[Teligacio]

I live in a 2 bedroom apartment that doesn't have central air conditioning. The A/C unit is located in our living room (at point x). My room is located down the hallway. The living room and hallway are cool enough but air doesn't circulate well in my room and the heat from my PC and other electronics in the room can make it much warmer in my room than in the hallway and living room. If I used a fan to try and cool it down in the room would it make more sense to...

1) Put the fan in the hallway blowing into my room so that the cooler air from the hallway is blowing into the room

2) Put the fan in the doorway of my room so that the hot air from my room is blowing out into the hallway

3) Place the fan some way else

[ReginaPerss]

Fan is going to be on the ground?
Hot air rises, so I'd blow the cold air into the room from the hallway.


If the fan is going to up high near the ceiling, I'd have the fan blow the hot air into the hallway.

[shumozar]

Open door, open window, fan to window blowing out.

[Edqpdnuu]

Open door, open window, fan to window blowing out.

95 degrees outside.

[Vznvtthq]

95 degrees outside.

http://www.google.com/products/catal...d=0CJkBEPMCMAA
Get one of these blowing air out of your window, then put a fan in hallway blowing towards your room. Or a cheap window unit. That would likely work out better than trying to use 1 unit in the living room to cool the whole place. Been there back in college. Expect a huge electricity bill.

[Poreponko]

http://www.google.com/products/catal...d=0CJkBEPMCMAA
Get one of these blowing air out of your window, then put a fan in hallway blowing towards your room. Or a cheap window unit. That would likely work out better than trying to use 1 unit in the living room to cool the whole place. Been there back in college. Expect a huge electricity bill.

Zed is spot on here. You won't truly be comfortable until you put a window AC unit in there. I went one night without AC in my apartment during college, and that was enough for me to just shell out the $100 for a cheap window unit. Hopefully, you are higher than the first floor.

[lammaredder]

Nothing gets colder than an AC window unit, so just buy one of those. Speaking of which, my central AC unit crapped out 3 days ago, and it was ****ing miserable in my house. I had to sleep somewhere else since it's like 90 degrees outside.

[Acrogeokickic]

I've endured countless NY summers without AC, so I can speak from experience: place the fan as a close as possible to your bed (blowing out). Otherwise, a fan is useless.

Side note: the temp jumps from 75F in Central Park to 98F tomorrow. I'm calling in sick.

[RooldpalApata]

At least being Minnesota, the nights are cool, right? In a month or so it will be 105+ during the day and 85 at night, here. I suffered through a summer of that without AC. The places you will live in college .

Just grab a 5000btu window unit (~$100 new) or look to spend less time in your room this summer. Back when, we partitioned off the living room with drapes, and spent as much time as possible there.

You can look for some thermal window tint, too. It is cheap enough and will make a considerable difference.

[denwerdinoss]

At least being Minnesota, the nights are cool, right? In a month or so it will be 105+ during the day and 85 at night, here. I suffered through a summer of that without AC. The places you will live in college .

Pfft. Dry heat.

[genna]

Pfft. Dry heat.

Hey, you aren't from Minnesota and you got it right! Sometimes it is cool at night when it is dry or before a storm, but most of the time it is so wet and hot that even when you aren't sweating you feel like you're drenched in it.

LP, if it is cooler outside than in your room, blow the fan out the window to vent the heat. If it is cooler inside your room or the temps are about even, just point the fan at yourself imo.

[sasquatch999]

I've endured countless NY summers without AC, so I can speak from experience: place the fan as a close as possible to your bed (blowing out). Otherwise, a fan is useless.

Side note: the temp jumps from 75F in Central Park to 98F tomorrow. I'm calling in sick.

We have almost 98F in the office.
Go to work, paresseux!

[inofindy]

try one way, then try another and go for what works best?

[karkinadze]

from my experience in Iran (hot dry summer) and DC (Humid/hot as hell summer) I found a ceiling fan to be the best option. The air circulates all around you especially in a small room with a ceiling fan. With your shirt off and sheets off the light breeze/air flowing over your back will cool you down real quick. The trick is to sleep on your stomach, hug a pillow with your head sideways, and let the air cool you off. As long as the ceiling fan is running the constant but weak flow of air will continuously cool your back until believe it or not you feel like pulling the sheets on you.

