I left my window air conditioner running all day. My windows are all covered with thermal-backed heat blocking curtains. My skylight is covered as well. And it wasn't too incredibly hot out today. In the high 80s, cooled down to 75 by the time I got home. I thought I would be walking into a nice cool apartment.
Alas, it was not to be. It was still 86 degrees in here. And the AC was still running. I slept near the AC last night and was quite comfortable, but apparently having it running all day doesn't do a whole lot of good.
I shut it off and opened some windows. All the windows I can open are facing west, and the breeze (can't call it wind) is coming from that direction. I put fans in front of the windows to try and pull the cooler air in.
I need to ask the landlord if there is a screen for the one and only south-facing window. Maybe I could get some better circulation that way. Ugh. This could be a long summer.
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Comments: 27
if your apartment is big, whatever room the conditioner is in, maybe block the rest of the rooms with blankets or if you have doors shut them, that will keep the cool air in one room. that is what my grandma use to do. she put the conditioner in the living room and block the rest of the house with a blanket or curtain.
That's not a bad idea. But then we will all be sleeping in the living room, LOL.
I know! Let your landlord know about this!
I dont think there is much he can or will do about it. It's my own window air conditioner. The building doesn't have any AC at all.
Are you upstairs - if so - blow the fans OUT the window so it will suck the cooler air up from downstairs.
I have to tell you the best thing my ex and I did in our apartment, and Eric and I are gradually adding to this mobile home since we got so many windows.
The dollar store sells cheap aluminum foil for $1.75 it is 37.5 square feet so a lot of it. But start covering your windows with them. It looks stupid I know but I am telling you it works. Then keep your air running.
One more thing from the outside of your air conditioner (the part that faces out) run some hot soapy water in it while running. If you have a hose you can even use it. We just take a 5 gallon bucket with dish soap and dump in it fast. Sometimes we do it more then once if alot of dirt is running out of it. Make sure the screen is clean too. Then run fans, if you have ceiling fans those as well. Trust me doing these steps will make a huge difference. By the way sit in the dark if you have to or buy lower bulb voltage.
One final thing don't try to cool your apartment down when it's the hottest part of the day. Keep your air running when its cooler like night. This will make its job so hard during the hot part of the day.
Thanks, Renee. My windows are all covered with thermal-backed heat blocking curtains. I can't get to the outside of my AC because I am almost 3 stories off the ground! :-) But it was well cleaned before I installed it a few weeks ago.
Sorry I wasn't any more help to you.
Sorry to hear that running window ac all day did little to cool off your apartment. Window air conditioners can only do so much; and cool only so many square feet. Blocking off rooms that you are not looking to cool my help the a directed to where you want it more intensely.
Sounds like you are doing what you can to have shades pulled /curtains closed. You must have little or no shade trees around your building. If not on ground floor that will automatically make for a higher temperature. Fans are good to push the cooler air around as well. When the air conditioner is running. Blowing in cool air from out side in the evening is a great idea as well.
Almost 3 stories up, Stephanie, and a brick building. No trees, no shade. It's hot!
THEY USE TO HAVE A SCREEN THAT WOULD SLIDE BACK AND FORTH TO FIT THE WINDOW. PROBABLY STILL HAVE THEM JUST HAVEN'T SEEN THEM OR NEEDED THEM..
Oh yuck. I've lived in FL so long now that I cannot imagine life without central a/c. Window units just don't do enough.
I hate when it's hot like that!
Try turning it off for a while (couple of hours at least) and turning it back on. If the freon needs charging, the condenser coils will freeze up rather quickly and if it cools properly after you turn it back on and then slowly stops cooling, that's probably it.
What Renee said above--about running water over the unit--this is a sign of an ailing compressor but I've only ever seen that in a central AC unit.
And I hate to say it but....we've been dealing with temps over 100 degrees here for over a week. Frankly, mid-80s sounds like a cool spell to me--though I'd still have the air running anyway!
Hope your landlord will take action to get this fixed....just make sure it's only cooling one room. A window unit can't cool a whole apartment, even a studio with only one room.
There's nothing the landlord will do. It's my own AC, the building/apartment doesn't come with anything.
dang sorry its so hot there! Our AC was our a few weeks ago and it was hotter inside than out. thankfully we got it fixxed!!! Good luck on cooling down!
It sounds like the unit has frozen up. It might need charged. Good luck!
We're lucky to have central air and it is just wonderful. Sometimes I am way too cold, in fact. I feel for you. I have to complain about the opposite - too cold. I wake up freezing. I have to put on thick socks or my whole body gets cold.
Good luck getting that screen for your window.
What would a screen do? I'm confused.
You said in your post that you were going to ask the landlord for a screen for that window so you could get better circulation. Unless I'm reading that wrong. That is why I mentioned it.
let the landlord know this, also see about shuting off room not in use, try to keep it in one area
i have to admit that im jelous of the weather your having. we've had high 60s- low 70s, and i want some hot weather! we bought a 3 foot deep pool thats 12 feet long, and we havent been able to put it up yet!
It's beautifully cool now! 61 degrees outside with a west wind. All my windows face west except one. So I have windows open and fans drawing in that cool air. It feels great! It's not supposed to be too hot over the next several days, so hopefully I won't even need the AC for awhile.
I know the feeling. I remember being pregnant in the summer down her in Texas and it was so hot that my air run non-stop. I was still sweating like a stuck pig and could never get comfortable.
Its overcast here with the sun trying to visit my area. I can see your weather is nice now.