DU Crowdsource: how to cool the upstairs when the a/c is out?

[elehhhhna]

The downstairs unit is fine & working. Upstairs is dead. Waiting for warranty guy to switch it out - in next few days. Houston. 88 high today. Sunny.

I have one standing fan, 2 box fans, and ceiling fans in all the bedrooms.

How can we best configure for the coolest outcome?

[drm604]

1. Can you sleep downstairs for a few days?

On couches or even mats on the floor?

[karadax]

2. HVAC or window unit ?

If it's a window unit you might not have enough BTUs to accomplish what you want house wide. You'll have to close off non essential rooms and make the best of a sucky situation.

[Historic NY]

3. Close off doors to unused rooms....

use one fan to push air upstairs, use the second to pull it at the top on the 2nd floor. As the air circulates open one door at a time. Close the blinds and keep the ceiling fans on high, it will balance out. The key is getting the fans working to draw the cool air up....

[Silent3]

4. Are these window air conditioners?

Is it possible to simply switch them, put the broken one downstairs?

[951-Riverside]

5. A block of ice in front of a fan near an open window

I freeze water in an old ice creme bucket, place the ice on top of a mini grill then put it in front of a fan.

[SamKnause]

6. I'll give it a go.

The ceiling fans downstairs should be set on the winter setting, pulling the cold air from the floor to the ceiling.

The ceiling fans upstairs should be set on the summer setting, pushing the hot air from the ceiling to the floor.

The standing fan should be placed at the bottom of the stairs blowing the cool air up the stairs.

Place one box fan in front of the AC unit to spread the cold air into a larger area.

I don't know where I would place the final box fan.

Hope that helps.

My tips come from experience.

I am pretty good at regulating the temperature in my home when facing difficulties with the AC.

Have a great Sunday.

P.S. Keep all blinds and curtains closed. If there are unused rooms they can be closed off.

Good luck.

[hlthe2b]

28. ^^This is good advice^^

[NutmegYankee]

7. What style of house is it?

I have a cape cod without AC, so I have a house fan and other tools for the summer heat. The downstairs unit will probably keep the humidity out of the entire house. I'd need to know the layout for advice on fans. If you keep windows shut, you'll probably maintain a reasonable temp inside and can sleep with fans blowing on you at night.

[Le Taz Hot]

8. I'd like to know that myself.

I only have one story but my AC went out, again, and it's supposed to be 99 today and 100 tomorrow. I've no idea when we can afford to have it fixed. I do have 2 window units, one in my studio and the other one in the office, but it sucks because I still have to clean house & cook in the rest of the house. Any ideas will be welcome.

[NutmegYankee]

11. How big are the window units?

[Le Taz Hot]

15. 'bout yay big.

Seriously, I don't know how to answer that. They're just average size I guess. Cost about $125.00 each. Enough to cool down one room.

[NutmegYankee]

19. Probably 5000 BTU units then.

How much space do you need to cool?

[Le Taz Hot]

21. My house is 1444 square feet.

Tiny by today's McMansion standards.

[NutmegYankee]

24. I'm 1488, but two stories.

In that case, you're best just trying to cool the rooms you want, like a bedroom. The other approach is to use fan to cycle air around to the ac units to get the air as dry as possible. But 10,000 BTUs of cooling capacity won't drop the air temp much for that size of house.

[dixiegrrrrl]

31. Idea: nix the cooking and cleaning.

serisly.
Too hot to cook, and who cares about cleaning in a hot house?
When it gets above 90 here, I close the doors the the rest of the house, and stay happily cool in my office using the window unikt and a table fan. Can't afford to run the house A/C all day, every day.
We eat cool foods like salads and watermelons and sandwiches..anything that does not require a burner to be turned on.
Once a week a dash to the local chinese place, grab some take out.

Any necessary chores like dishes get done in early am, while it is cool.
I gave up hosuework for Lent, a few years ago, and the world did not end.

