Health & Wellness

Cooling a Room More Efficiently/Quickly When Outside Air is Cooler with a Fan or Two (not what most people think)

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  • Jul 20th, 2021 11:29 pm
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Jul 11th, 2021 4:11 pm
the2ndme [OP]
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Jul 11th, 2021 4:11 pm

Cooling a Room More Efficiently/Quickly When Outside Air is Cooler with a Fan or Two (not what most people think)

firefighter method ("push" air exchange)



The video above did not say how far to place the fan from the window for best results. This test suggests ~75cm.



A window fan will help but not necessary. Another floor/pedestal fan pushing the hot air out of the room toward the door will do.

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Jul 12th, 2021 9:34 pm
sirex1gamer
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Jul 12th, 2021 9:34 pm

good post, not rocket science!

however one thing I have question about:

how does opening windows and allowing all that super humid air into the house impact your home?

the last few nights my house got very damp from the humidity... so I closed all windows turned on AC and ran dehumidifier to get the dampness out. But would this cause long term issues - the high humidity?
Jul 12th, 2021 10:32 pm
the2ndme [OP]
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Jul 12th, 2021 10:32 pm

sirex1gamer wrote: ↑ good post, not rocket science!

however one thing I have question about:

how does opening windows and allowing all that super humid air into the house impact your home?

the last few nights my house got very damp from the humidity... so I closed all windows turned on AC and ran dehumidifier to get the dampness out. But would this cause long term issues - the high humidity?

If the air is significantly cooler outside and the dehumidifier is able to keep up, exchanging the air is better (also creating airflows as shown in the video above). In general, outside air is better than indoor air.

about CO2 ( a lot more inside )

Jul 14th, 2021 2:39 pm
kramer1
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Jul 14th, 2021 2:39 pm

Tried this. It does work, however these days it only cools down outside by around 10-11PM. Which means that you end up going to bed at like 1AM. Also for like $150 you can just get a Window AC. Might be more cost efficient than bothering with fans
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Jul 14th, 2021 4:46 pm
the2ndme [OP]
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Jul 14th, 2021 4:46 pm

kramer1 wrote: ↑ Tried this. It does work, however these days it only cools down outside by around 10-11PM. Which means that you end up going to bed at like 1AM. Also for like $150 you can just get a Window AC. Might be more cost efficient than bothering with fans

Window AC is not an option for ~50% of the homes (condo/apartment).

As long as the outside air is cooler, keep the fan(s) running (24/7 for a lot of rooms ).
Jul 14th, 2021 4:49 pm
WikkiWikki
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Jul 14th, 2021 4:49 pm

sirex1gamer wrote: ↑ good post, not rocket science!

however one thing I have question about:

how does opening windows and allowing all that super humid air into the house impact your home?

the last few nights my house got very damp from the humidity... so I closed all windows turned on AC and ran dehumidifier to get the dampness out. But would this cause long term issues - the high humidity?
Not everyone lives in Toronto
Jul 14th, 2021 5:56 pm
kramer1
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Jul 14th, 2021 5:56 pm

They will work in any sliding window. Which is not uncommon at all. No need to drill holes etc either.

However, an apartment is a lot easier to cool than a multistory house and may not need an AC
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Jul 14th, 2021 6:44 pm
the2ndme [OP]
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Jul 14th, 2021 6:44 pm

kramer1 wrote: ↑ They will work in any sliding window. Which is not uncommon at all. No need to drill holes etc either.

However, an apartment is a lot easier to cool than a multistory house and may not need an AC
Most condo associations banned external/window AC. For most apartments (rentals), it's not permitted.
Jul 14th, 2021 9:29 pm
thriftshopper
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Jul 14th, 2021 9:29 pm

All this only helps if it gets cooler outside than inside by some reasonable time. In the recent heatwave in B.C., the outside temperature didn't go under the temperature I was maintaining in the house (24C, could have done 25C) from Friday morning until early Tuesday morning. Average temperature for 24 hr periods was over 30C for one day and 26 and 29 for 2 others. Usual night time lows are in the low teens.
I smile when I see container ships sailing past my house laden with stuff made in China
Jul 14th, 2021 9:44 pm
TheHans
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Jul 14th, 2021 9:44 pm

Thanks OP. We'll try this tonight when the temperature starts dropping at 10pm or something. Currently it's a modest 35 outside after being close to 38 today. It's 30 in the house. The hardest part over these weeks has been that it doesn't drop under 22 or so overnight, although it's usually around 24 by the time we go to bed. And since we don't leave all the windows open all night and it's around 28 inside when we go to bed, it rarely gets lower than 26 in the house when we get up.

