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Koil
Premium Member
join:2002-09-10
Irmo, SC

Koil

Premium Member

Help blocking heat from sun SE side of house

My office is upstairs, on the south-east side of the house, where I have 1 window on the east side, and 2 on the south side, so I pretty much catch sun all day long.

Once it hits the afternoon, it really starts to heat up in here....with 3 other CPU's in here, it starts to bake me alive.

The ceiling fan, she no helpy.

Box fan in the door, she no worky. (Well, a little but blowing into the room didn't seem to help a lot. Exhausting into the rest of the house just seemed to heat up the entire upstairs)

AC Unit in the window, she no possible.

I was hoping to hear about some recommendations for black out blinds or reflecting blinds or similar products, something along those lines.

I'm open to any thoughts on vent setup and fan blowing / exhausting schemes ppl may think relevant.

Three caveats:

I don't want to put film on my windows.

I don't want to make my own screens to go in the windows (pre-made is fine)

I'm not cutting / shaving anything off of the door.

Ok, four caveats: Cheaper is always better.

Thanks!
Koil

Koil

Premium Member

Click for full size
This is from earlier in Oct.

The outside probe / temp can't really be trusted as it's hanging out the east facing window in direct sunlight, so it gives odd temps sometimes high, sometimes low.

Currently , it says it's 78.4 in the office....nice and cool in comparison to what it normally is, but the thermostat for the rest of the house is 74. I don't expect to reach that temp, but keeping it below 80 would be nice.

old_tech
@sbcglobal.net

old_tech

Anon

Darkening reflective film will help, along with darkening drapes. If the heat gain is that bad, your whole house would be warmer than usual, but the majority of gain is as you stated, computers are running in that room.

VioletVenom
Lets go Gators
Premium Member
join:2002-01-02
Gainesville, FL

VioletVenom to Koil

Premium Member

to Koil
Where do you think the majority of your heat is coming from? Solar or CPU's? Sounds like you might have to address both issues. One cheap thing that comes to mind is to use tinfoil to blackout the windows. Stop the solar radiation coming in and you might be able to manage the heat from your CPU's with your fans.

IIIBradIII
Comm M-E-L Instr
join:2000-09-28
Greer, SC

IIIBradIII to Koil

Member

to Koil
Plant a tree?

stevek1949
We're not in Kansas anymore
Premium Member
join:2002-11-13
Virginia Beach, VA

stevek1949 to Koil

Premium Member

to Koil
Mini-split A/C?

Also, do a search for thermal blinds and shades.

alkizmo
join:2007-06-25
Pierrefonds, QC

alkizmo to IIIBradIII

Member

to IIIBradIII
said by IIIBradIII:

Plant a tree?

Those are great. AND what's awesome is that in winter, they lose their leaves and then the sun can warm up the house

But if you can't wait 20 years for a small tree to grow big enough, I'd do what they do in the sunny states: Exterior shades.

Asiabound
Ex-Pat
Premium Member
join:2002-12-21
Mabinay

Asiabound to Koil

Premium Member

to Koil
I always thought appropriate awnings looked nice on houses. Is this an option?

Also, a friend of mine has his computers exhausting into a single vent tube similar to that of a clothes dryer. It's feeding into his attic. Maybe that could be an option for you, too.

djrobx
Premium Member
join:2000-05-31
Reno, NV

djrobx to Koil

Premium Member

to Koil
I moved extra CPUs to a different room and remote to them, to keep my main office cooler. Made a world of difference.

Blinds and films, in my experience, help a little, but not much. For best results you need to stop the heat before it gets into your home.

We had a west facing dual-pane sliding glass door. We replaced it with french doors that had Low-E glass. That made an amazing difference.

-- Rob

Koil
Premium Member
join:2002-09-10
Irmo, SC

Koil

Premium Member

Majority of the heat is definitely coming from the windows. I've shutdown the other PC's and the room still gets pretty warm.

