Swamp cooler out, thermostat says 93º

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amazon has a number of 'air coolers' (ie. swamp coolers) - they deliver. they also have portable a/c units of various sizes.

or

[video=youtube;6ScZiMiva9M]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ScZiMiva9M[/video]

see also the other similar videos on the right under that one

 

Too bad your old house is so breezy. Admittedly I'm in a more temperate part of the world, but I run the fan or AC at night to get the house as cold as possible, then button it up tight during the day to let as little of the cold air out as possible. It's a new house, so it's reasonably well insulated. It's cheaper this way, because the AC is using the relatively cooler temperatures at night to get rid of the house's daytime heat build-up. It's the thermal equivalent of riding a bicycle: you peddle downhill as the temperature slope drops, to build up cold, then you coast as the temperature climbs again, hoping you can make it past the hot peak the next day without having to peddle (turn on the AC) at all.

That and I sleep better when it's cool.

 

Ugh.. I am so-o-o acclimatized to the weather up here these days It has been *cough, cough* a "blisteringly hot" 75-80 degrees here in the PNW last few days. And I give thanks for my hubby's good decision to get a heat pump/AC when we first bought the house 20ish years ago. I can't believe that I grew up thinking high 90s were great days to go out and play sports. These days I whine about not being able to sleep if the house is warmer than 75. My mother would be so ashamed of me, why I can practically hear her yelling about the AC always running and how much it costs to keep it turned on...

I feel for you Scara. I certainly hope they get it fixed for you finally. It sucks when you have to try to sleep when it is too hot compared to whatever someone is used to. But there are certain parts of the country during the summer when it should be legally mandatory for landlords to have repair specialists on call 24 hrs a day and you live in one of those areas.

 

Down in St. George the hottest I recall was 114 one summer day.
Born there in the '50s, nobody had AC.
Returned again in 1970, used to wander all over the hills & desert outside in the summer at 100+.
Same again in 1976.
Didn't bother me much at all.

Did Basic & Tech School outside San Antone in '72.
No AC in the barracks, constantly sweating everywhere, all the time.

Today, too old for that stuff.
We were able to keep it slightly below 90 indoors last weekend while ours was out, so wasn't unbearable, but not very pleasant.

If they don't get you running soon, might consider moving into a Mall somewhere close.
Denis

 

Most likely went to the office to sit and cool down for awhile. I imagine he's plumb hot working on it too.

Tough to do much work in that heat. Guess you gotta get used to it. I can't handle the heat too good anymore either, actually not much for cold anymore either.

Guess my climate window is rapidly getting smaller and smaller.

 

One thing after another, huh?
Denis

 

Yall know I got to chime in and show you the doghouse Today I went and did some measurements in the doghouse just to give yall an idea of what can be accomplished with a window unit and a $17 a month cooling bill. Winter heating cost btw is Zero.



One window unit. I think its 21K BTU...maybe 18? I forget?



Inside the Foam dome.



Just to give you an idea of how much space we are cooling. Dome is 40' diameter on a six foot riser wall so the top is about 25'. Note the 3-story scaffolding on the left. Ill climb up there in a sec and get a measurement.



Just to give you an idea of wall thickness. Note the pile of scrap insulation pieces to the right outside. That is what covers the entire framework of the dome.



Here is center of the dome about 5 feet up. A cool 75.8 degrees. Hmmm? Its usually a bit cooler.



OK up the scaffolding to measure up near the roof where all the hot air rises Still a cool two degrees warmer at 77.8. You would think it would be 80-85 degrees eh?



And at the Air condition where it should read ice cold coming out the vent. Dang...I just noticed the filter reset light is on. That means the compressor is off and is not cooling at all. Its been that way for days...or maybe even weeks and I haven't even noticed. Ive been working out here daily and cant even tell the A/C has been off? Maybe I don't need it at all?

It still needs more insulation inside but only to meet the R31 building code value. Its about R22 now. Notice there is no insulation in the framing at all. I have measured in the middle of the summer when it 110 degrees and the temp is still 72 at lower levels and will get to 78 at the top. When I put more doors and do the windows I suspect it will screw with the efficiency but for now its like a walk in cooler. Thermal mass is the secret. I used way more concrete in the foundation than is required to stabilize the temp. Having the foam insulation on the outside of the structure prevents your house from heating up in the first place. There is also radiant PEX tubing buried in the floor that is heated by a coil under the woodstove for spreading out the heat in the winter. It not operable yet but will be when I get done. For now its my shop. Welcome to the doghouse my friends. See cul...its not so bad getting thrown out to the doghouse Room for you too Scara:thumbup:

 

Awesome doghouse buddy. I guess we'll have to visit someday, maybe sooner, if the wife kicks me out of "happy home" for another HI purchase, she says, "that I don't need."

 

old engineering saying:

if everything seems to be going well, you obviously have overlooked something.

 

Grats man! We are in like 95% humidity now in Austin area so I know Houston must be 100%. We still got remnants of storm Bill hanging around and there is no wind at all today. It feels like Houston here now except for the lack of mosquito swarms. Hope it all holds together through the night for ya!

 

WoooT hope you enjoyed your sleep last night Scara

NDog, You seem to have thought through the DogHouse construction pretty thoroughly. Building to minimize your location's issues is a great idea.

This house is the first one hubby and I bought. Been here 22 years now so I figure we won't be moving out of this "Starter home" until it is to one of those assisted care places
There are sure a LOT of things I would do differently if I was building a house now (or would look for if buying one) than what we thought was important back then. It just amazes me what home builders get away with and when it all comes out 10 years or so later, there isn't anything you can do about it. Spec built homes...the biggest fraud perpetrated on civilization en mass ever. Anyways, sure wish developers would build more like what you are than the slap-happy messes they are constructing now. Heck you guys living in 1880-90's buildings have much better structure now than mine was new. Seriously doubt mine will be standing 50 years from now, forget 110+.

 

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And gather the money to buy a new refrigerator when the current one inevitably burns out its compressor.