If we could get it down a couple more degrees before we go to bed, that would be amazing at this point.
If I had more time, I would have written a shorter post
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Jul 14th, 2021 10:57 pm
the2ndme [OP]
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Jul 14th, 2021 10:57 pm

TheHans wrote: ↑ Thanks OP. We'll try this tonight when the temperature starts dropping at 10pm or something. Currently it's a modest 35 outside after being close to 38 today. It's 30 in the house. The hardest part over these weeks has been that it doesn't drop under 22 or so overnight, although it's usually around 24 by the time we go to bed. And since we don't leave all the windows open all night and it's around 28 inside when we go to bed, it rarely gets lower than 26 in the house when we get up.

If we could get it down a couple more degrees before we go to bed, that would be amazing at this point.
I would start exchanging the air when it's 2 degrees cooler outside the windows. And since it's cooler outside through the night, keep exchanging the air (safe?). You want as much cool air in the room/house as you can.

The thermal mass of the house ( walls, furniture, beds, etc ) is also keeping the house warm longer. Exchanging the air will help cool the house literally not just the people inside.

Bigger fans exchange air quicker. The reason for post #4 above. And/or fan stacking for more air pushing power with two fans.

source: https://www.instructables.com/Cool-Your ... ntilation/ (article written by a former firefighter )
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Jul 14th, 2021 11:04 pm
TheHans
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Jul 14th, 2021 11:04 pm

the2ndme wrote: ↑
Bigger fans exchange air quicker. The reason for post #4 above. And/or fan stacking for more air pushing power with two fans.
We might try the fan stacking, I never thought of that. We're fan hoarders so we have many, many different fans LOL. Right now we don't have much of a window of opportunity for cooler air. For instance, just after 8pm here and it's still 35 outside. By 8am-ish, it's already the same temperature inside and out, around 26-28 depending on the day.
If I had more time, I would have written a shorter post
Jul 15th, 2021 12:31 am
the2ndme [OP]
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Jul 15th, 2021 12:31 am

TheHans wrote: ↑ We might try the fan stacking, I never thought of that. We're fan hoarders so we have many, many different fans LOL. Right now we don't have much of a window of opportunity for cooler air. For instance, just after 8pm here and it's still 35 outside. By 8am-ish, it's already the same temperature inside and out, around 26-28 depending on the day.
0:00 -03:00 average is ~23c and 03:00 - 06:00 is ~19c. I think you can cool down the room to 24c by 06:00 if the fans stay on.

Close all the windows at 06:00. Restart the air exchange process at ~23:00. Repeat.
Jul 15th, 2021 1:37 am
TheHans
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Jul 15th, 2021 1:37 am

the2ndme wrote: ↑ 0:00 -03:00 average is ~23c and 03:00 - 06:00 is ~19c. I think you can cool down the room to 24c by 06:00 if the fans stay on.
LOL, I wish we had those temperatures outside. I'm not sure where you got that from. Regardless, when we opened the bedroom window it was like "whoosh!!!" with air coming in. Which was great. So the process works and if the temperature drops significantly below 30 outside, we'll be happy as it will drop in here faster now I think.
If I had more time, I would have written a shorter post
Jul 20th, 2021 12:00 pm
gr8dlr
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Jul 20th, 2021 12:00 pm

the2ndme wrote: ↑ Most condo associations banned external/window AC. For most apartments (rentals), it's not permitted.
Condos ban them for aesthetics and probably noise levels and liability.

A lot of apartment buildings cracked down on window A/C's after that a/c unit fell out of an apt window and killed a kid 2019 IIRC [it's happened before this as well]. They cited liability and they used this to enforce it...apt owners were also happy because there's a lot less electricity being used.

https://globalnews.ca/news/6156874/chil ... arborough/
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Jul 20th, 2021 11:29 pm
the2ndme [OP]
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Jul 20th, 2021 11:29 pm

gr8dlr wrote: ↑ Condos ban them for aesthetics and probably noise levels and liability.

A lot of apartment buildings cracked down on window A/C's after that a/c unit fell out of an apt window and killed a kid 2019 IIRC [it's happened before this as well]. They cited liability and they used this to enforce it...apt owners were also happy because there's a lot less electricity being used.

https://globalnews.ca/news/6156874/chil ... arborough/

~600 deaths in BC were likely heat wave related.

https://www.kamloopsthisweek.com/news/e ... 1.24343515
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