt monitor, 2 reptile cages with heaters x_X

i never close my door... and i have a fan blowing into my room and the ceiling fan on, usually keeps it bearable.

Gatorade Frost · 07-28-2005, 09:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by phredgreen

here's a big question... is your computer in your room? do you hae a crt monitor? those two items tend to act as space heaters, especially if the room is enclosed. follow the advice of those above, and if you can set your monitor to some kind of powersave mode where it actually cuts power to the crt, you may do a bit to help the situation.

That's a pretty good question just because I built a computer a few weeks ago and now my room is very noticeably hotter (Hahah - More power, baby). So turning that off when not in use would be a good idea.

guthmund · 07-28-2005, 12:50 PM

I'm surprised no one's mentioned tinfoil.

I've been putting tinfoil on my bedroom windows for years. It isn't pretty, but it keeps the room noticeably cooler, which is a whole lot more important in my book.

Oh, and make sure the fans aren't working against each other. Be mindful where they are and which direction they're spinning.

pacaveli · 07-29-2005, 01:24 PM

haha i have a ceiling fan blowing air down, and a pertty large, yet old fan blowin gair directly on me when i sleep. i'll research these high return thingers and tell u how things go

can anyone supply me with more information, and possibley a how to do it urself guide to these things?

pattycakes · 07-30-2005, 06:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by phredgreen

here's a big question... is your computer in your room? do you hae a crt monitor? those two items tend to act as space heaters, especially if the room is enclosed. follow the advice of those above, and if you can set your monitor to some kind of powersave mode where it actually cuts power to the crt, you may do a bit to help the situation.

mmmmhahahaha my first built computer used to heat my room in the winter

it was great... but i had tot ake the side off and put a fan right on it in the summer... but thats what you get for overclocking like a mo fo

mxyzptlk · 08-04-2005, 03:57 AM

If you can open the top of the top window in your room, you might release some of the hot air to be replaced by the cooler air you're blowing in from the fans. Remember hot air rises.

noblejr · 08-05-2005, 06:11 AM

Are your vents adjustable? go throught the house and close off vents you don't need, and restrict vents in small rooms. In our house the bathroom has the same size vent as my room, so I closeed that one off about 3/4 of the way. I also closed 2 of the 4 vents in the living room and restricted the hallway vent to about 10% air flow. It took some experimenting but I now have the whole house getting the right amount of the AC flowing to it. If you don't have adjustable vents, that would be a somewhat small investment to make to get a cooler room. Cheaper than a window AC unit anyhow.

MSD · 08-06-2005, 07:59 PM

Put a block of ice behind the fan.

MikeSty · 08-08-2005, 09:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pacaveli

i was wondering if anyone knows of any inexpensive ways to cool down my room.(

1. Power strip and series of cheap oscilating fans

2. Homemade AC as found on hackaday:

http://mirror.lerfjhax.com/www.eng.u.../~gmilburn/ac/

3. Tear down the walls ... Ronald Reagan style!

....... uhmmmmm......yeah. necropost?

Misz · 08-16-2005, 04:32 AM

Open all your windows in the morning then close them at about 10:30 - 11:00 will keep your room cool till the arvo

TrumanTT · 08-16-2005, 02:56 PM

http://www.eng.uwaterloo.ca/~gmilburn/ac/

Check it out, homemade Air Conditioning. Should be good enough just for your room!

Whoops NM the link, I didn't notice it two posts up already

thingstodo · 08-20-2005, 06:11 AM

A return is the best, long-term option that will be the most effective. You need to get out the air in the room which will draw in more air from the vent bringing air into your room. This really helps is basements where they can be too cold in the summer. Same principle.