[endulundaSauh]

I tried opening the window and blowing the fan out the window but it seemed like there was more hot air coming in than going out, it was about 90-95 last evening before I went to bed. My landlord has said he'll install an AC unit in the room but I'd rather try and use a fan to save on electricity. I'll give it a shot setting it by the doorway and having it blow outward and see if that helps. It is supposed to be substantially cooler the next couple of days here so that should help too. There is about a 7-10 degree difference between the temperature in the living room and the temperature in my room.

[Alexeryy]

I tried opening the window and blowing the fan out the window but it seemed like there was more hot air coming in than going out, it was about 90-95 last evening before I went to bed. My landlord has said he'll install an AC unit in the room but I'd rather try and use a fan to save on electricity. I'll give it a shot setting it by the doorway and having it blow outward and see if that helps. It is supposed to be substantially cooler the next couple of days here so that should help too. There is about a 7-10 degree difference between the temperature in the living room and the temperature in my room.

This is where you should stop. The fact that your landlord is willing to install the air unit is a significant plus. Since you will only be needing it for your bedroom; it is unlikely that it would take very long for the unit to cool you room. Assuming you work during the day; the only time your unit would really be running would be during the night. To me, the comfort of the AC unit was well worth the extra cost. Don't be so cheap.

[mdUzAMbG]

I tried opening the window and blowing the fan out the window but it seemed like there was more hot air coming in than going out, it was about 90-95 last evening before I went to bed. My landlord has said he'll install an AC unit in the room but I'd rather try and use a fan to save on electricity. I'll give it a shot setting it by the doorway and having it blow outward and see if that helps. It is supposed to be substantially cooler the next couple of days here so that should help too. There is about a 7-10 degree difference between the temperature in the living room and the temperature in my room.

That unit in your living room is probably 5000 btu's. That cools roughly 150sq ft 20 degrees below what the outside temperature is. I assume it is already cooling your hallways, living room and kitchen (which is more than it is made for already). If your landlord will install a unit free, then by all means let him. Sure, you might save some on electricity just fanning it. But as you saw last night, sometime fans are not enough. Use the AC in your room only when you need it... doing so will prevent the one in the front room running the compressor 24/7 which will be a huge elec drain.

--- Post Update ---

Don't be so cheap.

sometimes, beer money is more important than cool money. Fortunately, those times most often are when you are young, dumb and full of... beer.

[Info-phone]

You know, most AC units have an economy setting. I run the one in my room on medium cooling with economy mode on, and while it doesn't make my room chilly, it does make it perfectly comfortable. I leave it going 24/7 and my power bills aren't that bad.

[WoCTrt0X]

If your room is not being cooled by the AC Unit, the unit is probably not large enough for the space.

People often think that it is an airflow issue, but it is easy to tell if the unit is cycling on and off. If you can hear (or feel) the compressor tripping on and off, blame air flow (I doubt it). But if the compressor is constantly running, it is just undersized.

The best way to be comfortable in your room is to put in another air conditioner; it really is not that expensive to operate.

Zedd,

A/Cs remove energy from the air in a space - this is not always possible to measure by temperature alone. In the north, the air has significantly more enthalpy at a given temperature due to humidity (especially this little heat wave).

Point is: you can't just say "20 degrees below outside" since the environments vary so much. For example, your AC works significantly better at 60F than it does at 100F because heat transfer (in this system) is a function of the difference between outside temp and condensor temp.

[freddyujnf]

Zedd,

A/Cs remove energy from the air in a space - this is not always possible to measure by temperature alone. In the north, the air has significantly more enthalpy at a given temperature due to humidity (especially this little heat wave).

Point is: you can't just say "20 degrees below outside" since the environments vary so much. For example, your AC works significantly better at 60F than it does at 100F because heat transfer (in this system) is a function of the difference between outside temp and condensor temp.

Will, humans do not use an air conditioner over the entire temperature spectrum. Thus, the 20 degree figure is solid for the range we do use it. Sure, it can be off a couple of degrees each direction depending on if it is being used on a day it is 75 or 110, but as a general rule of thumb, an a/c unit will cool the air ~20 degrees below ambient for the correct square footage. In most cases, that 20 degrees is enough. In Texas, you have to get a bigger btu a/c then elsewhere. It is humid here through the 90's, but by end of July that humidity burns off as temps reach 110+ range.

The argument you are making is like saying mpg estimates are always wrong for you because you have a lead foot or live in a hilly area. All I am saying is, if it is 100 degrees outside, don't be surprised if the coolest you can get it inside is 80. That is normal. 80 feels quite nice when you are coming from 100.