Cooling an apt with one AC?

[drad_dog]

@filmore

If your main concern is keeping you cool while you sleep, consider getting a standing cyclone fan and point it at your bed from the doorway. Like this fan. It will direct a stream of cool air over you and you’ll likely feel comfortable even if the room itself is warm.

I don’t know much about fan power. Do you think a Lasko tower fan in the doorway is less powerful? It’s nice to have a shape that works without needing space.

I want to keep the fan from aiming at me basically. I’d have it nearer the floor for the cool air blowing upwards into the room.

[filmore]

@drad_dog

I don’t know much about fan power. Do you think a Lasko tower fan in the doorway is less powerful? It’s nice to have a shape that works without needing space.

I want to keep the fan from aiming at me basically. I’d have it nearer the floor for the cool air blowing upwards into the room.

The problem with a tall tower fan like that is that the airflow is likely just circulating the bedroom air rather than pushing the cold air from the apartment into your bedroom. Think about how the air is moving through the fan. Air comes in the back and out the front. If you have it in the doorway, the air that is leaving the bedroom is getting sucked into the backside of the fan and blown back into the bedroom. It’s just making a loop of bedroom air. It’s not pushing apartment air into the bedroom.

If instead you had a smaller fan on the floor that produced a small, forceful stream of air and directed it low in the room, it would end up pushing the hot air out the top of the doorway and back into the apartment. The hot air would be exiting your bedroom and moving up into the apartment rather than down into the back of the fan. So you would create a circulation pattern that goes:

floor of apartment -> floor of bedroom -> ceiling of bedroom -> ceiling of apartment

If you want to try this out, lay your tower fan down on the floor rather than standing up. It won’t have a forceful stream, but it will create this same kind of circulation. See if the bedroom feels cooler that way.

[drad_dog]

@filmore

The problem with a tall tower fan like that is that the airflow is likely just circulating the bedroom air rather than pushing the cold air from the apartment into your bedroom. Think about how the air is moving through the fan. Air comes in the back and out the front. If you have it in the doorway, the air that is leaving the bedroom is getting sucked into the backside of the fan and blown back into the bedroom. It’s just making a loop of bedroom air. It’s not pushing apartment air into the bedroom.

If instead you had a smaller fan on the floor that produced a small, forceful stream of air and directed it low in the room, it would end up pushing the hot air out the top of the doorway and back into the apartment. The hot air would be exiting your bedroom and moving up into the apartment rather than down into the back of the fan. So you would create a circulation pattern that goes:

floor of apartment -> floor of bedroom -> ceiling of bedroom -> ceiling of apartment

If you want to try this out, lay your tower fan down on the floor rather than standing up. It won’t have a forceful stream, but it will create this same kind of circulation. See if the bedroom feels cooler that way.

Thanks for the response, and to all responses, they have been informative.

The thing seems to be failing right now. I think I am going to get a new unit tomorrow. Don’t even know how tonight will go.

I think I can put a hole above the bedroom door, and get a fan going out. I might look at a vornado at the door, and place it low. With a new AC unit it sounds like the way to go.

[biometricks]

@drad_dog

I am on the top floor and I get hotter temps. Not enough air blows through, it gets stuffy with no AC at anything over 60 degrees. I need AC for 7 months a year.

Just cleaned the filter yesterday and after that, today, it has been struggling and I put it down to 64. Feels like the thing is dying and I may roast tonight.

I think I’m going to get 2 more tower fans and try to push some air.

And get a new AC.

Are you sure the coil isn’t just frozen? 64 degrees seems pretty low and could cause it to ice over; particularly if it’s really humid where you are.

[drad_dog]

@biometricks

Are you sure the coil isn’t just frozen? 64 degrees seems pretty low and could cause it to ice over; particularly if it’s really humid where you are.

Never heard of that. I only put it at 64 when I feel like it’s failing, not for long. Last evening I had a scare where it wasn’t cooling, but it worked for the night. Bottom line is I probably need maintenance for the unit before I junk it.

[Snnipe_70E]

@biometricks

Are you sure the coil isn’t just frozen? 64 degrees seems pretty low and could cause it to ice over; particularly if it’s really humid where you are.

He said he put it down to 64. On no post has he said what the air temperatures across the unit are, so there is no way to tell if the unit is working or being over loaded.