Help - My Air Conditioner Won't Keep Up

[Cameramonkey]

A portable AC will. You may even find that maybe 2 portable units do a better job where you actually spend your time and may actually reduce your cooling bills since your central AC never shuts off. Many various varieties of casement windows (no matter side or top open) you can also just remove the entire pane without much effort and make a plywood slug to go in its place to hold the AC. Given the choice, a window unit will work better.

Still, with only a 10-12 degree delta I'm thinking something may just be "wrong", as CM is saying. My old house was like yours and I discovered it was because the "renovators" I bought it from had 100% blocked off the return air ducts by literally capping them off with plywood and dry walling over them. The only thing I could do was open the return air up in the basement and make sure to leave the basement door open at all times. It helped, but obviously wasn't ideal.

The long-term fix to that would have involved me building a plenum where the duct USED to be where a pantry USED to stand. Glad I sold the house before I bothered with that nightmare...

If you get a portable AC unit, YOU MUST get a two hose model like this one.

If you dont run a 2 hose system, you're screwing yourself. With a 1 hose system, its drawing conditioned air out of the house to blow that air across the hot side of the system. So more air is being drawn in from the outside making the unit work harder.

In a 2 hose system, it draws hot air from outside, runs it across the hot coil, and dumps the waste heat back outside where it belongs. Conditioned air is drawn across the cool side. No new air is pulled into the building.

Ive used these repeatedly and they work well. Far better than the cheap units my folks have bought locally from big box stores. Those last a season or two running 24/7 (supplemental cooling in a server closet). Knock on wood, these units have lasted many seasons.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0028AYQDC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[gregkl]

Ya know, it would be the most ghetto thing ever, but you could just VHB tape more pinkboard to the drywall to hold you over. If you paint it before you stick it up there it might not even look "that" terrible. I think the expensive corning stuff is something like R5 per inch. The cheap Menards stuff is R3 or 4.

I mean... This is technically the same technology they used on the space shuttle for the re-entry tiles... so... you can sell the idea as you're building a rocket and you are now, by definition, a practicing rocket scientist.

Here is what I have in the living, dining,entry, kitchen and one of the bedrooms.

 

[churchmouse]

Here is what I have in the living, dining,entry, kitchen and one of the bedrooms.


View attachment 88559

Yeah you will have to raise the roof a bit to fix that.

 

[gregkl]

Yeah you will have to raise the roof a bit to fix that.

I will probably have to get the local structural engineer to check to see if the roof system will support adding structure above that to hold insulation.

 

[maxwelhse]

Here is what I have in the living, dining,entry, kitchen and one of the bedrooms.


View attachment 88559

Good grief that's beautiful, but the easy answer is to drywall it in and shoot the cavity with insulation. When you have the roof done, ditch the foam board and make that a vented air space. Not perfect, but probably the most reasonable way to do it.

Such a shame to hide that ceiling though... but... I like my AC... and my money.

 

[maxwelhse]

If you get a portable AC unit, YOU MUST get a two hose model like this one.

Strongly agreed based on my previous research.

 

[gregkl]

Good grief that's beautiful, but the easy answer is to drywall it in and shoot the cavity with insulation. When you have the roof done, ditch the foam board and make that a vented air space. Not perfect, but probably the most reasonable way to do it.

Such a shame to hide that ceiling though... but... I like my AC... and my money.

Thanks!

That ceiling was the principle reason we bought the house next to the location. Lord knows, the rest of the house was rough! I won't cover it up.

 

[Cameramonkey]

Thanks!

That ceiling was the principle reason we bought the house next to the location. Lord knows, the rest of the house was rough! I won't cover it up.

Insulate with 4" foam and board it over again to make it look pretty again?

 

[maxwelhse]

Insulate with 4" foam and board it over again to make it look pretty again?

He doesn't have the height for that and I assume the added structure would also radically overload the roof.

I don't blame him for not covering up though. Such a nice look... Just god awful hot, apparently.

I do wonder if a way less aggressive technique might work... Like some tastefully chosen fabric to bridge the rafters just as an air barrier. Easy to put up and take down as you please?

It's the air that does the actual insulation anyhow and I've already seen huge buildings (some airports) that use not much more than fabric as their actual duct work... So...?

 

[gregkl]

Insulate with 4" foam and board it over again to make it look pretty again?

I have thought about that but like Mr. Coffee, lol says, I'm concerned about adding too much weight. But that would work. I have plenty of room from the edge of the rafter to the boards.

He doesn't have the height for that and I assume the added structure would also radically overload the roof.

I don't blame him for not covering up though. Such a nice look... Just god awful hot, apparently.

I do wonder if a way less aggressive technique might work... Like some tastefully chosen fabric to bridge the rafters just as an air barrier. Easy to put up and take down as you please?

It's the air that does the actual insulation anyhow and I've already seen huge buildings (some airports) that use not much more than fabric as their actual duct work... So...?

