RSparky Posted May 30, 2013 Report Share Posted May 30, 2013 So, I am refusing to turn the A/C on. I'm a scrooge. Don't tell me to, because I will ignore you. But, I am ventilating/insulating when appropriate. If it's much cooler in the house, I'll close it up, and keep lights off. When temps start to equalize, I'll get airflow and cold water for the cooling effect. Now, for the question: My box fans are 20". My windows are ~37" wide. The extra 17" of width is just allowing air to swoosh back the opposite direction. Should I cut out a cardboard rectangle to cover that up? Makes sense to me, as I can get a pretty good breeze, because these fans are on opposite sides of the upstairs. I alternate direction based on wind if it's strong, or whichever side of our brick walls is hotter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TMonhollen Posted May 30, 2013 Report Share Posted May 30, 2013 You sound like my roommate lol. Good luck with today, it's about 90 up here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jporter12 Posted May 30, 2013 Report Share Posted May 30, 2013 I always use a fan or 2 blowing out, causing a slight negative pressure to pull cool evening air in the rest of the windows. A piece of cardboard would help with what you are trying to accomplish, no matter how ghetto it looks, it's still cheaper than running the A/C! In my situation, the windows are pretty much all narrow enough to not need to add anything to the width. We use window A/C units, so I hold off as long as I can before starting them up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BDBGoalie Posted May 30, 2013 Report Share Posted May 30, 2013 We use cardboard on job sites. Works great to seal up the window to improve airflow. Make sure to take note of the draw on the fans and make sure you aren't pulling a bunch of power and undoing the money savings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadyone Posted May 30, 2013 Report Share Posted May 30, 2013 I do this also. I close all the windows In the house during the heat of the Dayton open them in the evening. And at night I only open the bedroom one and one in the living room to blow air out of. Makes for great sleeping temps for a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medina Posted May 30, 2013 Report Share Posted May 30, 2013 Without side seals you're just blowing air. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imaposer Posted May 30, 2013 Report Share Posted May 30, 2013 Yep. Exactly what you need to do. I've been doing this for nearly ten years. Yes, I'm that cheap, but also because of where my house sits in a north facing valley, it always cools down quickly and significantly more than it does closer to the city. I might run the ac for a month in late July/early August, but this does the job for at least four months out of the year. Open bedroom windows on one end of house, leave fan blowing out of sealed window on other end. In morning when I leave for work, I reverse the fan, which cools down the kitchen and family room for the wife and kids to wake up to. She shuts it off when she leaves.So, I am refusing to turn the A/C on. I'm a scrooge. Don't tell me to, because I will ignore you. But, I am ventilating/insulating when appropriate. If it's much cooler in the house, I'll close it up, and keep lights off. When temps start to equalize, I'll get airflow and cold water for the cooling effect. Now, for the question: My box fans are 20". My windows are ~37" wide. The extra 17" of width is just allowing air to swoosh back the opposite direction. Should I cut out a cardboard rectangle to cover that up? Makes sense to me, as I can get a pretty good breeze, because these fans are on opposite sides of the upstairs. I alternate direction based on wind if it's strong, or whichever side of our brick walls is hotter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helmutt Posted May 31, 2013 Report Share Posted May 31, 2013 (edited) We're considering installing a whole house fan to purge the attic of heat, and draw the cool air from the basement throughout the living space in our house. Will definitely save on running the CA. Just fire it up early morning, and shut the house down before it heats up outside. We have a smaller capecod style home so it stays pretty cool inside once it's closed up. On days I'm home and it's sweltering outside, the CA still only runs 6-8 times a day to keep temps about 74.I grew up in a big 3 story home with no a/c. Mom would use a couple fans in the upstairs windows and open up the downstairs every morning. Dad and I would just throw sleeping bags out on the front porch to stay cooler sleeping at night. Ah, the good ol' days Edited May 31, 2013 by Hellmutt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner75 Posted May 31, 2013 Report Share Posted May 31, 2013 I open windows and doors on both ends of my apartment. When the wind is coming from the south I put a fan in the southern windows pulling in. Same for when the winds come from the north. I dont use the AC unless I am home during the days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strawboss Posted May 31, 2013 Report Share Posted May 31, 2013 Fan guy here too. I'm called cheap all the time, frugal is what I like better, sorry, I'm not going to pay $300 a month like some I know. I also keep the house closed till the evening or until it rains and the temps fall. I have a box fan downstairs blowing in and its like AC sometimes. But to answer your question, yes, as stated above, use what you can to maximize the fan by enclosing as much of the window around it as possible. Cardboard is fine. Opening 1 or 2 windows downstairs and using the fan upstairs in one window like the bedroom with the rest of the windows upstairs closed, you'll create a type of venturi effect that will draw the air up through the house and out that window provided the fan overcomes the total openings of the windows downstairs. Got that? Get that hot air out of the attic too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redkow97 Posted May 31, 2013 Report Share Posted May 31, 2013 The only problem I foresee is that fans do not reduce humidity. 75 and humid still feels like 85. AC pumps in dry air. I'm all for saving money, but sleeping well is worth more to me. I run the AC any time it's muggy at night. Otherwise, windows open all day, and closed at night. The "basement" of our split-level is easily 10 degrees cooler than the rest of the house anyway. Just hang there during the day if its that bad. Nothing the dogs haven't figured out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RSparky Posted May 31, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 31, 2013 good shtuff. humid, but cold air blowing is good. hence the icepack nestled on a soaked towel in a bowl right in front of the window. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grapesmuggler27 Posted May 31, 2013 Report Share Posted May 31, 2013 The only problem I foresee is that fans do not reduce humidity. 75 and humid still feels like 85. AC pumps in dry air. I'm all for saving money, but sleeping well is worth more to me. I run the AC any time it's muggy at night. Otherwise, windows open all day, and closed at night. The "basement" of our split-level is easily 10 degrees cooler than the rest of the house anyway. Just hang there during the day if its that bad. Nothing the dogs haven't figured out.Actually AC does not pump in dry air, it removes the humidity out of the current air inside the house, that's why you have a condensate drain that's the water frok the humidity in the house. But what do I know Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2talltim Posted May 31, 2013 Report Share Posted May 31, 2013 by the time you pay to run 3 or 4 fans you might as well get a window unit and be comfy in at least a couple rooms i wouldnt think the electric would be any more than all that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2talltim Posted May 31, 2013 Report Share Posted May 31, 2013 oh yea im still rockin my old AC unit that grape told me to replace last year...lol 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bad324 Posted May 31, 2013 Report Share Posted May 31, 2013 lol scrooges. Comfort > money to me. If I'm hot, I'm a grumpy asshole (okay a BIGGER grumpy asshole) and nobody likes that plus the gf pays the utlitily bills Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grapesmuggler27 Posted May 31, 2013 Report Share Posted May 31, 2013 oh yea im still rockin my old AC unit that grape told me to replace last year...lolDamn now I sound like a creepy salesman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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