AC Question

[Yvonne G]

I spend a lot of time in my sitting room/bedroom. It's a smallish house, but my room is about 50' from the roof mounted AC and evaporative cooler. I use the cooler up until when the temperature gets to and above 105°F, then I turn it off and turn the AC on. The cooler down drafts into a hallway directly under it and the air looks for ways out of the house, which means I have my bedroom window open about 6". But by the time the cool air goes all through the house to my bedroom it's not real cool anymore.

Almost the same deal with the AC, which is ducted into every room. I have closed off the vents in the rooms not used much, but being as how my room is about 50' away from the AC unit and the duct is going through a very hot attic, by the time the air reaches me it's not all that cool anymore.

Is there anything I can do to keep the air cool? I was wondering if I can wrap the duct that goes to my room with insulation???

(I have up ducts in a couple rooms that carry the evaporative cooler air into the attic to help cool it down, but I imagine it heats up in there pretty fast once the cooler is off)

 

[jaizei]

More insulation should help, but might also want to check to make sure it's cooling as much as it should or that it's not losing air through leaks in attic.

The roof package units aren't common for houses here at all, was interesting first time I saw them in Arizona.

 

[Ink]

Can you get a fan installed in the attic? It is installed through the roof and pulls the hot air out of the attic to the outside. Mine is set on a certain temperature which goes off automatically and in the winter I turn the switch off (located in my hallway).

 

[ZEROPILOT]

So, you have an attic and can visually inspect the ducts?
Yeah. Look for leaks.
My vent ducts leak like a screen door. But there is very limited space in my ceiling/roof area and it's blown in, powdery insulation.
I'm not attempting going up there.
Unfortunately my master bedroom is the longest duct. That room runs about 76° when the rest of the house is 73°

 

[Yvonne G]

So, you have an attic and can visually inspect the ducts?
Yeah. Look for leaks.
My vent ducts leak like a screen door. But there is very limited space in my ceiling/roof area and it's blown in, powdery insulation.
I'm not attempting going up there.
Unfortunately my master bedroom is the longest duct. That room runs about 76° when the rest of the house is 73°

I just checked mine and my house is 76°F (that's what the AC is set at), and my bedroom is 89°F

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I just checked mine and my house is 76°F (that's what the AC is set at), and my bedroom is 89°F

Wow.

 

[Anastasia 22]

I spend a lot of time in my sitting room/bedroom. It's a smallish house, but my room is about 50' from the roof mounted AC and evaporative cooler. I use the cooler up until when the temperature gets to and above 105°F, then I turn it off and turn the AC on. The cooler down drafts into a hallway directly under it and the air looks for ways out of the house, which means I have my bedroom window open about 6". But by the time the cool air goes all through the house to my bedroom it's not real cool anymore.

Almost the same deal with the AC, which is ducted into every room. I have closed off the vents in the rooms not used much, but being as how my room is about 50' away from the AC unit and the duct is going through a very hot attic, by the time the air reaches me it's not all that cool anymore.

Is there anything I can do to keep the air cool? I was wondering if I can wrap the duct that goes to my room with insulation???

(I have up ducts in a couple rooms that carry the evaporative cooler air into the attic to help cool it down, but I imagine it heats up in there pretty fast once the cooler is off)

Was it always like that or recently happened?
I had to deal with something like that. Then I found out that contractors twisted air ducts and air didn't go through it to two of my bedrooms....

 

[Yvonne G]

Even though the AC unit is about 20 years old, I've hardly ever used it because the electricity to run it is too costly. I normally turn it on only once every summer for its health. But as I get older the heat is starting to really bother me and makes it hard to breath, and I've downsized my tortoise collection, freeing up some $$, so I've decided to start thinking about my comfort. So to answer your question, I really don't know.

 

[wellington]

A quick fix would be to put a fan in front of the duct in your room and one that has a straight shot down towards your room from one that has the coolest air.
Be careful with that heat. It can creep up on you and bite without you knowing it until it's too late.

 

[jaizei]

If you have a infrared temp gun, you can check at the register to see exactly what's coming out. Narrow it down. The thermostat location might also be contributory

 

[Yvonne G]

If you have a infrared temp gun, you can check at the register to see exactly what's coming out. Narrow it down. The thermostat location might also be contributory

Yes, the thermostat is way back in the hallway, directly under the vent where the air is gathered back up into the AC unit. That means it's sensing the air closest to the AC unit, and my room is the furthest away. Because there are two doorways before my bedroom, I'm thinking Barb's suggestion might be a good one. I'm going to position a fan so that it draws air from the living room through those two doorways. When you walk from the living room through a short hallway into my bedroom you can feel a wall of warm air, like it's static and not moving. The problem may be with the fact the bedroom used to be a carport that the previous owner (my s-i-l) enclosed, making a bedroom and en suite.

