Will closing all but one vent in an apartment with central air cause leaks in the duct work (I mean, there are flaps on the vents for a reason, right?)? [more inside]
posted by weakcore on Jul 17, 2009 - 9 answers

Can I expect American Home Shield or any other home warranty company to replace my A/C when it dies? Are there any other good, reliable home warranty companies out there? [more inside]
posted by roaring beast on Jul 13, 2009 - 5 answers

Misting the AC compressor to increase efficiency? [more inside]
posted by BrooksCooper on Jul 4, 2009 - 5 answers

Is leaving the windows in my attic cracked beneficial for keeping my air conditioning bill low? [more inside]
posted by JFitzpatrick on Jun 22, 2009 - 4 answers

lI have a through-the-wal air conditioning unit. How do I stop the cold air outside from coming in through the cracks? [more inside]
posted by kmtiszen on Jan 27, 2009 - 8 answers

Help me design a tall skinny flat window box fan! [more inside]
posted by Aquaman on Oct 2, 2008 - 7 answers

Does anyone know a good residential AC company in Tampa, FL? The company I have been using (Atlas Air) has been out 3 times in 6 months, and with my AC out again (this time for two weeks while we try to fix it ourselves), I'd like to try someone else before calling Atlas out again.
posted by Ikazuchi on Sep 18, 2008 - 6 answers

Regular Floor Fan Filter: My wife swears that it's best to use a fan to "suck the hot air out of the room" first before turning the fan around to draw in the cooler evening air. I say the only hot air in the room is...well, help us figure this out! [more inside]
posted by Spyder's Game on Jul 15, 2008 - 27 answers

The previous question about mini-splits (one type of "ductless" AC) on askMe dealt only with complications of apartment dwellers. So, as a more general question, does anyone have advice on picking a good mini-split unit, and a reliable installer? I know that Mitsubishi is a big player for this type of item, but are they still as evil (environmentally) as they were last time I checked, in the '80's?
posted by ericbop on Jul 14, 2008 - 3 answers

Is this possible? Or just dumb? What would happen if we used one of those new, small, portable air-conditioners in a car on a temporary basis? [more inside]
posted by Toto_tot on Jul 14, 2008 - 18 answers

Why is my bedroom consistently 10 degrees warmer than the rest of the house, and what can I do to cool it off? [more inside]
posted by carsonb on Jul 3, 2008 - 24 answers

The A/C on my car ('92 Honda Prelude) works great from 0-40 mph. Above 40 mph, the ratio of cool to hot air moves decidedly in favor of hot. Any ideas (besides the obvious: take it to the shop).
posted by wheat on Jun 13, 2008 - 6 answers

Air conditioning has been broken in my apartment for 5 days now, what action should I take? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jun 12, 2008 - 5 answers

Can anybody suggest an extremely shallow in-window air conditioner, that I could possibly install in a window that has bars across it just a couple inches outside the screen? And don't waste your time suggesting a portable unit, as I'll describe inside. [more inside]
posted by logovisual on Jun 10, 2008 - 9 answers

Yet another air conditioner question...please hope me. [more inside]
posted by SassHat on Jun 9, 2008 - 17 answers

Can a single AC keep my apartment cold? [more inside]
posted by jma on Jun 9, 2008 - 15 answers

I want to buy an "official" sign or sticker that implies to the reader that "THE ROOM YOU ARE ENTERING IS GODDAMNED COLD!!!" [more inside]
posted by melorama on Dec 18, 2007 - 29 answers

Is my car's air conditioner releasing deadly fumes or something? [more inside]
posted by exceptinsects on Aug 21, 2007 - 3 answers

Need some advice on how to calculate 'efficiency' of a potential home-brew air conditioning set up. [more inside]
posted by woodblock100 on Aug 16, 2007 - 12 answers

I'm in Texas and it's really damn hot. I have a workshop in my garage and I need to Get Stuff Done, I need help. [more inside]
posted by RustyBrooks on Aug 13, 2007 - 20 answers

How can I make air conditioning work better in a 2 story house? [more inside]
posted by mathowie on Jul 22, 2007 - 13 answers

How can i use the cool air in my basement to cool the upstairs rooms in the rest of the house? It's 66 degrees in the basement but a lot hotter upstairs. I don't have AC and the house has antiquated water-based radiators rather than air ducts. But it sure would be nice to move the cold to where the hot is. Ideas?
posted by storybored on Jul 18, 2007 - 19 answers

Due to a yet-to-be-correctly-diagnosed problem with the electrical system in our house, our air conditioner does not work. This is a Big Deal in Central California right now. Can we reasonably expect our lanlord to pay for a hotel for us? [more inside]
posted by bryanzera on Jul 5, 2007 - 9 answers

Our homeowner's association doesn't allow window air conditioning units to be mounted outside of dwellings. But with our built-in inside window ledge, we can put our AC window unit right against the screen, keeping it fully indoors while still venting outside. Are there any health or safety reasons why we shouldn't do this?
posted by croutonsupafreak on May 31, 2007 - 15 answers

Does anyone have tips for surviving a summer in very hot temperatures without AC? [more inside]
posted by Deathalicious on May 29, 2007 - 43 answers

I'm 18 and I had to move out of my parents house. I'm in an apartment in Jersey City. I don't have cockroaches, there aren't any leaks, its a really great apartment and these are all small things that I've been dealing with the last few months. [more inside]
posted by rubberkey on Apr 16, 2007 - 20 answers

