My house is set at 71 year round with central air......no issues keeping up.
Its when you turn them on and off that they don't keep the place cool.
My house is set at 71 year round with central air......no issues keeping up.
Its when you turn them on and off that they don't keep the place cool.
mad_machine wrote: wow.. you guys are really heat sensitive... you would die in my non-airconditioned place... it gets up into the 90s with no effort.. have seen 105 (spent that day in the pool)
Seen 105.........it's different when it's 105 for 30+ straight days. 
Portable A/C unit for $250. Use it on the room you use most. Blocking windows might help, but I'm betting the insulation on the unit stinks meaning you really won't be doing much.
I only use my a/c when it's really hot out and set it at 78 or so. My heat in the winter is set at 65. People in general should get out more often and adjust to the temperature changes that go with the seasons. I have a high metabolism and get too hot easily though so I can see how 78 wouldn't work if you're moving around much. Just do a lizard impersonation and bask on a rock.
For me, it's the sleeping in warm temps that kill me. I need to cool air, cool enough that I want a blanket.
Check your returns. At several of the homes I've owned the AC unit sits in a closet in the hall. Underneath it is the return. Usually only one side of that has a return hole cut in it.
I've cut holes and put vents, even if it's in a closet, and gotten the house temps more even.
The easier it is to suck, the easier it is to blow.
When I put it in the closet I ended up putting a vent through the closet door or else it rattled it when it came on. As an added plus, the clothes smelled so much fresher.
carguy123 wrote: The easier it is to suck, the easier it is to blow.
There's something I'd like to say here, but I hear it's awful hot on Margies patio.
DrBoost wrote:carguy123 wrote: The easier it is to suck, the easier it is to blow.There's something I'd like to say here, but I hear it's awful UNDER Margies patio.
FTFY 
The heat load on a south/west-facing wall can be brutal. If you're living in a condo, it's likely the a/c was designed without taking that into account and simply doesn't have the BTU-horsepower to handle the required delta-T vs. maintaining a given temp.
The portable unit my g/f has upstairs is the same way. It's just barely able to keep up if she leaves it on all day, but if she turns it off to save electricity and turns it back on when she gets home at 3:30, it simply can't cool the air faster than the afternoon sun beating on the roof, wall and windows is heating it.
As for solutions, it's hard to say and a 'cheap' solution will be even harder. Insulate the walls better would be the first step, but also usually the most difficult. Tinting the windows can't hurt, although I wouldn't expect drastic benefits.
So you pay for the water? Set a sprinkler on the hot side of the house???
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