Installing geo thermal in an old house with boiler? [more inside]
posted by idyllhands on Sep 28, 2009 - 8 answers

Another West Coast heat wave question. Beside eating ice cream and drinking ouzo straight from the freezer, what are some good ways to cool down? [more inside]
posted by halogen on Jul 28, 2009 - 34 answers

Replacing the AC and furnace -- is now the time to buy? Tell me what you know about rebates! [more inside]
posted by amanda on Jul 28, 2009 - 10 answers

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

How can I get a 12v fan to run off of a USB port? Alternately, how can I make my laptop not overheat and die? [more inside]
posted by Chionophilia on Jul 9, 2009 - 10 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

Can someone recommend a programmable thermostat that will save me from insane energy bills? [more inside]
posted by griffey on Apr 14, 2009 - 8 answers

I'm looking into global climate history. Is there a particularly good overview for this? [more inside]
posted by AdamCSnider on Feb 12, 2009 - 3 answers

Our central AC/Heating system leaked some kind of, uh, oil (!?) last night. I have no idea what it is, the super is baffled. More inside. [more inside]
posted by GilloD on Dec 4, 2008 - 6 answers

Suggestions for cooling a MacBook Pro? [more inside]
posted by Silvertree on Sep 28, 2008 - 11 answers

When is a heat pump worth it? [warning: a bit long] [more inside]
posted by Shepherd on Aug 15, 2008 - 19 answers

Apartment filter: I need my apartment to be cool inside! We moved into a very nice 3rd (top) floor, west facing apartment... in March... came home in June and no exaggeration, it was 94 degrees in my living room. The AC has a 20 degree difference and runs nonstop from 4pm to 11pm and its 84 degrees in the bed room till 11pm. [more inside]
posted by phritosan on Aug 4, 2008 - 38 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

We have two (okay, four) window air conditioners. How can we best use them to cool our house? [more inside]
posted by LolaGeek on Jul 5, 2008 - 8 answers

Air conditioner puts out more water than cool air. Ideas on what two renters can do? [more inside]
posted by Ufez Jones on Jun 29, 2008 - 9 answers

How do I know what kind/size of fan/heatsink will fit in my computer? [more inside]
posted by number9dream on Jun 26, 2008 - 10 answers

Help me de-gunk my outside air conditioner. [more inside]
posted by Unicorn on the cob on Jun 25, 2008 - 5 answers

Can someone recommend a good mid level heat sink (I'm overclocking but not crazy case modding or spending more than $50) for my Socket A processor? It's an Athlon 2500XP on a K7N2 Delta2 MSI motherboard. The key is that I have to be able to still buy it, and it needs to be better than the stock one that came with the processor. [more inside]
posted by a robot made out of meat on Jun 18, 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

It's getting warm out, and the top floor of the house we live in is heating up a lot. My infant son sleeps upstairs and the heat from the day is moving up to the top floor and lingering for hours and hours. The catch is he sleeps best in complete darkness, so opening windows means screwing up his sleep for the night. Anyone have any suggestions on how to cool down the top floor while creating a minimal disturbance for my kid? [more inside]
posted by theNonsuch on Apr 20, 2008 - 14 answers

My widescreen HP laptop has a cooling problem. But most commercial USB cooling pads don't seem to be the right size to fit my machine, and I'm wondering if they'll still work OK if my laptop hangs over the edge. [more inside]
posted by Happydaz on Apr 15, 2008 - 6 answers

Is fiberglass heating/cooling duct board safe? [more inside]
posted by wsg on Apr 9, 2008 - 2 answers

recommend the most powerful fan you know! [more inside]
posted by thinkingwoman on Apr 6, 2008 - 8 answers

We've got an Onkyo receiver for our new home theater that is running really hot....how can I best place a fan to maximize cooling? [more inside]
posted by Hogermite on Mar 31, 2008 - 5 answers

How can I cool my computer down without replacing the broken fans? [more inside]
posted by wondermouse on Feb 2, 2008 - 24 answers

How difficult is it to replace a laptop's cooling fans? [more inside]
posted by kraigory on Sep 16, 2007 - 9 answers

Is there a window air conditioner that can both cool and circulate air from outside? [more inside]
posted by baggers on Sep 1, 2007 - 12 answers

So I just got the newest iMac today (the one that was announced last week). After 4 hours or so of use the fan has kicked on in a most noisy way and it won't shut down. Restarting does nothing. Take time to let it cool. Restart. Just more fan. So...anyone got a "here-n-now" fix or do I take it back to the store in the morning?
posted by sourwookie on Aug 15, 2007 - 15 answers

