Air conditioning help

[raingirl]

I need some help understanding AC.

AC removes humidity right?

Well..our apartment is still warm, but not humid. If we open the windows at night when it's cooler, it just makes our apartment warmer, because the humidity seeps in, then it takes longer to get it out again (our AC sucks).

I feel bad because we have had the AC on 24/7 for a few weeks because it is the only way our apartment stays manageable (even with it on 24/7, it's about 28C/80F in here, but low humidity which makes it ok-ish). I know that it's better to open the windows at night and let cool air in, but then the next day it gets too hot in here from all the humidity that was let in.

So...do I have this all right? Anyone got any other suggestions for making it cooler in here? We have all curtians pulled, and I turn off EVERYTHING each night (I even unplug basically ALL appliances but fridge and my alarm clock, and our fans). We don't use the stove/oven, only the microwave to cook.

[Luba]

Leave the A/C on at night until this humidity passes. You have no choice really.

We'll get through it!

[Jackie467]

Unfortunetly it sounds like keeping the AC on is your only choice. Just be glad it's not really hot like here. here in houston it sometimes gets over 100 F with 100 percent humidity. It's BAD, it almost never gets below 95 here in the summer, night or day.

When I lived in PA we didn't have AC, but it only got about 98 F never really any higher and it cooled off at night so it wasn't so bad. Since we moved to Houston we've had to keep our AC on 24 hours a day. We usually use our AC from March to November. In the winter it never goes below 30 F and rarely ever gets that far down. So we basically trade your cold cold winters for our hot hot summers, which last way too long.

Hopefully it starts to cool off soon. Just relax and try to stay cool.

[Prin]

The only thing you can do is raise the temp of the A/C. If you have it at 20 degrees, raise it to 22. We also close the bathroom and office doors too, so you only air condition the most essential parts.

[pags]

Yeah I'm with Jackie on this one... We run our A/C 24 hours.. If we try to turn it off when it cools down for a couple of hours then it has to work extra hard for HOURS to get everything cooled off again and it never seems to catch up. Keep the cool air in at night - maybe turn the thermostat up a couple of degrees at night -- but by all means -- leave it on!!!

We also are spared the winters though.. So it's not quite as horrific to run the A/C.. We trade off in the winter when we barely ever ever turn on the heat and the windows are open almost every night.

[Prin]

ya, here in the winter, we pay for heating. We also pay to repair the rust on our cars from the salt. We buy snow tires and shovels. And we buy winter jackets. Why do I live here again?

[happycats]

I have a de-humidifier, and I find that helps alot, but with this heat wave, nothing but A/C will make a difference!

[kandy]

Originally Posted by Prin

ya, here in the winter, we pay for heating. We also pay to repair the rust on our cars from the salt. We buy snow tires and shovels. And we buy winter jackets. Why do I live here again?

LOL! I know exactly where you're coming from!! When it's 30 below and the wind is blowing 40 miles an hour (making the wind chill about 50 below) I always ask myself why I live in Wyoming. I was in Subway the other day and was talking to the sandwich lady. We were laughing because it has been sooooo hot here lately (over 95 almost every day for about 2 weeks) and everyone is complaining about the heat - but in the middle of winter all you ever hear is people wishing for the heat and swearing that they'll never complain in the summer again!

Since it's so dry here, we don't have A/C really, we have swamp coolers so that they actually put some moisture back into the air along with the coolness. I also have ceiling fans in my house and they run pretty much all the time in the summer.

[Prin]

To tell you the truth, I complain in the summer, but never in the winter. I'm a winter kinda girl.

[Luba]

Okay MY A/C JUST FRIED!!

There is water all over the basement floor and we're waiting for a tech to call which will in this heat wave take probably a WEEK!!

So, I am warning you I am cranky, miserable in fact!! NO A/C and I have a migraine...there are five huge hydro trucks outside my house replacing wires,...hydro off and on ALL DAY! Loud trucks stinky diesel smell and not very attractive workers or I wouldn't complain (LOL)

I think it's something THEY did, they surged my a/c it was FINE this morning.

Hmmmmn huff puff

Calm down Luba, you're making the air warmer HAHAHA!


OH just strangle me now and get it over with! BEAM ME UP BEAM ME UP!!
Is it cooler up there???

[Prin]

Well, ya. Of course it's cooler up there. Only losers go downstairs.

[Luba]

Well I'm about to 'loose it'

But I don't want to go down there u know I have a thing about being around irritating men who think they're 'hot stuff'

[Prin]

LOL You have a thing about being around irritating everythings. Go say, "Can I help?" and when they say no, say, "Well, if you're not done in 10 minutes, I'm gonna get my tools."

