# Cooling a room without air-conditioner? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 9, 2005, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooling-a-room-without-air-conditioner/311739 "2005-07-09T13:11:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f08c70/32.png) [@Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crowbar_of_Irony_3)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2005, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooling-a-room-without-air-conditioner/311739/1 "2005-07-09T13:11:01Z")
Over at where I stay, it is summer throughout. Everyday is likely to be blazing hot and the apartment where I stayed in, for some reasons, just don’t have windows facing in the right direction. Hence it tends to get really hot. From time to time my role-playing group needs a place to meet, and my place is usually used as the last resort. But there aren’t really anywhere else, so they have to make do with my quarters. It has huge windows and is relatively empty. When the time is right, there is a good, steady wind. But most of the time, there is not, and when you have eight to ten people in there, we all end up sweaty and uncomfortable within the hour. What I can do to cool the room? I can’t afford air-conditioners. I have tried placing **two** portable fans in the room but still I end up sweaty. Shall I get curtains to block out the sun? Get some dry ice? I saw some tower fans in an electronic store, but does those help? Many thanks in advance! ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2005, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooling-a-room-without-air-conditioner/311739/2 "2005-07-09T13:21:23Z")
Well, in this case there are some extreme measures you can try. You need to stop the heat from coming in, and you need to make sure that local conditions in the apartment are not overheated as well. Fixing aluminum foil on the OUTSIDE of the windows can block an enormous amount of the heat from entering the apartment. It’s amazing how much cooler it can get from doing that. Then you do need air circulation. If the temperature + humidity combination outside is better than inside, you need to get the air into the apartment with one fan, and use a second or third fan inside to circulate it once its in. If the temperature + humidity combination outside is worse than inside, then you are really in a spot. At this point you really can only circulate air inside. Run a desert or swamp campaign, and tell everyone it’s setting the mood. Another option is time-shifting. Some people who have no A/C and are committed can successfully change to a schedule of being active at night and sleeping during the day. ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2005, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooling-a-room-without-air-conditioner/311739/3 "2005-07-09T13:22:35Z")
Without a means of cooling the air the only thing is to provide fresh air in order to prevent the build-up of humidity. If you don’t have an opening on the wall opposite the windows so as to provide a cross breeze things become difficult. You might try putting a fan blowing into the room in a window at one end of the room and a fan blowing out in a window at the opposite end of the room to try to get some circulation of fresh air. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2005, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooling-a-room-without-air-conditioner/311739/4 "2005-07-09T13:23:19Z")
> [@ExtraKun](#): > > Shall I get curtains to block out the sun? This will help a lot. I didn’t even bother with curtains, I just hung some dark towels over my southwest-facing-holy-hell-it-gets-hot-in-here-in-the-summer windows. Made a world of difference. If you live in a dry climate (like the southwest), a swamp cooler may be an affordable and energy-efficient solution. ---
**Author:** ![Perderabo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Perderabo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Perderabo)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2005, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooling-a-room-without-air-conditioner/311739/5 "2005-07-09T13:33:36Z")
We lost an air conditioner in our computer room one night a few days ago. At 9 am, the guy was working on it, but it would another 5 hours before it was fixed. The temperature was about 100° and climbing. A few systems powered themselves off. At this point, they brought in 300 pounds of dry ice. They put it in boxes around the computer room with a fan blowing on each box. It worked pretty well. It did suck moisture out of the air and so there was water dripping out of each box. I have no idea how much this cost, but money was no object. My suggestion to you is to call some local hotels and ask about the price to rent a meeting room for a few hours. It will probably be cheaper and more pleasant. They can also supply snacks at an additional cost. Some friends of mine do this for their poker game. I don’t play poker, so I don’t know the cost. ---