That could work. It is fairly hot near the top, but running the fan has helped. When I don't run the fan, even my 6' height can feel the heat radiating down. With the fan, I can't. The basement is so cool, I need to think of a way to blow some of that air upstairs. I am standing by the open stairway when I took that pic.

 

[maxwelhse]

That could work. It is fairly hot near the top, but running the fan has helped. When I don't run the fan, even my 6' height can feel the heat radiating down. With the fan, I can't. The basement is so cool, I need to think of a way to blow some of that air upstairs. I am standing by the open stairway when I took that pic.

My thought here is that the air inside the fabric would hold some heat. You wouldn't want to run the fan with it up there.

I've often had the thought of trying to pump air out of the basement up into the rest of the house and it always seemed easier to just go hang out in the basement.

 

[WebSnyper]

Here is what I have in the living, dining,entry, kitchen and one of the bedrooms.


View attachment 88559

Damn, that's pretty, even if it's not efficient.

 

[churchmouse]

I have thought about that but like Mr. Coffee, lol says, I'm concerned about adding too much weight. But that would work. I have plenty of room from the edge of the rafter to the boards.



That could work. It is fairly hot near the top, but running the fan has helped. When I don't run the fan, even my 6' height can feel the heat radiating down. With the fan, I can't. The basement is so cool, I need to think of a way to blow some of that air upstairs. I am standing by the open stairway when I took that pic.

Where is your furnace.

 

[gregkl]

Insulate with 4" foam and board it over again to make it look pretty again?

He doesn't have the height for that and I assume the added structure would also radically overload the roof.

I don't blame him for not covering up though. Such a nice look... Just god awful hot, apparently.

I do wonder if a way less aggressive technique might work... Like some tastefully chosen fabric to bridge the rafters just as an air barrier. Easy to put up and take down as you please?

It's the air that does the actual insulation anyhow and I've already seen huge buildings (some airports) that use not much more than fabric as their actual duct work... So...?

Where is your furnace.

In the basement in a utility room behind the staircase. Not under it but behind it.

 

[gregkl]

Insulate with 4" foam and board it over again to make it look pretty again?

He doesn't have the height for that and I assume the added structure would also radically overload the roof.

I don't blame him for not covering up though. Such a nice look... Just god awful hot, apparently.

I do wonder if a way less aggressive technique might work... Like some tastefully chosen fabric to bridge the rafters just as an air barrier. Easy to put up and take down as you please?

It's the air that does the actual insulation anyhow and I've already seen huge buildings (some airports) that use not much more than fabric as their actual duct work... So...?

Damn, that's pretty, even if it's not efficient.

Thanks. The rest of the house now looks pretty good too. This is after 6 years of spending most of my money and free time on it. I keep saying I'm virtually done now with the inside cuz it feels so good to be able to say that!

 

[maxwelhse]

Thanks. The rest of the house now looks pretty good too. This is after 6 years of spending most of my money and free time on it. I keep saying I'm virtually done now with the inside cuz it feels so good to be able to say that!

No doubt man. After 6 years on the grind a cold "one" would be more on my mind than a cold room. Place looks lovely.

My uncle hand built his entire house on weekends and evenings, including the windows and cabinets... It took him about 20 years. Not at all worth it IMO, but an impressive task.

Watching him do that talked me right out of tackling stuff like you did! We're nowhere near out of Amish up here...

 

[gregkl]

Insulate with 4" foam and board it over again to make it look pretty again?

He doesn't have the height for that and I assume the added structure would also radically overload the roof.

I don't blame him for not covering up though. Such a nice look... Just god awful hot, apparently.

I do wonder if a way less aggressive technique might work... Like some tastefully chosen fabric to bridge the rafters just as an air barrier. Easy to put up and take down as you please?

It's the air that does the actual insulation anyhow and I've already seen huge buildings (some airports) that use not much more than fabric as their actual duct work... So...?

No doubt man. After 6 years on the grind a cold "one" would be more on my mind than a cold room. Place looks lovely.

My uncle hand built his entire house on weekends and evenings, including the windows and cabinets... It took him about 20 years. Not at all worth it IMO, but an impressive task.

Watching him do that talked me right out of tackling stuff like you did! We're nowhere near out of Amish up here...

Oops! Meant to type 5 years. Either way a long enough time. I'm going to start shooting more now.

 

[churchmouse]

In the basement in a utility room behind the staircase. Not under it but behind it.

Hit me up. Might be able to help.

 

[maxwelhse]

Oops! Meant to type 5 years. Either way a long enough time. I'm going to start shooting more now.

Can't decide if home reno or shooting is the more expensive hobby...

Honestly, probably shooting. I only want to buy one house, but there are soooo many wonderful guns out there.

 

[Expat]

Mine is set on 72-3 during the day and we go 68 at night. it keeps up okay but it takes about half the night to drop it that 5 degree change. Our HVAC guy said it is supposed to basically run all the time when it is really hot. I wanted to size up a notch but he talked me out of it.