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Okay on a scale of 1-10 my apartment is fucking hot. It is ridiculous. We purchased a air conditioner last year and kept it on full blast all the time, and it still got hot. We live in a part of the country that doesn't even get that hot, soo MMMMMGHHHHBLLLFUCK.
![[image loading]](http://forest.mtu.edu/pcforestry/resources/studentprojects/hotsun.gif)
The sun is hot
This is coming up so early cause the last 3 days the weather has been seriously fucked up in Eastern Canada. Normal temperature this time of year probably 10' celsius (50 F) and last three days it has been like 20-25' celsius (68-77 F). Gets to about 30-35 C (86-95 F) in apartment
And like fuck obviously our air conditioner isn't put out yet and its just gunna get cold again tomorrow probably.
But here is the real question, cause our apartment gets warm with full blast air conditioning anyways. What can I do to help keep the apartment cool? Lemme give ya some insight to the apartment, its a bachelor, where one whole fucking wall is a bunch of windows, like floor to ceiling pure window wall. Its old so the insulation sucks dick. Also we are on the top floor, and we are on the side of the apartment where the Sun always is. FUCK.
![[image loading]](http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQC-zJC_3fvkibcPgoZ51IanYFDNwDy76GOUFVO_8SnmiDJCZ87)
Like a shittier version of this
This is what I have been trying.
-Keeping everything off during day.
-Dont use lights
-Dont use oven or stove EVER.
-Keep window closed until after sun goes down open at night, and fan on all day.
-I have some heavy drapes that cover the main light windows, while some shitty curtains to cover the 2 tinted windows. (Cant cover whole wall with drapes that shit is expensive and so much window space)
But recently I was thinking hey what the fuck could I do to keep it cooler in here and it be cheap?
Here was my initial thought
-re-enforce keeping sunlight out by covering windows with white (cause white reflects im smart like that) bristol board.
Then that evolved into this:
-do above but put aluminum foil on bristol board so it reflects harder, but then I thought shit, cars driving by will get in accidents and that shit might catch on fire.
Then I thought about this:
Buying sheets of styrofoam to cover windows.
Some questions: Will this melt/catch fire in direct sunlight? Should I cover outer part with bristol board so it is less likely to happen? Will this overall help keeping the heat out of the apartment/keeping the airconditioning in?
Alright guys, I need help let me know and give me any other cheap alternative ideas if ya got em.
EDIT* Added pictures so you would read it.
TL DR; Will put stryofoam over windows help keep hot air out/cool air in? Is it safe? What are cheap ways to keep apartment cool?
 
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I used to live abroad in Turkey for a touristical season as a rep. My flat was at the 4th floor of a big building. No air conditioner. Just a fan. Big windows embracing the sun. Temperature, approx. 35 celcius with peaks of 42-44 celcius during the day. Humidity above 50%. This was around May/June.
The only thing i could do against heat is take as many showers as i could, drink heaps of water. And cover all my windows with aluminium sheets. I didn't have any air conditioner 
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That picture of the sun sure set the mood. Now it feels nice and warm in my room. (I'm in Canada!)
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United States13143 Posts
If it gets cool outside during the night, consider opening your windows in the evening and closing them in the morning. It doesn't help much by the time it gets really hot, but it's better than nothing.
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Since when 20-25C° is hot? Are you insane? 
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Oh man I'm in the same boat. I would always have to take cold showers in the summer before going to bed or I wouldn't even be able to sleep.
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Yeah well its like 35C in the apartment. Which is fucking hot. I come from PEI and the whole winter its like -20C and in the summer people are happy on days where it goes over 20C. Lol.
Will the styrofoam work??? Maybe I will try it anyways lol.
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I used to live in a similar apartment, most of the heat came in from the roof, not the glass windows. I used to grab the firehose and flood the roof with water when it became unbearable. It's a rather cheap method too, as long as you're not the person picking up the bill on the water.
Flat roof by any chance?
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On March 23 2012 02:58 CaM27 wrote:I used to live abroad in Turkey for a touristical season as a rep. My flat was at the 4th floor of a big building. No air conditioner. Just a fan. Big windows embracing the sun. Temperature, approx. 35 celcius with peaks of 42-44 celcius during the day. Humidity above 50%. This was around May/June. The only thing i could do against heat is take as many showers as i could, drink heaps of water. And cover all my windows with aluminium sheets. I didn't have any air conditioner
Did the aluminum catch fire?
On March 23 2012 03:11 Derez wrote:
I used to live in a similar apartment, most of the heat came in from the roof, not the glass windows. I used to grab the firehose and flood the roof with water when it became unbearable. It's a rather cheap method too, as long as you're not the person picking up the bill on the water.
Flat roof by any chance?
It is flat roof and I live on top floor QQ.
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Get those reflective curtains for the windows and black that place out. That helped the most for me. Also, sitting around naked all the time helped too.
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Calgary25981 Posts
Plenty of people in Calgary use aluminum, you don't have to worry about it. I would do that to block the sunlight and then use a strong fan. Keep in mind you need an air source and exit. So you need two windows open. If your building is cool and air conditioned, open your door and use that as the source. Otherwise, open two separated windows, balcony doors, etc. The lowest window/door is the source (suck air in) and the highest window/door is the exit (blow air out).