[Old Codger]

9. a fan

In a window upstairs drawing hot air out of house should also draw cooler air from downstairs to the upstairs as long as no other windows are open

[NutmegYankee]

10. But during the day you just draw warmer air inside.

I don't have AC and use fans. I fire up a large house fan that pulls 3500 CFM at night to draw cooler air inside, but stop all fans in the morning to prevent pulling in the warmer air. Since the OP has some AC, it's best to not pull in potentially warmer and more humid air. The single AC will still dry the air, but can't knock the temps down.

[elehhhhna]

18. the upstairs fan is facing out - and it's working. We have major air movement here

probably helps that the entry/stairs/landing is open plan...

[NutmegYankee]

20. The only risk is that you will draw warmer more humid air in and overload the one unit.

I'd recommend shutting the windows by 11AM and let the heat of the day go by before opening them again in the evening. Just personal experience from life without AC.

[Orrex]

25. You'll blow all of the air out of the house and suffer explosive decompression!!!!!!!1!

[elehhhhna]

16. YOU AND DU ALL ROCK

Hubs had the one facing out so I took all the other ideas - jacked the a/c higher downstairs, set the other 2 fans - and it's cooling in here (Master BR) now! YAY!

I'll check back around 6 and let ya'll know how it's going then...

[Orrex]

12. Turn the house upside down

[elehhhhna]

17. ok you win

[Orrex]

23. LOL

[AngryAmish]

13. diy swamp cooler

Google it.

[GeorgeGist]

14. Turn house upside down.

[Orrex]

22. That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard.

[dixiegrrrrl]

32. LOL!!!!!

Yeah, I got it...
you are a hoot!

[jwirr]

26. Place your fans so it creates a cross draft and pushes the heat out. But I see you are in Texas so I

would suggest you place the two fans pointing outwards to expel the heat. Use standing fan to circulate the air and TRY the ceiling fans to see if they do anything other than push heat downward. If not turn them off. Or see if they have a switch that will reverse their flow.

[hlthe2b]

27. Best, move downstairs where it is cooler; use insulated black-out curtains for all upstairs windows

and keep them totally closed (makes a BIG difference). If you live where it is not excessively humid, try running a cool water humidifier in front of a fan--or at least put a shallow bowl of water (or better, block ice) in front....

Good luck. I HATE being hot.

[Spider Jerusalem]

29. Paint your roof white (n/t)

[dixiegrrrrl]

33. In all seriousness, I thought about doing that.

then our neighbors down the hill put on a light colored roof.
and at certain times of the day, it hurts my eyes to look in that direction.

[Spider Jerusalem]

34. But you'll use about half as much energy in summer.

Dark roofs are just a bad idea in the South.

Also more sunlight reflected means less heat means less degradation means not needing to reshingle as often, in addition to other benefits: http://energy.gov/energysaver/articles/cool-roofs

[Warpy]

30. Box fans in windows as soon as the sun goes down

If there are 2 bedrooms, box fan in one exhausting, box fan in the other bringing air in. Ceiling fans to get the worst of the hot air off the ceiling and exhausted.

If more than 2, have box fans exhausting in 2 windows, ceiling fans on.

Go around edges of box fans with cardboard or newspaper or something to make some sort of jerrybuilt seal.

Ceiling fans are pretty good to about the low 90s, air feels cooler if it's moving. Getting rid of as much of the hot air upstairs as possible will help them along.

I lived in Dixie with no AC. What those houses had were attic fans that sucked cool air in the windows and exhausted hot air near the ceilings out through the attic. That and heavy curtains closed against the sun worked fairly well, keeping the place cool until late afternoon-early evening.

[dixiegrrrrl]

35. What Warpy said, about attic fans.

Do you have attic fans??

I KNOW you have hellish humidty, I have been there in the summer.

[TBF]

36. Happened to us last week -

(also in TX) -

Slumber party in the family room. Seriously do not try to sleep upstairs in the heat ... use the sleeping bags/air mattresses that you normally use for kids' sleepovers or camping.