Cooling an attic apartment

[mentaluproar]

I live in a shared house and the landlord has decided to redo the attic. New windows, electrical, lighting, etc, and I get first dibs on the place! Woot!

There is one problem. My current air conditioner is only 5,000 btu and will likely do squat up there. So a bigger AC is in order, but I really doubt I can fit anything useful in those narrow windows. So I suppose I stuck so with a portable air conditioner. They are expensive though, and I have never owned one before. Looking online, people either love or hate these things, so I don't know if I can afford to find out I loathe it.

Have any of you used one before? What are your opinions?

This should give you an idea of what will be cooled. It's long and pretty narrow
http://spincam.net/s/7gqa

 

[G51989]

Well, get a tape measure and measure the windows. Get the biggest Window unit you can get, or get a portable unit.

OR.

My Home office is in the attic, and the central AC won't go up there, and it has those old style narrow windows, so I have two 5,000 BTU window units, one on each end. It works pretty good.

 

[overanalyzer]

If it were me, and I wanted to try out a portable air conditioner as an option, I'd buy it from Costco. They have a very generous return policy (in that for most items, you can return whatever, whenever).

 

[mentaluproar]

I could just barely fit an appropriately-sized unit in there with the original window. The new ones will take a few inches away because of the edge. These old ones are literally glass in a wooden box.

 

[iJohnHenry]

First, I would block any cool air from from flowing down any stairs, and the same for any hot air rising.

Next I would look for a way to vent the hot air near the ceiling.

Then see how your existing unit handles that.

 

[Macky-Mac]

First, I would block any cool air from from flowing down any stairs, and the same for any hot air rising......

yup.....all the expensively cooled air is going to sink down the stair area.

....There is one problem. My current air conditioner is only 5,000 but and will likely do squat up there. So a bigger AC is in order, but I really doubt I can fit anything useful in those narrow windows.....

there are lots of different configurations of window AC units.....some of these are only 15" wide

 

[mentaluproar]

Idea. Two box fans, one on each side blowing outward, and an open window at the landing. Cooling with negative pressure. It's cheap, but might only be moving hot air around. It's Ohio, but still, hot attic is hot.

 

[iJohnHenry]

Idea. Two box fans, one on each side blowing outward, and an open window at the landing. Cooling with negative pressure. It's cheap, but might only be moving hot air around. It's Ohio, but still, hot attic is hot.

If the landing means the stairs, you will probably only moving hot air out of the main levels.

I would block-off the stairs, and have one box fan blowing in, and the other out. Bed area for the in, as that end will be cooler.

Too bad you don't have an opening skylight.

 

[Macky-Mac]

If the landing means the stairs, you will probably only moving hot air out of the main levels.

I would block-off the stairs, and have one box fan blowing in, and the other out. Bed area for the in, as that end will be cooler.

Too bad you don't have an opening skylight.

plus maybe a fan in the window on the landing to pull out some of that rising hot air?

 

[pvmacguy]

I would talk to the land lord and see if he would be interested in going half with you on a mr. slim ductless a/c system for up there.

http://www.amazon.com/Mitsubishi-Electric-MUY-GE12NA-Ductless-Conditioners/dp/B0089SCPUI

 

[mentaluproar]

I would talk to the land lord and see if he would be interested in going half with you on a mr. slim ductless a/c system for up there.

http://www.amazon.com/Mitsubishi-Electric-MUY-GE12NA-Ductless-Conditioners/dp/B0089SCPUI

Vesy nice. Never gonna happen. I don't want to push either. He's doing ALL of the electrical work I'm asking for, lighting included, rather than the minimum. He was originally going to put in wider windows in the front but was concerned about the window box, wether it was supporting anything with the center studs, and didn't want to risk it. -shrug-

All for the same price I am already paying for my current place. Bad area, awesome landlord.