Another thing is that the air conditioner needs a temperature difference to work well. So if you're venting the air outside, and it's able to just sit there and heat up, then your air conditioner is going to be terrible. Vent it to a wide open space. If you don't have one and are using a balcony, consider putting a fan out there to blow the vented hot air away (but don't blow air into the air conditioner outlet or it won't be able to work well).
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Most of the apartments I have ever lived in faced the west. So I would get all the direct afternoon sunlight and my apartment would always heat up like yours is doing now. Though I lived in the Southern United States, so my idea of heat and your idea of heat are way different. But what temp your used to is what your used to. My initial suggestion (and what I've done before) is to tint all the problem windows (or at least some to see if there is any difference for you). Use something super dark like Limo tint. Or use something designed for the home. 3m has a great line of commerical window tinting options. The lower the number the less light will be allowed in. Example: Ultra PR S50 lets in less light and heat than Ultra PR S70 (both residential 3m window products). I did this for my apartment in Arkansas and my Southwestern facing apt in Maryland and I had a nice decline in my electric bill.
I for one am not a big fan of the aluminum foil approach. It looks a little tacky for my tastes. But Aluminum has an extremely high albedo rating (as does Silver, but silver is the best source to use for conductive heat transfer. so i don't advise covering your windows in silver sheets). But aluminum will get the job done I've no doubt.
And as you've already said, anything white will help reflect he light.
Best of luck
edit: one point for Aluminum is that it is much cheaper than window tinting products
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You're living in a green house. Open the windows and let all the hot air outside and fresh air in. It should be the exact same temperature inside as it is outside within a few minutes.
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Calgary25981 Posts
On March 23 2012 03:28 deathly rat wrote:
You're living in a green house. Open the windows and let all the hot air outside and fresh air in. It should be the exact same temperature inside as it is outside within a few minutes.
That's not entirely true. It depends on air flow. I can't keep my apartment cool in summer with the door open all day and a fan going.
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the extreme solution is to use tin foil to cover your windows. You can just tape the tinfoil on but you get better results if you use soapwater (spray soapwater on window, then apply tinfoil).
If you use soapwater, getting foils off might require a lot of work and sometimes ruins the entire window (it "burns" in it.)
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The problem with opening the windows is I dont think it really increases the airflow that much cause I cant really open the door cause I don't want to have people in the hall being like sup?
Right now it seems like opening the window is a good option if the indoors is hotter than the outdoors. Maybe try to use a fan as a vaccum. As for my air conditioner, it leads directly out the open window so no heating gathering problem IMO. I think Im going to try the aluminum foil approach cause I dont have lots of money for tint and can't really alter the apartment.
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On March 23 2012 03:04 gds wrote:Since when 20-25C° is hot? Are you insane?
Being from Britain I can assure you that everyone will be topless in temperatures such as that!
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On March 23 2012 03:30 Chill wrote:Show nested quote +On March 23 2012 03:28 deathly rat wrote:
You're living in a green house. Open the windows and let all the hot air outside and fresh air in. It should be the exact same temperature inside as it is outside within a few minutes. That's not entirely true. It depends on air flow. I can't keep my apartment cool in summer with the door open all day and a fan going.
If you have a large floor fan, place it in a window and face it outwards (so it's blowing air out). Make sure there's room above the fan for air to flow back into your apartment, or, better yet, open a second window. Unless your place is massive, you should be able to replace all the air in your apartment within a few minutes. Just letting your place air out on its own may not help.
Other than that, cover windows (other than the ones that are open) with white sheets/drapes/blinds and don't run any hot appliances. If you do this, your apartment should never be hotter than the air outside. If it's too hot outside, you're probably fucked.
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I just opened both windows and made a fan blowing out one. The problem is I took a screen out my window and cant get it back on from inside, but I fit it snug in a spot and just taped it for now LOL. It seems a bit cooler, how you put screen back in from inside its impossible.
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I live in a place with a very hot upstairs and a very cold downstairs, so that might be part of your problem as well. You say that the insulation isn't so good. Is there a big open stairwell in your apartment building? It could act as a chimney that pushes warm air up, making the lower levels very cold and the upper levels hot, in addition to the greenhouse effect from your windows. If there are any doors to the stairwell that are left open, try closing them.
Try insulating your front door better, since it might be part of the source of warm air. Put towels underneath it 24/7, or purchase "door skirts" that prevent air from coming through. Overall, just try to improve insulation at any places where you think warm air is going through.
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deffinitely consider what Chill explained, but without actually taking a full scale look at it, i wonder if curtains might help you out as well?
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Calgary25981 Posts
On March 23 2012 05:19 Aalo wrote:
deffinitely consider what Chill explained, but without actually taking a full scale look at it, i wonder if curtains might help you out as well?
I've always wondered this. I'm sure someone smarter than me on the internet has already figured it out:
No curtains. Your carpet absorbs the light. It heats up. Your apartment gets hot.
Curtains. Your curtains absorb the light. They heat up. Your apartment gets hot.