07-22-2005, 09:56 PM	#1 (permalink)
pacaveli Psycho Location: MD	how can i cool down my room well my house has central air, my room is on the second floor, and it is the hottest room in my house. It's noticible hotter, when u walk in the room the temperature changes abotu 4-7 degrees, it's really hard to sleep in, so i was wondering if anyone knows of any inexpensive ways to cool down my room. note: i have a ceiling fan and a HUGE fan on almost all of the days, also i have central air, the vent blows tons of cold air, none stays in my room,door open or closed __________________ Check my blog out. Basically me talking about video games http://gginsights.blogspot.com/

07-22-2005, 09:57 PM	#2 (permalink)
maleficent Junkie Moderator Emeritus Location: Chicago	If you get cooler air in the hallway, put the fan near the hallway to coax the air into your room... Keep the ceiling fan running to keep the air circulating. Now generally, poltergeists make the room cooler, but maybe you have some strange poltergeists... Have you tried an exorcism? __________________ Free your heart from hatred. Free your mind from worries. Live simply. Give more. Expect less.

07-22-2005, 10:18 PM	#3 (permalink)
Cynthetiq Tilted Cat Head Administrator Location: Manhattan, NY	is that room over the garage? some rooms just will never balance well because of proximity to the garage. __________________ I don't care if you are black, white, purple, green, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, hippie, cop, bum, admin, user, English, Irish, French, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, indian, cowboy, tall, short, fat, skinny, emo, punk, mod, rocker, straight, gay, lesbian, jock, nerd, geek, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist, either you're an asshole or you're not. What's the best nation in the world? DO-NATION!

07-22-2005, 10:41 PM	#4 (permalink)
Bill O'Rights will always be an Alyson Hanniganite Location: In the dust of the archives	What direction does your room "face"? Rooms that face West, or south, are harder to keep cool. Try keeping your windows covered with heavy curtains that do not admit a lot of sunlight. Also, you could have a problem with poor insulation. __________________ "I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do because I notice it always coincides with their own desires." - Susan B. Anthony "Hedonism with rules isn't hedonism at all, it's the Republican party." - JumpinJesus It is indisputable that true beauty lies within...but a nice rack sure doesn't hurt.

07-23-2005, 02:04 AM	#5 (permalink)
phredgreen who? Location: the phoenix metro	here's a big question... is your computer in your room? do you hae a crt monitor? those two items tend to act as space heaters, especially if the room is enclosed. follow the advice of those above, and if you can set your monitor to some kind of powersave mode where it actually cuts power to the crt, you may do a bit to help the situation. __________________ My country is the world, and my religion is to do good. - Thomas Paine

07-23-2005, 04:37 AM	#6 (permalink)
william Psycho	Put your huge fan in the hall, and get an oscillating fan for your room. The new fan will help circulate the hotter air further up (and away!). I live in a place w/the same problem, and the fan really works.

07-23-2005, 04:59 AM	#7 (permalink)
iamnormal Addict Location: In the id	More insulation would be best in the long run. My room is hot like 10 to 20 degrees hotter than the rest of the house. I dont have central air ran to it. Right now I have a window AC unit that I add a remote on and off switch. That way I can get it cooled down before I go there. What I like to do is add a hot roof system to the roof. That is were the roof is insulated right under it in stead of haveing an air gap to keep it cooler. They make expanding spray foam that can be sprayed to the underside of the roof. If you need a new roof then adding foam panels to the top of the roof would be good. That can be done by adding 2x4 or 2x6 with foam panels in between then plywood on top then the new roof. Another way is useing SIPs(Structural Insulated Panels). They make them with plywood just on one side for adding to a existing roof. A powered roof vent could help pull hot air out of the attic and help your room from geting as hot. There are solar powered vents that don't need power run to them. A reflecting insulator in the attic could help reflect the heat to make it cooler as well. There is reflecting insulator made that is like reflecting bubble wrap.

07-23-2005, 10:03 AM	#8 (permalink)
pacaveli Psycho Location: MD	to answer some of your questions, yes my computer is in my room, but it was just recently moved and it was hot reguardless, my room is not over the garage, and it is also on the corner of the housei think facing north, but im not sure on that. should my fan be blowing air in the hall way or from the hall way? thanx for all the help btw __________________ Check my blog out. Basically me talking about video games http://gginsights.blogspot.com/

07-26-2005, 06:42 AM	#9 (permalink)
vanblah Junkie	Point the fan IN to your room from the hallway. This will displace the hot air by forcing cooler air into the room. If you point the fan out your are forcing hot air from the hallway IN to your room and pulling the cool air OUT of your room. Where is the second floor return (intake) duct for the A/C. You probably need one in your room; I don't know how feasible that is. If the return is in the hallway you can cut a hole in the top of your wall next to it ( or close to it ) and put in a vent that would hopefully improve airflow. Nothing fancy, just a hole in the wall with a return air grill on both sides.

