- Thread starter Gringonazo
- Start date
Help me with my HOT second floor
You could set up a water sprinkler to wet the roof for five minutes every couple of hours.
At the time I first arrove in South Florida (1978) they were just getting out of a construction phase where they built a slanted roof with barriers to keep the water from flowing off so the evaporation could cool the house. One of the first jobs I worked on was to remove these barriers from the roofs in a community because they all seemed to let the water filter thru the concrete eventually and got moisture inside.
Der Fish
Definitely your first and most economical option. I have a solid concrete Bermuda roof. It was originally painted with terra-cotta red roof paint and the house was like an oven. Once I had repainted it with a decent white roof paint, the temperature inside the house went down by at least 10 degrees.
lasko 16" reversable motor whole house window fan is the best, most powerful fan to get! Pushes air out or in , and mounts permanatly.
But you can get a box fan for a window. If on the second floor, keep a bedroom window open, and have the box fan blowing out on the first floor in the opessite side of home.
Keep all other windows closed. Have the fan on high. If only venting one room, keep the other doors closed. All the air will now be purged out that fan as an exhaust.
Do the opposite during the day to clear out hot air downstairs.
This concept works great while your cooking, or smoking stogies indoors.
Qorks like a charm if done right.
But you can get a box fan for a window. If on the second floor, keep a bedroom window open, and have the box fan blowing out on the first floor in the opessite side of home.
Keep all other windows closed. Have the fan on high. If only venting one room, keep the other doors closed. All the air will now be purged out that fan as an exhaust.
Do the opposite during the day to clear out hot air downstairs.
This concept works great while your cooking, or smoking stogies indoors.
Qorks like a charm if done right.
Yes exactly.Der Fish . the most logical thing is to extract the hot air that has risen up to the ceiling and that is why in all hot countries that I have stayed in , the exit is in the roof and not a side window..yes you have to make a hole about 10 inches in circumference to fit the whirly bird or any other roof extractor , but that is nothing ..
I've installed a hundred or more of those in Florida. Gotta make sure the hole is well tarred when you are finished.
Der Fish
Thanks, everyone, for the replies. Will the roof tiles (tejas) or terra cotta really do the job? Will painting the roof white help with the temperature upstairs? If so, by how many degrees will the temp drop? Thanks for everything.
The answer to how much depends on so many factors that anyone trying to answer it would only be pulling numbers out of the sky, but I believe it would be worth it. My niece had a mobile home that the roof had been painted black to help warm it in the winter in Tennessee. We painted it white and she was amazed that the window air conditioner could now do its job.
Der Fish
If the concrete is hot, you can move as much air as you want through the inside of the place and all you are going to do is keep moving hot air.....paint the roof with a white paint first....at least that will reflect some heat, won't solve all of your problem, but its a good start......the sprinkler idea is good too.....the solution is to keep the concrete cool....
My thoughts not yours
My thoughts not yours
These things you're talking about, can they be installed on a house with tile roof and I presume, cement under the tiles ??? Can it be done ?
Most anything can be done if you find someone who knows how and has the tools.
I would volunteer, but I have no tools here as I did back in real life.
Der Fish
yes they can you can see thousands of houses with tile rooves ,all with whirley birds ..in Adelaide or in Durban I have seen them everywhere
I have had the same experience for years, the condo I am in at top floor (3rd) has white painted concrete roof, but all 3 sides are also open and exposed to the sun in the afternoon. Once all these concrete top and sides are heated by the sun, there is very little can be done.
The high temperature holds way through the early hours of the morning, my gauge shows cooling only start after 2am (way after the sun has gone).
I have lots of windows and fans, good breeze here on the 3rd floor, but the heat is just radiating from the walls, you can change the air but not the radiation, the window frames also get hot to the touch.
The cool air that comes with the breeze or fans just get hot more effectively than it can cool the hot walls/ceiling.
My next project are the shutters on the outside of windows to close in the afternoon, this way the glass and frame are both blocked. Don't have much hope, but it helps I guess.
I also have a small window A/C for the bedroom that I use occasionally, it tries it's best, but only have success to bring down the humidity, the temperature still stays high - but this is a small one and very low power consumption. I can imagine using a bigger split A/C should do better, but comes at a very high electric cost in such environment (it's more like trying to cool an oven).
My advice is to move, no other easy/cheap and effective solution, penthouses here in the hot countries have a big disadvantage, not worth it !? lol
It's not very clear, is it good for the day and not good for the night !?
Because I do have white paint on the roof but get a lot of heat even after the sun goes down, does that have anything to do with the white paint !?
Your living in a man made heat sink. Basically a large concrete block structure, usually covered with a concrete stucco exterior and interior and very little insulation value to keep hot air out and cool air in. If your roof is flat, white reflective paint will help a bit. A vaulted roof structure with tiles would help a lot.
Proper airflow, convection, will also help once you figure out the airflow and fan placement. Ceiling fans have two operational modes. During the summer they should rotate and draw cool air up from the bottom of the room and force the hot air out. The air draw should be up and the fan air should not be blowing on you.
Wind turbines mounted properly will have the same effect. Someone referred to them as whirlybirds. They turn in the wind and draw hot air to the outside. There are solar battery powered mini versions used on sailboats. A friend of mine installed these in the bedrooms in his house in Luperon. They helped but not a lot.
Shades and awnings will slow the interior heating if used properly. I've been in Luperon in September and experienced extreme heat. The house I stayed in had a combination of all of the above and no air conditioning. After sunset, it took about six hours for the heat inside to reach a bearable level.