Do curtains really do much? I guess they reflect light back out, while your carpet reflects it further into your house... but still!
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I was thinking the same exact thing, I suppose perhaps, all curtains do is delay the inevitable?
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Yeah I have heavy drapes I would think they would reflect light out maybe not though, im gunna put aluminum over the windows. Cheap easy fix hopefully it works, also I got both windows open and the fan pointed out one till the air conditioner gets installed later. Yes my apartment has a stairwell and that probably doesn't help.
I know for a fact that the bottom floor opposite side of the building never gets this hot, my friend used to live there QQ.
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In addition to whatever venting, sun blocking tips you're going with. Make sure to drink plenty of cold water and also invest in some ice packs so you can like have 2 on you at a time and keep changing them for new ones 2 at a time in the freezer that could help.
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OP might wanna consider leaving the windows open. Like you know the idea anybody should have at first. Get some draft going and you should be fine even if the sun is burning on your roof all day long.
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Oh man you're getting all riled over 20-25C? In the summer here it gets to about 35-40C every single fucking day and my grandparents don't like to turn on the AC much which also doesn't reach my room well  Try thinking how hot that gets in my home . I feel you though, I absolutely hate heat and I'm sad it's getting warmer everyday .
What about getting a window AC unit for your room? We changed our windows so we're probably going to make a hole in the wall to put that AC unit back in haha.
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Lucky u. Its snowing here -_-. And don't leave your windows open when the sun is on them. Cover them with shades while the sun is on that side, then once the sun goes high enough in the sky open the shades and windows.
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Ya as said in OP I have in window Air conditioner not installed atm, but is in summer I have on full blast whole time and still hot, so trying to do a bit extra. Also my whole apartment is a room having the oven/fridge/freezer 10 feet away from bed = QQ. Both windows open for 2 hours with fan blowing out still readings 35C. Damn, gotta finish alumininum foiling those windows and get dat air conditioner in before summer hopefully it helps.
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On March 23 2012 06:34 Mementoss wrote:
Ya as said in OP I have in window Air conditioner not installed atm, but is in summer I have on full blast whole time and still hot, so trying to do a bit extra. Also my whole apartment is a room having the oven/fridge/freezer 10 feet away from bed = QQ. Both windows open for 2 hours with fan blowing out still readings 35C. Damn, gotta finish alumininum foiling those windows and get dat air conditioner in before summer hopefully it helps.
just leave the fricking windows open. There is no point in having curtains on the inside. Try getting some sunscreens for the outside.
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I don't mean to demean you but you are making sure the warm air from the air conditioner is being let out of the house right? If not, your room would be heat up more than if you didn't turn it on at all.
Also, in your situation, a decent fan blowing the air inside from your house to the outside is probably just as effective. Get one, and also shield your windows with aluminum/curtain. Also, try to minimize power usage inside the house. You'd be shocked how much a computer running 24/7 can heat up the room.
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I live in the Mojave desert and in the summer we get up to 105+ degree weather all the time... It's all about air flow, open a window and prop a fan in the window to blow in cool air and have another window to blow out hot air. I actually use black out curtains to not let sunlight in but still open the windows. Don't shut yourself in cause it will get super hot. Fans are your friend get good air flow and you will be cool.
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If possible, try to set up a fan that blows air out the top of the building through an attic or something. My upstairs used to get very hot, but then I started leaving the bathroom fans on 24/7 and it cooled right down.
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i know people who hang dark drapes to keep the heat out. not sure how effective that is.
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Use aluminum foil to cover your windows, it blocks light and heat. That should help you out a lot!
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I have nearly the exact same setup. I don't do well in the heat. I am comfortable between 55-65 F. Right now it's 85 F. This is not ok. T________________T
On March 23 2012 07:52 dAPhREAk wrote:
i know people who hang dark drapes to keep the heat out. not sure how effective that is.
It makes sense on paper, but this didn't help me either T_T
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On March 23 2012 07:52 dAPhREAk wrote:
i know people who hang dark drapes to keep the heat out. not sure how effective that is.
black absorbs heat. you'd have much more luck with white sheets (or aluminum)
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1) Wear only boxers.
2) Turn on fan and point to you (open windows).
3) Douse a towel with cold water.
4) Throw towel over head.
5) Repeat (3) - (5) when towel is no longer cool.
At least that's what I did when my a/c broke, and it was 90 degrees+ outside. I've also got an apartment w/ huge windows, top of my floor, and on the sun side. My apartment is pretty hot whenever I got back from school in the late afternoon. Wasn't too bad doing it for a week. The towel feels oh so good.
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Eh we don't have AC at my parents house. Only days it bugs me is on 95F+. Ceiling fans or industrial fans are awesome. Windows, door walls open all night and shut up the house in the day if you have had a cool night. On the truly brutal days for he put a fan in window or door and let er rip.
We have something like this and it can move a lot of air
![[image loading]](http://www.hardwarestore.com/media/product/651252_front200.jpg)
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one great method is open all your windows etc at night, then before the sun gets in close EVERYTHING and keep the cold air in. This is what a few people I know do who live in israel etc
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