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 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 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 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 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 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 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 on Jun 10, 2008 - 9 answers

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

Can a single AC keep my apartment cold? [more inside]
posted 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 on Dec 18, 2007 - 29 answers

Is my car's air conditioner releasing deadly fumes or something? [more inside]
posted 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 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 on Aug 13, 2007 - 20 answers

How can I make air conditioning work better in a 2 story house? [more inside]
posted 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 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 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 on May 31, 2007 - 15 answers

Does anyone have tips for surviving a summer in very hot temperatures without AC? [more inside]
posted 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 on Apr 16, 2007 - 20 answers

Do I need to have separate thermostats for my central air conditioning & my radiator heat? [more inside]
posted 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 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 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 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 on Jul 29, 2006 - 17 answers

Is there such a thing as an inexpensive, battery-powered air conditioner? [more inside]
posted 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 on Jun 28, 2006 - 1 answers

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 on Jun 21, 2006 - 10 answers

Help me not freeze to death in the next four and a half hours. [more inside]
posted 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 on Jun 21, 2005 - 7 answers

Strange things are going on with my car's air conditioner. [more inside]
posted 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 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 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 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 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 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 on Jul 5, 2004 - 11 answers

Is it bad for a car's air conditioner to leave it running while idling for 15 minutes or so? Does the fan setting matter? Also, is it bad to have the a/c going hard while driving around in the heat everyday?
posted on Jul 5, 2004 - 9 answers

Portable Air Con: My flat (apartment) is too hot when the weather's like this, and I'm looking to do something about it for the comfort of our new baby who's been a nightmare since the warm spell started. Anyone know if these things are any good? I here to avoid "air coolers", any other advice (and what is a 'mechanical air conditioner'?)... btw fitting proper a\c is out of the question because of planning regs).....
posted on May 20, 2004 - 10 answers

What's the best way to cool down an upstairs apartment without air conditioning? (mi)
posted on Apr 26, 2004 - 29 answers

Are there any programmable or automatic thermostats that can keep a house within a certain temperature range, and not just at a certain point? For example, I don't want to set the temperature at 72°F, but have the air conditioner come on at 73°F and the heater come on at 71°F. I'd prefer a range of six degrees or so, so that the air conditioner comes on if the temperature rises above 74°F, and the heater if it falls below 68°F, or something like that. I don't pay enough attention to it now, so the temperature swings too much and it's bad for items in the house. Can't some technology do this for me?
posted on Apr 1, 2004 - 9 answers

Is a frozen air conditioner thingy outside the house a problem? How do I fix it?
posted on Feb 29, 2004 - 8 answers