Do I need to have separate thermostats for my central air conditioning & my radiator heat? [more inside]
posted by zempf on Mar 23, 2007 - 5 answers

Am I crazy for thinking of living in Durham, NC without air conditioning? Considerations: I get really really hot, have a somewhat crazy internal thermometer, I have lots of books, and I don't want to be miserable. Problem: we found a super cute house and it doesn't have AC. What to do? [more inside]
posted by fionab on Nov 28, 2006 - 22 answers

BrrrrrFilter: It's gotten cold here in Chicago and my heater appears to be broken. Google didn't help me much probably because my knowledge of HVAC is weak. Help me find out quickly if I'm being ripped off? [more inside]
posted by twiggy on Oct 13, 2006 - 15 answers

This may seem like one of those "duh" questions, but I've just put in my very first air conditioner (thanks to MeFites) and have a few quick questions. [more inside]
posted by WCityMike on Aug 1, 2006 - 26 answers

What can we do to get more air from the air conditioning (and the heat in the winter) to the back of the house? [more inside]
posted by winston on Jul 29, 2006 - 17 answers

Is there such a thing as an inexpensive, battery-powered air conditioner? [more inside]
posted by bingo on Jul 3, 2006 - 22 answers

Any idea how much a new combination electric A/C and gas heater costs? Our house is approximately 1450 square feet.
posted by jayder on Jun 28, 2006 - 1 answer

My car's A/C unit is sending out sort of misty air? Is this safe? Or is it just moisture? The A/C unit still cools down the air.
posted by sandmanwv on Jun 21, 2006 - 10 answers

Help me not freeze to death in the next four and a half hours. [more inside]
posted by mustcatchmooseandsquirrel on Jun 7, 2006 - 33 answers

I need a bit of advice on moving from northeast Florida (Jacksonville) to the Bay Area (Santa Cruz)... [more inside]
posted by Oops on Jun 7, 2006 - 11 answers

Any specific recommendations for brands of portable swamp coolers? Also, where could I find the reflective material used in car windshield shades in sections large enough to fit in my bedroom windows? [more inside]
posted by scody on Jun 5, 2006 - 13 answers

How can I install a window air conditioner into my metal framed window with no place to screw in the rails? [more inside]
posted by j-dawg on May 13, 2006 - 5 answers

I live in a converted warehouse space, and my bedroom has no windows and isn't against an outside wall. Because of allergies to my roommate's dog, I prefer to keep my door closed. Any tips on cooling a sealed room? [more inside]
posted by billyfleetwood on Apr 19, 2006 - 9 answers

A/CFilter: Central A/C unit is 7 years old and ran pretty well until this year. Now it barely cools and has to run all day to do it. Have done all the homeowner checks (cleaned unit, checked filter and vents, sealed cracks and ductwork, etc.) A technician charged us $140 (having "cleaned" the unit and checked the coolant) to hold his cigarette up to the running unit and, using the smoke as his diagnostic tool, proclaimed that the fan was running...backwards. He insisted that this can happen with some units after a power surge. Did we just have sex with our clothes on? Or is he for real? Can a fan spontaneously run backwards? [more inside]
posted by TN_Tanuki on Sep 8, 2005 - 3 answers

How do I de-fog my car windows on a humid summer night without using my air conditioner? [more inside]
posted by schoolgirl report on Aug 9, 2005 - 9 answers

Our dog stays at home while we're out working. She does fine and has people walking her on most days, but with the generally unreliable nature of electric power on hot Virginia days, I worry that the house may lose power and heat up to an uncomfortable temperature while my wife and I are at work. Does anyone have any experience with an inexpensive, easy-to-setup way for me to get an e-mail alert if the power goes out or the temperature gets to a certain point? This looks neat, but if the house loses power it won't do me much good.
posted by laze on Jul 26, 2005 - 17 answers

Does anybody have any experience buying/installing/using a mini-split air conditioner in the U.S.? [mi] [more inside]
posted by armchairsocialist on Jun 21, 2005 - 7 answers

Strange things are going on with my car's air conditioner. [more inside]
posted by the_bone on Jun 18, 2005 - 6 answers

My home's air conditioner has died. How much is getting it fixed likely to cost me? [more inside]
posted by kimota on Jun 12, 2005 - 5 answers

BTUFilter: I'm looking for a plain and simple calculation to size an air conditioner based on cubic feet. [more inside]
posted by jclovebrew on Jun 9, 2005 - 4 answers

Cooling my apartment: advice needed from experts in the fields of air conditioning and building codes, and, as a last resort, lawyers. [more inside]
posted by Deepspace on Mar 3, 2005 - 9 answers

Is it safe to always keep the car air conditioner on, and on recirculate? A good idea? Because apparently that's what people in Taiwan do, but I've never seen it done in the US.
posted by calwatch on Oct 26, 2004 - 10 answers

Another air conditioner question. In both my car and my window units at home, there is a feature that I will generically call "air exchange." I can turn it on or off. It seems to somehow bring in air from the outside for some reason. What is this for, and when is it useful?
posted by stupidsexyFlanders on Jul 7, 2004 - 13 answers

Window AC unit and rain. How can you prvent rain from entering the house through a window AC unit? I think its coming in through the vents on the outside casement. Thoughts?
posted by evening on Jul 5, 2004 - 11 answers