**Author:** ![Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f08c70/32.png) [@Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crowbar_of_Irony_3)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2005, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooling-a-room-without-air-conditioner/311739/6 "2005-07-09T13:43:25Z")
> [@David Simmons](#): > > Without a means of cooling the air the only thing is to provide fresh air in order to prevent the build-up of humidity. If you don’t have an opening on the wall opposite the windows so as to provide a cross breeze things become difficult. > > You might try putting a fan blowing into the room in a window at one end of the room and a fan blowing out in a window at the opposite end of the room to try to get some circulation of fresh air. The windows are facing the door to the gaming room. So are you suggesting I place a fan at both sides of the room? What about humidifer? The product description says it will adjust the humidty of the room to that of outside ranges. Is a higher humidity desirable, or a lower one, in my case? > [@Una Persson](#): > > Fixing aluminum foil on the OUTSIDE of the windows can block an enormous amount of the heat from entering the apartment. It’s amazing how much cooler it can get from doing that. Wow, I got to try this! It looks werid, and definitely will invite questions, but I will do anything to reduce the heat in the room. ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2005, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooling-a-room-without-air-conditioner/311739/7 "2005-07-09T13:59:39Z")
> [@ExtraKun](#): > > The windows are facing the door to the gaming room. So are you suggesting I place a fan at both sides of the room? Still not clear on the layout of your room. The best fan placement (which may not be possible in your room) would be as follows: ``` ------------------------- | | ``` -\>FAN you FAN-\> | | ------------------------- So that the air is sucked in at one window on one side of the room and blown out the window on the opposite side of the room. > [@](#): > > What about humidifer? The product description says it will adjust the humidty of the room to that of outside ranges. Is a higher humidity desirable, or a lower one, in my case? You don’t want a humidifier. That ADDS humidity. You want less (drier). You could get a dehumidifier, but that would be silly, as it costs about the same as an air conditioner. ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2005, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooling-a-room-without-air-conditioner/311739/8 "2005-07-09T14:01:59Z")
Sorry. I meant: ```auto ------------------------- | | ->FAN you FAN-> | | ------------------------- ``` ---
**Author:** ![Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f08c70/32.png) [@Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crowbar_of_Irony_3)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2005, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooling-a-room-without-air-conditioner/311739/9 "2005-07-09T14:18:26Z")
Okay, here’s the layout of the room ```auto +[Windows]+ | | | | | Table | | | +------------[Door]+ ``` I doubt I can get the fan outside the windows, as it is facing outside and I’m on the fourth floor. Can I try something like this? ```auto +[Windows]+ | ^ | | Fan | | | | Table | | | +------------[Door]+ ^ Fan ``` ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2005, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooling-a-room-without-air-conditioner/311739/10 "2005-07-09T15:10:48Z")
> [@ExtraKun](#): > > Can I try something like this? > > ```auto > > +[Windows]+ > | ^ | > | Fan | > | | > | Table | > | | > +------------[Door]+ > ^ > Fan > > ``` Yes. Or ```auto | /\ Windows \/ | | Fan Fan | | | | Table | | | +------------[Door]+ ``` ---
**Author:** ![Rhubarb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/59ef9b/32.png) [@Rhubarb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhubarb)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2005, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooling-a-room-without-air-conditioner/311739/11 "2005-07-09T15:14:49Z")
If it’s cooler on the other side of the door than outside, then exhausting air is your best bet. If the outside is cooler, then this arrangement will work better. ```auto +[Windows]+ | ↓ | | Fan | | | | Table | | | +------------[Door]+ ↓ Fan ``` Either way, blocking the sunlight coming in the windows is definitely the first step ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2005, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooling-a-room-without-air-conditioner/311739/12 "2005-07-09T15:24:07Z")
Have you thought of simply playing a role-playing game in which your characters are inhabiting a hot, humid environment? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2005, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooling-a-room-without-air-conditioner/311739/13 "2005-07-09T15:28:15Z")
> [@ExtraKun](#): > > Wow, I got to try this! It looks werid, and definitely will invite questions, but I will do anything to reduce the heat in the room. Maybe. People do it all the time in neighbourhoods in Kansas where air conditioning is too expensive. You see it a lot of time limited to just front doors or small windows, but if you want to stop the heat…some people I knew used to buy aluminum sheets from the hardware store, which they had drilled holes into and could put up every June or so and take down in September. If you want to be really thorough, make sure you cover not just the panes, but the bars/wooden dividers, and the wooden frame. The window is typically a very poorly insulated area, and once you block the glass you’ll notice a lot of heat coming through the wood, even with the quite poor heat transfer of wood. It does make the house dark, but oh well. ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2005, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooling-a-room-without-air-conditioner/311739/14 "2005-07-09T15:36:38Z")