Did you have a surge protector?

[Daniac]

Luba,

The same thing just happened to a friend of mine. In their case the hose was blocked. They took a vet vac and sucked out the blockage and their A/C ran fine afterwards.

It's the long hose that goes from the furnace to the floor drain that you need to clean out.

Good luck!

[Luba]

DANIAC

Thank you I'm heading to the basement right now

EW what could be plugged in there going to look right now

THANK YOU

[pags]

Ew yeah.. that happens a lot down here. We have to put 1/2 cup of pure bleach in the drain hose at least once a month or it will back up - flood the house - and kill the a/c. It's algae, Luba. Nasty grey fuzzy stuff that doesn't look like algae at all but they tell us that it is... It actually looks like dead frogs. And smells much worse. WOOO! And these dead stinky algae frogs are responsible for your suffering! Take the dog clippers to 'em!

[Prin]

We don't have a hose. Is that why we have a bucket?

[pags]

A bucket? I don't know. If I didn't have a hose I'd definitely have a bucket. Er.. well actually we don't have hoses either - they clog too quickly in our weather.. we have pipes...

[Prin]

My ac drips into a bucket and every 8 hours, we have to empty it. Keeps the muscles strong, you know? Life can't always be easy.

[happycats]

Originally Posted by Prin

My ac drips into a bucket and every 8 hours, we have to empty it. Keeps the muscles strong, you know? Life can't always be easy.

What kind of AC do you have? Window unit or central?

[pags]

Originally Posted by Prin

My ac drips into a bucket and every 8 hours, we have to empty it. Keeps the muscles strong, you know? Life can't always be easy.

Wow. That requires work. I feel lazy now. Our hose/pipes run outside the house so it drips out there if it really wants to... but then it all evaporates so quickly you never know it was there...

[chico2]

Sorry to hear that Luba,I hope they get it working again..
We've had our a/c on for almost 2 weeks 24/7,but I keep it on 26C,or I'll freeze,I hate to freeze in the summer
Today I believe the humidity blew away,I even had my windows open..and it was nice,but the a/c is back on again...it's +30C.
We have a dehumidifier down-stairs and it's amazing how much water comes out of the air...

[Prin]

Originally Posted by happycats

What kind of AC do you have? Window unit or central?

Heh heh.. It's a hybrid. When we moved into this house last month, there was a beautiful, HUGE gaping hole in the wall, that happened exactly the right size for our a/c. So it's a permanent window a/c... (There's just enough room for spiders to come in on the sides... )

[happycats]

Originally Posted by Prin

Heh heh.. It's a hybrid. When we moved into this house last month, there was a beautiful, HUGE gaping hole in the wall, that happened exactly the right size for our a/c. So it's a permanent window a/c... (There's just enough room for spiders to come in on the sides... )

I thought window AC actually dripped outside??
as for the spiders getting in, try duct tape (my answer to just about everything!! )

[Luba]

Well I just got through sucking a load of crud outta the line with the shop vac and cleaning the air filter while i was at it.

HOPEfully that will do because it seems to be drying up...a lot actually!

I am very happy right now and we turned the AC back on and so far on for 20mins and okay.

THANK YOU so much for that suggestion!!!! I was attempting / contemplating to do it but with the migraine today I wanted to put it off haha! However right now it looks like it's okay!

The tech did call back and was nice enough to say he'd come out for free but we may be okay w/o him coming.

Our hose empties into a bucket too because our sink was redone and it didn't drain into it anymore. BUT just now I hooked up a hose to the end of it and put it right into the floor drain in the laundry room.

It's half arsed done but it's working HAHAH so far!

So thanks for the boot in the rear Daniac you may just have saved me atleast 100 bux or more!

[Prin]

Originally Posted by happycats

I thought window AC actually dripped outside??
as for the spiders getting in, try duct tape (my answer to just about everything!! )

Ya, it drips outside, into a bucket. If you think this hole in the wall is bad, you should see my foundation!! We try to keep the slightest drips away from it...

[Daniac]

Glad I could help Luba!

Hopefully this is all you need to do to keep it working! And now you can spend the money you saved on treats for the furkids!

[Luba]

Or a treat for YOU ...thank you

It's still working great by the way!

[Daniac]

That's great! It's too dang hot to be without A/C!

[Schwinn]

Originally Posted by Prin

Ya, it drips outside, into a bucket. If you think this hole in the wall is bad, you should see my foundation!! We try to keep the slightest drips away from it...

Why not have it drip into one of those rain runs that directs the water away, or attach a hose to the bottom of the bucket and away from the house? That should keep your foundation dry, and you don't have to keep draining the bucket.