Thanks for your suggestions, everyone. You've given me some things to cogitate!

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Yes, the thermostat is way back in the hallway, directly under the vent where the air is gathered back up into the AC unit. That means it's sensing the air closest to the AC unit, and my room is the furthest away. Because there are two doorways before my bedroom, I'm thinking Barb's suggestion might be a good one. I'm going to position a fan so that it draws air from the living room through those two doorways. When you walk from the living room through a short hallway into my bedroom you can feel a wall of warm air, like it's static and not moving. The problem may be with the fact the bedroom used to be a carport that the previous owner (my s-i-l) enclosed, making a bedroom and en suite.

Thanks for your suggestions, everyone. You've given me some things to cogitate!

I keep every room in the houses doors closed all of the time so that the thermostat can deal with only the temperature in the main living area.

 

[Cathie G]

Even though the AC unit is about 20 years old, I've hardly ever used it because the electricity to run it is too costly. I normally turn it on only once every summer for its health. But as I get older the heat is starting to really bother me and makes it hard to breath, and I've downsized my tortoise collection, freeing up some $$, so I've decided to start thinking about my comfort. So to answer your question, I really don't know.

This might be wrong for your area but I'm wondering if you could find a way to just air condition one room. Air conditioners don't work well if you keep turning them off. You're defeating what they do. It's cheaper to leave them on. They remove humidity and then they can cool the air. If you keep turning them off they have to start all over again to cool. It would be nice to just have at least one room that's always the right temp for you. So you need either a portable one or maybe a window one just for the room you go to for rest and fun.😊

 

[jeff kushner]

Whatever you can glean from this, I hope it helps;

If you have a infrared temp gun, you can check at the register to see exactly what's coming out. Narrow it down. You have to start here Y, it's the only path forward. I have 3 different yellow laser thermometers, the kid that you point and shoot and they vary by 15F!! I use a medical kind....20 bucks and they are certified correct.

Measure the coldest air as close to the main unit of the AC unit after it runs for 25 minutes. Also measure while letting the red dot hunt around, at each room register. Typically a really good AC unit will produce 45-49F air at the unit and high 50's at each register. Most home AC units will give you register temps in the 60's. Out-of-range readings will show you where the issues are.

Any cooling duct that goes through and unconditioned space must be insulated. Otherwise it becomes a radiator with the surrounding warm air acting like the water! You will literally bleed off the cooling ability of your entire unit to that space if it is large enough.

Typically, leakage and associated air loss are the biggest thieves though.

Lastly, I spend 24 dollars per mo to cool our garage with a window ac/dehumidifier. Some of these units are very quiet(it's the same unit that used to be in my old bedroom) very efficient and very effective at removing humidity(easier to breath) and cooling. The garage is at a near perfect 38% humidity & it's typically 85% outside here. Personally, I think you're worth way more than 24 bucks a month....but you have to win over "habit' first. LOL

Good luck

 

[wellington]

Another idea that might turn out cheaper, than trying to run the whole house AC is a window unit for your bedroom.
If that's where you stay most of the time, you could raise the temp on the house AC unit and keep your bedroom at a more comfortable temp. Keeping your door closed would keep the window unit from going off to much.

 

[Yvonne G]

Another idea that might turn out cheaper, than trying to run the whole house AC is a window unit for your bedroom.
If that's where you stay most of the time, you could raise the temp on the house AC unit and keep your bedroom at a more comfortable temp. Keeping your door closed would keep the window unit from going off to much.

I've thought about that, but my windows are the slide side to side type, not the sash type.

 

[wellington]

You could get one of the free standing portable ones. You would have to either find one with a tray that catches the water or if you put a small hole in the floor to vent the drip hose out and get the item like in the pic to cover the opening in the window.

 

[Len B]

I've thought about that, but my windows are the slide side to side type, not the sash type.

You don't need a window. Cut a hole in a wall and mount a window unit in it. I have one in my kitchen like that. I spend most of my time in the kitchen. It's a pretty large room, over 300 square feet in size. Using the window unit on the low setting I can keep the temperature in the low 70s without cooling the whole house. I have the thermostat set at 76F for the rest of the house and the main unit doesn't come on very often because the cooler air from the kitchen circulates through the house when the fan runs and hits the house thermostat. My bedroom is at the other end of the house and checked it's temperature today and it was 78F. I turn the window unit off in the evening and turn it back on in the morning.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

You could get one of the free standing portable ones. You would have to either find one with a tray that catches the water or if you put a small hole in the floor to vent the drip hose out and get the item like in the pic to cover the opening in the window.
View attachment 375554

I've got one I use when the power is out.
It's in my hurricane supplies

 

[wellington]

I've got one I use when the power is out.
It's in my hurricane supplies

My mom has one. She has the mobile home type crank out windows. My sister does too. My mom's has the drain hose but my sister's has the tray.