Can anyone help or point me in the right direction as regards CA building codes in relation to server rooms and cooling or how do you accommodate this if you are too small to need the big company solution. [more inside]
posted by clarkie666 on Aug 3, 2007 - 8 answers

This summer I, unfortunately, will be living in my old bedroom at my parent's house. To make matters worse, it gets ridiculously humid/hot in my room (the A/C doesn't make any difference at all.) A window-mounted A/C unit won't fit in my vertical, outward opening "french" windows and while I've considered a "personal air conditioner" the hose poses a similar problem with my windows, a problem I'm hoping to solve. I look to you, AskMeFi reader, to make my summer stay a little more bearable. [more inside]
posted by Becko on May 10, 2007 - 29 answers

What is the best way to keep electronic devices that are in enclosed areas cool? (ie. stereo receiver, game console, etc). I'm just got a new AV cabinet/stand that is a lot smaller than my previous one and my components are getting a lot warmer than they used to. My receiver has about 1" leeway on each side and about .5" on top. 1/3 of the rear of the cabinet is open. I also have my HTPC in there as well as my Xbox 360. Anyone know of a simple way to keep them cooler (without adding noise or uglyness to my setup)? Would not like to cut anything. Some ideas... Separate the exhaust and intake (so no hot air gets recycled) by blocking the sides and top at the rear of the unit. Put a small computer fan at the back of the stand to improve airflow? Put a exhaust hose (a la dryer) on the receiver where the fan is.. maybe put a fan at the end of the hose to pull more air through? Any tried and true methods that arent too complicated?
posted by mphuie on Jan 4, 2007 - 6 answers

ComputerHardwareConundrumFilter. I built my PC about two years ago. Works great, mostly. But lately, when playing one particular game, my PC performs for only 16 or so minutes before shutting down completely. As you might expect, there's a lot ... [more inside]
posted by grabbingsand on Dec 1, 2006 - 17 answers

There's a computer stashed inside a desk cabinet. It's too hot inside the cabinet. What to do? [more inside]
posted by filmgeek on Nov 13, 2006 - 18 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

So I have just taken delivery of my nice shiny and enormous new 17" laptop and I want to find someway of keeping it cool on my lap etc. so I'm looking for ideas. [more inside] [more inside]
posted by empedia on Aug 18, 2006 - 8 answers

I'm going to Orlando in August. I know its going to be hot.... does this thing (http://www.sharperimage.com/us/en/catalog/product/sku__SI758SL2) really work?
posted by Scoops on Jun 14, 2006 - 8 answers

What's the optimal way to combine a fan with an air conditioner? [more inside]
posted by Caviar on May 30, 2006 - 12 answers

What is the easiest way to lower the temp in my computer case? [more inside]
posted by corpse on Feb 28, 2006 - 12 answers

Our air conditioner is going out and has to be replaced. We are likely going to replace it with two standard units as the single unit has never heated or cooled the entire house evenly. The heating/air guy said that would be ideal but would cost 8-10 thousand vs 4 thousand or less if we just bought a new 5 ton unit. However the electric company is offering to loan people the money if they want to buy heat pumps. Not having a lot of extra money right now, that is tempting IF heat pumps are likely to do the job, which I am not sure about. [more inside]
posted by weretable and the undead chairs on Jul 26, 2005 - 10 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

Do you have any clever tricks for keeping your apartment cool during the summer? [more inside]
posted by drezdn on Jun 6, 2005 - 27 answers

DoesThisExistFilter: I’m looking for something to keep my electronic gear cool in the car this summer. More inside. [more inside]
posted by baltimore on Jan 16, 2005 - 4 answers

GamingNerdFilter: Does anyone know if the Zalman VF700-Cu heatsink fits into an SLI configuration? Bonus points if you you can confirm that the CNPS7700-Cu CPU heatink will fit on an ASUS A8N-SLI-DELUXE motherboard with a pair of SLI cards fitted with the aformentioned heatsinks.
posted by krisjohn on Jan 6, 2005 - 5 answers

Why are radiators (the things connected to your hot water system that heat a room) usually painted white, when white is the worst colour for heat radiation?
posted by Mwongozi on Dec 13, 2004 - 19 answers

My 1994 Honda Accord's cooling fan won't turn off after I turn the car off. However, if I remove the cooling fan fuse, the fan will shut off. The fuse does not appear to be blown. When I put the fuse back in, it sparks like a mad mo'fo' and the cooling fan turns back on. Any ideas what the problem is and how much it'de run me for a repair or is there a quick fix for it?
posted by jmd82 on Jul 10, 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 by brettski on May 20, 2004 - 10 answers

What's the best way to cool down an upstairs apartment without air conditioning? (mi) [more inside]
posted by lola on Apr 26, 2004 - 28 answers