Hi Phil,

     About "Air conditioning" of July 12:


MS> At 4:00 in the morning i shut down the fans then closed openings...
PM> ...works faster and better if you use a window fan...

     I do more than that, i install my twin reversible window fan in the
window if there's no wind, i place a portable one in front of the room's
door and an other in the kitchen in front of the door which leads to the
balcony then i switch them all to full speed to force warm air out and i
also start the one on my kitchen's ceiling when desperate...  During the
last warm week it could take the whole night before this was satisfying,
that is why i, like most other people around here, even have to leave my
balcony's door opened, i mean both of them (i do need every bit of air)!

     One could think that the building's insulation is really deficient.

MS> ...and then shutting the windows and drawing the blinds to keep the
MS> sun out, usually keeps the place here cool until noon or later...

     I'm doing that too.  Actually, i have a clear (reflective) vertical
store behind the curtains to help me keep everything out;  mother really
didn't like it since this is no conventional way to dress windows but it
was that or i'd have tried a self-adhesive reflective film!  I thought i
could find stores to be more versatile in winter as they let the sun in:
even with the curtains in place heat will still be captured if i want...

     Films were also a concern, i was told those could make glass crack.

MS> This building is full of leaks, i think the neighbour downstairs is
MS> contributing to my misery...
PM> What does he/she do, cook all day?

     He dries day and night!...  He has a twin window fan like mine that
started running in May, as i recall, and it rarely stopped ever since...

     Mother thought my double window dressing was bad but what he got is
a lot less usual:  instead of drying outside he has a wire support right
next to his window - inside - in front of this fan;  he blocked the view
with a drape which performs the esthetic purpose of dressing this window
and force the passage of air thru the fan at the same time.  Original...

     If effect, he's "thermalizing" his appartment and he doesn't really
seem to realize it when it's 33 degrees Celcius inside and we all are in
panick mode...  The insulation in the outside wall is bad (i've seen the
electric bills) and i'm confident that insulation between the two levels
is only worst;  since heat accumulates under his ceiling and will slowly
transfer thru my appartment's floor this young person is making it worst
for him and i...  If at least i didn't need wax ear plugs to sleep!  :-7

MS> ...refrigerator could be generating more heat than i suspected...
PM> How hot are the coils in back of your frig?

     Beyond fourty degrees Celcius, not burning but not comfortable.  It
runs for about fourty minutes then goes quiet for some twenty minutes...

PM> A tip Hydro-Quebec repeats often is to keep those coils free of
PM> dust-buildup.

     I'll check but doesn't it help with my electrical consumption only?

     I mean, yes the refrigerator produces heat of its own and that adds
up when it takes longer to remove heat inside but would it be that much?

MS> Only the lower halves of our windows let air circulate, that puts a
MS> lot of distance between it and the ceiling...  ...heat reservoir!
PM> Sounds like -that- could be a problem.

     I was thinking i should drill a four inches hole in the ceiling and
try to pump that heat in the attic.  There happens to be plenty of space
in the wardrobe to conceal it all but i never seen openings in a ceiling
ever so i'm not certain this would be a sound house building practice...

     Perhaps it's sealed for a purpose, something about condensation for
example.  If there's no such issue i suppose people would prefer to keep
their windows clear and use attics to dump heat from the air-conditioner
instead but it's possible it gets too hot over there for that to work...

MS> ...air conditioners...  ...i guess it may be my solution next year.
PM> ...get one with manual controls.  Less to go wrong, and cheaper.

     Yes, i was searching the Net lately and i've seem related mentions.

     I found a lot more than i expected, actually!!!  I read a bit about
thermoelectric, thermoacoustic and magnetic refrigeration besides simple
portable home air conditioners then i was intreagued a bit after i began
to read about the Georges J. Ranque/Hilsch vortex tube;  there were also
references to some ammonia systems converted for solar use.  Apparently,
the new thermoelectric devices come and go quickly and that could be the
result of a technology which is said to be using brittle and hydroscopic
materials;  it's believed to be potentially less energy efficient in the
long run too but yet many innovative products use it such as can coolers
(it's even possible to buy Lazy-Boy chairs with one integrated), Coleman
has a line of small refrigerators and a european company carried a hotel
minibar and a food plate among their products...  The one that impressed
me the most was the Ecofan Stovetop Fan since it used no external source
of energy but heat from the stove itself (still, it was discontinued)...

                                                        Salutations,  :)

                                                        Michel Samson
                                                        a/s Bicephale


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