Any chance you happen to have a drop ceiling? I would think popping out one of the panels and running the vent up there would do a decent job. That is, as long as there was enough space. If it’s only as wide as the room and just a few inches high, probably won’t work. But if there’s a few feet of space and it’s all one big space up there (spanning multiple rooms), it might be fine.
PS, with those portable units (like a dehumidifier), if you can get them up off the ground a bit, you can run a hose from the drain to a much larger collection bucket so you don’t have to empty it constantly all day. The downside being that you’ll lose the automatic shut off so you have to make sure not to leave it running overnight while you’re away unless you can find a way to run the hose to a drain or out the window.
Also, I assume it’ll be better than multiple fans, but make sure everyone will be able to hear each other (and think) over it. Those portable ACs aren’t exactly known for how quiet they are.
It might be time to start nagging the school board to install AC. Split systems can be installed pretty easily and don’t require any duct work.
I’ve tried it. I’ve tried many configurations of fans and can never get much going. The sun rises on the side of my building and I can feel us baking during the day. Thing is, I even bought sun blocking curtains and it did not help. We just roast, roast, roast.
One thing that may not be obvious is that the screens are greatly impeding the airflow. I know you said they can’t be opened, but you may want to see if they can be removed somehow. Typically, screens are made to be removed and are held in with some type of spring mechanism along their edge. By moving the screen to one side or up or down, you can push in the spring and pop out the screen. Most home screens can be removed this way. You might ask around and see if anyone knows if this is possible. Removing the screen will make the air flow much easier through the window.
As an analogy, think about squirting a hose through a screen. A water stream that squirts out 20 feet on its own will only go a few inches after passing through a screen. The screen will absorb a lot of the force of the stream and cause a lot of the water to splash back. The same thing happens with air. The fan may be pushing the air with a lot of force, but the air gets all bounced around by the screen. Removing the screen may be the best thing you could do to make a significant difference in the airflow.
For really hot days I add ice and water to spritzy bottles, and spray the kids (and myself) as needed. It really helps! Cold wet paper towels on their necks helps as well.
Of course I have little ones, and they love it. Older kids, maybe not as much.
Do you have an active PTA? Perhaps put a bug in their ear about the situation in your classroom, and how the children are at risk of becoming ill. If you don’t fear retaliation from your administration you can even contact your local assemblyperson, or representative. YMMV. In my district we try to keep our heads down and not make waves, but this is a serious health issue for your children.
When I went to elementary school things could get unbearable by this time of year. The windows could be opened up at the top and bottom, the doors had transoms, but the usual technique to survive was shut the blinds, turn off the lights, all the student would put their heads down on their desks, and if they could stay quiet then Mrs. Watson would play some music on the radio.
It depends entirely on the outside temp. If the outside is cooler than the inside, then yes, like you said.
If the outside is hotter, then both blowing out.
Okay, then if you have a faucet and a outlet outside, then get a misting fan or two blowing on the windows. You might be able to run the cord from inside, maybe??
Given how restrictive/timid school administrators tend to be regarding anything outside the approved norm, it’d be risky to install any Unapproved Electrical Appliance (it’s somewhat surprising that fans haven’t raised eyebrows, but they’re probably considered low tech).
I second involving a parents’ association, teachers union, or group of teachers with similar concerns rather than trying to alleviate the situation on your own. There’s a much better chance of overcoming institutional inertia when you have numbers on your side and the potential weight of unfavorable publicity.
Not just the outside temp, but also the outside humidity. If it’s 75 in the classroom, but 70 and muggy outside, it’s going to feel even worse once the room gets all stuffy. If it’s 70 and muggy inside, but 75 and dry outside, you might be okay to bring in some fresh air.
Another thought would be to have two windows open and either one or two fans (if two, one in and one out) and the door closed overnight. Let the cool, dry nighttime air circulate in the room and hope that’s enough to get through at least the first few hours of the morning before the room starts heating up.
Something else to keep in mind, if there’s a t-stat in the room, make sure that whatever method you choose, doesn’t cause the heat to turn on.
You might get some relief with a simple fan. See the video below on Bernoulli’s Principle (very short video). If you jump to 1:20 in the video he shows how a fan moved a bit back from a window (or door) will pull more air out than the fan alone pushes. Set it up so it is pushing hot air out and, hopefully, there is a source of cooler air that will come in to replace the air moved out.
So, for instance, get a fan mounted on a pole (or put a box fan on top of a cart), prop your classroom door open a bit, and aim the fan towards the top of the door. Cooler air should come in at the bottom (or perhaps the windows if they are open and the air out there is cool) as the hot air near the ceiling is pushed out of the room. It’s not AC but it should help some and is easy and cheap to do.
And, FWIW, the video below makes the case that portable air conditioners kinda suck anyway.
The fans are allowed. They refused to buy me any, but bought one last year. I have accrued several on my own over the years, including one borrowed one.