07-27-2005, 10:05 PM	#11 (permalink)
JStrider Poo-tee-weet? Location: The Woodlands, TX	make one of these? http://mirror.lerfjhax.com/www.eng.u.../~gmilburn/ac/ when i'm at home my room always seems really hot, its south facing and i have my computer,crt monitor, 2 reptile cages with heaters x_X i never close my door... and i have a fan blowing into my room and the ceiling fan on, usually keeps it bearable. __________________ -=JStrider=- ~Clatto Verata Nicto

07-28-2005, 12:50 PM	#13 (permalink)
guthmund big damn hero	I'm surprised no one's mentioned tinfoil. I've been putting tinfoil on my bedroom windows for years. It isn't pretty, but it keeps the room noticeably cooler, which is a whole lot more important in my book. Oh, and make sure the fans aren't working against each other. Be mindful where they are and which direction they're spinning. __________________ No signature. None. Seriously.

07-29-2005, 01:24 PM	#14 (permalink)
pacaveli Psycho Location: MD	haha i have a ceiling fan blowing air down, and a pertty large, yet old fan blowin gair directly on me when i sleep. i'll research these high return thingers and tell u how things go can anyone supply me with more information, and possibley a how to do it urself guide to these things? __________________ Check my blog out. Basically me talking about video games http://gginsights.blogspot.com/ Last edited by pacaveli; 07-29-2005 at 01:28 PM..

08-04-2005, 03:57 AM	#16 (permalink)
mxyzptlk Tilted	If you can open the top of the top window in your room, you might release some of the hot air to be replaced by the cooler air you're blowing in from the fans. Remember hot air rises. __________________ Never practice moderation to excess.

08-05-2005, 06:11 AM	#17 (permalink)
noblejr Crazy Location: Atlanta	Are your vents adjustable? go throught the house and close off vents you don't need, and restrict vents in small rooms. In our house the bathroom has the same size vent as my room, so I closeed that one off about 3/4 of the way. I also closed 2 of the 4 vents in the living room and restricted the hallway vent to about 10% air flow. It took some experimenting but I now have the whole house getting the right amount of the AC flowing to it. If you don't have adjustable vents, that would be a somewhat small investment to make to get a cooler room. Cheaper than a window AC unit anyhow.

08-06-2005, 07:59 PM	#18 (permalink)
MSD The sky calls to us ... Super Moderator Location: CT	Put a block of ice behind the fan.

08-16-2005, 04:32 AM	#20 (permalink)
Misz Tilted	Open all your windows in the morning then close them at about 10:30 - 11:00 will keep your room cool till the arvo

08-16-2005, 02:56 PM	#21 (permalink)
TrumanTT Upright Location: Columbia, MO	http://www.eng.uwaterloo.ca/~gmilburn/ac/ Check it out, homemade Air Conditioning. Should be good enough just for your room! Whoops NM the link, I didn't notice it two posts up already __________________ "I hate quotations. Tell me about yourself." Ralph Waldo Emerson "I feel sorry for the failed lives of everyone who can sum up their experiences in one small quote." MINE! (but thats what I think Ralphie was trying to get at ^up there^ Last edited by TrumanTT; 08-16-2005 at 02:57 PM.. Reason: Saw someone else posted it

08-20-2005, 06:11 AM	#22 (permalink)
thingstodo A Storm Is Coming Location: The Great White North	A return is the best, long-term option that will be the most effective. You need to get out the air in the room which will draw in more air from the vent bringing air into your room. This really helps is basements where they can be too cold in the summer. Same principle. __________________ If you're wringing your hands you can't roll up your shirt sleeves. Stangers have the best candy.