The goal is to keep the humidity in the room as low as possible so that the people in it can cool by evaporating perspiration. When that water evaporates you have to get that moist air out of the room, or the new perspiration won’t evaporate so well and thus won’t do as much cooling. And curtains to block the sunlight are certainly a good idea. I think that drawing air from or exhausting air to another part of the building isn’t nearly as effective as bringing in outside air and exhausting the air to the outside. Unfortunately, if you live in most parts of the country the outside air can also be pretty humid on occasions, in which case you are screwed. Of course, as I recall living in Iowa, in that case you are accustomed to it and think that’s the way things always are. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2005, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooling-a-room-without-air-conditioner/311739/15 "2005-07-09T15:38:20Z")
A [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=322637) on DIY swamp coolers that might be helpful. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2005, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooling-a-room-without-air-conditioner/311739/16 "2005-07-09T15:39:56Z")
> [@toadspittle](#): > > You don’t want a humidifier. That ADDS humidity. You want less (drier). You could get a dehumidifier, but that would be silly, as it costs about the same as an air conditioner. In which case you are better off with a AC. A Dehumidifier is basically just an AC with one main difference, the condensor coils are inside the room being cooled. With an AC, the evaporators absorb the heat and carry it to the condensor which dumps it outside. With a dehumidfier it dumps it inside the house. That’s why a dehumidifer will dry the air, but not cool it all that much. What you can do with a dehumidifer is set it up so that the cold side blows into the room and the warm air goes somewhere else. Depending on how the unit is set up that might not be possible. Eitherway, bringing the humidity down WILL make a difference, and the even with what I just said, it will probably still cool the room somewhat (or at least make it feel cooler and less sticky). ---
**Author:** ![Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f08c70/32.png) [@Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crowbar_of_Irony_3)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2005, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooling-a-room-without-air-conditioner/311739/17 "2005-07-09T16:48:25Z")
> [@Thudlow Boink](#): > > Have you thought of simply playing a role-playing game in which your characters are inhabiting a hot, humid environment? 🙂 We are already in a hot and humid environment, aka Singapore, and we would like to escape reaity now and then 😛 I have healthy collection of tips now. I think it’s time for me to run some lab tests… ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2005, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooling-a-room-without-air-conditioner/311739/18 "2005-07-09T16:57:43Z")
I would think taking up a collection among ten people, you should be able to collect enough for a cheap air conditioner. At least in the US, the cheapest ones go for only a little over a hundred dollars. If you only run it during your games, it wouldn’t be that costly as far as electricity goes. ---
**Author:** ![Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f08c70/32.png) [@Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crowbar_of_Irony_3)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2005, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooling-a-room-without-air-conditioner/311739/19 "2005-07-09T17:10:31Z")
> [@Finagle](#): > > I would think taking up a collection among ten people, you should be able to collect enough for a cheap air conditioner. At least in the US, the cheapest ones go for only a little over a hundred dollars. If you only run it during your games, it wouldn’t be that costly as far as electricity goes. I did pop down to my neighbourhood’s friendly electronic store and the cheapest I can find is around SGD$800. That would be 80 bucks per person. And some of my players don’t even want to pay for miniatures, the supplements I bought and miscellanous fees such as photostats of their character sheets… (A typical GM problem, I guess). ---
**Author:** ![Critical1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Critical1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical1)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2005, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooling-a-room-without-air-conditioner/311739/20 "2005-07-09T17:21:12Z")
since you have some warning about the event you can make an impromptu cooler using ice and a fan. I use one at home on hot days. you need a fan, a bunch of ice and a couple of containers to hold water…oh yeah and a towel. place container with water and ice on something a foot or 2 tall ( a chair will work but it might get wet depending on what you use to hold the ice and water. place empty container on the floor under and infront of the icewater. wet the towel and hang it so one end is in the icewater and the other is dripping into the empty container. place fan so it pulls air from close to the towel. point it up at least a bit since you dont want to simply cool the floor. this works best when you can close the doors or leave a window near the ceiling open to drain the hot air out. doesnt sound like you have this option but ice is cheap, I would get a block and a bag of cubes and use both in your case. might be the best option for you since you dont need cooling all the time. I use frozen bottles of water here and have the advantage of a small room thats sheilded from the sun the entire day so it provides some cool air as well. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooling-a-room-without-air-conditioner/311739.md?page=2)