Any tips for cooling a house that doesn't have air conditioning?

Question

We don't have central air (yes, it sucks) but are wondering what tips you can offer about cooling things off a bit during this hot summer. Thanks!

Answer 1

ceiling fans and box fans in the windows and doorways, and maybe a window unit.

Answer 2

First off, get a dehumidifier!!! When you take the humidity from out of the air, it will "feel cooler"!

Then, when its morning, shut all the windows, and doors, and dont open them too much, as it will leave all the heat in. Keep all the blinds and curtain closed, so that you dont let the heat in, and it gets reflected back out.

A dark house will be coolere! keep lights to a minimum. That produces heat. Turn off ALL pilot lights!!! (yep, I turn the ones off on my stove even, as you wouldnt believe how much heat that produces...and when they are off, the heat lessens incredibly... also the one for your furnace, as you wont need it until winter and your burning up gas for nothing. (Unless you have an extremely damp basement, then keep it on, as you dont want the furnace to rust out, or actually rust to get into the piping of the gas lines, and that would only be the reason I would keep the furnace one lit). Make sure you relight all the pilots before winter time, so that you will have heat.

For the stove, I get one of those long strikers, (the type that you light a gas grill with), so that you only have flame when you need it, and not heat the air up all the time.

Now, when you can afford it, put more insulation up in the attic!! That is the biggest heat area, as it comes down through the roof area, into the living areas and bedroom areas.

If you have ANY exposed earth, such as in a basement or crawl space, put some tarp or plastic over it, and weigh it down with bricks!!

THIS is the biggest source of moisture, coming into the home!! (Sure, it may "feel" cool, with the damp earth, but, it wicks the dampness out into the air, and actually makes the air warmer!).

If you can take a glass of ice water, (with ice in it), and set it on the kitchen table, and it develops water droplets on the outside, and after 15 minutes you take it off the table, and there is a large wet ring around it, then you know you have too much humidity in the house!

Then, you get a dehumidifier and it will be drier and thus, cooler.

Oh, if you do get a window air conditioner, put it in a window where you have a furnace vent (intake), near it, and turn the blower on the furnace!! It may not keep the room that cool because of it, BUT, it will dehumidify the entire house quicker and thus, keep the entire house cooler! Then after its dehumidified, then you can cut the furnace off, (the blower off by hand and back to auto), and keep the room that it is in, cool...

Oh, since a fan is a lot cheaper than an A/C you may want to get a large window fan, and put it in an upstairs window, blowing OUT! (Maybe two of them, one at each end of the house, upstairs), then, open the front door, and let the breeze flow through the entire house...it will feel cooler, also, crack a few windows, down stairs, to make it flow faster, (just about 3 inches or less), and it will feel cooler if your by the window. Do this on the side where the Sun isnt shinning, so you dont bring in the "sun heated air).


I wish you well..

Jesse

Answer 3

You need too keep all your windows closed. Shades closed, and all the door closed as much as possible. Then at night when thing start to cool down. Open your windows, doors and shades. Let the cool air in too help cool the house off. Then repeat the same thing all over again in the morning. Plus have a few fans on will help too. Make sure too close it all up again in the morning before it gets hot. If you wait too long, then it's no go to u. Good Luck!

Answer 4

An Attic Fan is best- installed in the Cieling , also an Attic exhaust to remove hot aire from the attic.
A fan working to bring in cool air at one end of house and a fan blowing it out on the other is about all you can do , but keep the house tight all morning and retain the cool night air as long as possible. take lots of showers, lol

If you have a basement, turn on the Furnace fan, and open the door on the Furnace, so it can draw cool basement air and blow it into the upper part of the house.

Answer 5

Put a fan in the window during the night and pull cooler night air into the house start it late and turn it off early in the morning, so as not to pull in any daytime air, remember in order for air to move, you must have another window open somewhere else in the house. Ideally you can use two fans in a push-pull configuration to move cooler night air through.

Always keep you blinds closed to limit infiltration of direct sunlight.

Keep plenty of ice and water flowing through your body have a glass at arm's reach all day if necessary.

Wear only light clothing and trash the black tee shirts.

Use the microwave only for cooking dint add heat to your house by boiling water etc.

Leave lights off, the create more heat than one might think.

You have computer goggle up more ideas,..

Think cool thoughts, maybe of Alasks or something, oh wait its heating up also,...

Good luck..

Answer 6

well you should keep some of the lights off because that brings more heat int the house....you should also close the windows because the hot air from the outside can get into the house making it hotter. (if the air outside it cooler then the inside then you can open the windows)
also if you don't have air conditioning you can put on some fans.....

Answer 7

Practical things like: room darkening window shades or blinds.
doors closed. windows open at the top only.... partially ! to let hot air escape. go to the basement.

Now for the unusual !

Buy a large piece of Dry Ice. Put it in a large bucket, place a fan near it to blow the cool air around the room.

Put your undies in the freezer, get then nice and cold and put them on.

Run cold water from the faucet over your wrists. this will lower your temp.

Answer 8

you take a damp towel and drape it over something, then turn on a fan and blow air across it, as the moister evaporates this will cause a cooling effect, this will be a few degrees cooler than just a fan alone. at night you can place a fan in the attic near a vent, and push the hot air out. also a misting bottle of water and occasionally mist yourself while sitting in front of a fan.
good luck with this as i hope this helped you !!!

Answer 9

Darken your windows with reflective tape, tint, or thick dark curtains, they less heat you let in the better it will feel. Look into a cheap window unit like they use in some hotel/motels. And the cheap mans trick fans over a bucket of ice. Stay cool. Oh p.s. Heat rises, cool air falls; open high windows to allow heat out.

Answer 10

Ceiling fans. It will keep the air moving, and depending on which way you have them turning, will pull cool air in, or push hot air out. Doesn't work as well as AC, but will definetly make you more comfortable. And they only use about as much electricity as a light bulb...

Answer 11

If you have good insulation close the house off and close all blinds. Most time air in good insulated house will be cooler than air out side, I know mine is that way. Keep windows and doors closed.
But if you do not have real good insulation then open up everything lol.