Awning: Not possible due to $$$ and location on the house

Piping heat from CPU's not possible, due to multiple CPU's and their locations

What is a mini-split AC?

Has anyone used any particular type of black out shade / foil or whatever? I guess I can swing by HD or Lowes and see what they have on the shelf.

IIIBradIII
Comm M-E-L Instr
join:2000-09-28
Greer, SC

IIIBradIII to alkizmo

Member

to alkizmo
said by alkizmo:

said by IIIBradIII:

Plant a tree?

Those are great. AND what's awesome is that in winter, they lose their leaves and then the sun can warm up the house

But if you can't wait 20 years for a small tree to grow big enough, I'd do what they do in the sunny states: Exterior shades.

Indeed.

And just plant a big one, or a fast growing cedar 2-3'/yr.

stevek1949
We're not in Kansas anymore
Premium Member
join:2002-11-13
Virginia Beach, VA

1 recommendation

stevek1949 to Koil

Premium Member

to Koil
said by Koil:

What is a mini-split AC?

Here is an example (just a random site).
»www.pexsupply.com/Mini-S ··· -1811000

Koil
Premium Member
join:2002-09-10
Irmo, SC

Koil to stevek1949

Premium Member

to stevek1949
said by stevek1949:

Mini-split A/C?

Thanks for the link.

That'd be nice, but that price tags a little high.
Koil

Koil to IIIBradIII

Premium Member

to IIIBradIII
said by IIIBradIII:

Plant a tree?

We already have 2 bradford pears in the front yard (a pair of pears) and I don't have room for anything more...plus I'd like a little faster results, thank you.

beck
MVM
join:2002-01-29
On The Road

1 recommendation

beck to Koil

MVM

to Koil
See if you can find the cling film, very dark, to try putting on the windows. Then you are commiting to anything much. I got mine at Walmart in the auto section. Not sure they still have that. Otherwise some other auto store should have some. Made a big difference in the motorhome.

sempergoofy
Premium Member
join:2001-07-06
Smyrna, GA

1 recommendation

sempergoofy to Koil

Premium Member

to Koil
Are you sure it is the solar heating through the windows and not radiant heat from your ceiling that is the biggest culprit? I am presuming your upstairs office ceiling is adjacent to the attic space. If there is not adequate attic cooling and ceiling insulation, you could be getting a lot of heat that way.

Koil
Premium Member
join:2002-09-10
Irmo, SC

Koil

Premium Member

said by sempergoofy:

Are you sure it is the solar heating through the windows and not radiant heat from your ceiling that is the biggest culprit? I am presuming your upstairs office ceiling is adjacent to the attic space. If there is not adequate attic cooling and ceiling insulation, you could be getting a lot of heat that way.

Now that is something I hadn't considered. I don't know if thats the case or not, but it does get pretty damn hot up there....but it's also insulated pretty well. I forget to which rating, but its the cellulose stuff, and pretty deep.

But you're right, it is right against the attic.

sempergoofy
Premium Member
join:2001-07-06
Smyrna, GA

sempergoofy

Premium Member

Try getting a temp measurement at the ceiling. Naturally, it will be higher than the 90 degrees you are seeing lower down where the thermometer is. But if you can get a surface measurement of the ceiling that might be a clue. An air temp measure of the attic air during the heat of the day would be a good data point, too.

stevek1949
We're not in Kansas anymore
Premium Member
join:2002-11-13
Virginia Beach, VA

stevek1949 to Koil

Premium Member

to Koil
Get a spot laser/infrared thermometer to find the source of the heat. They have become pretty reasonable. It may help isolating the area where you need the most help.

»www.reliabilitydirectsto ··· s/30.htm

nightdesigns
Gone missing, back soon
Premium Member
join:2002-05-31
AZ

1 recommendation

nightdesigns to Koil

Premium Member

to Koil
How about a portable AC unit (freestanding, not window)? I got one a few years back for the bedroom which is located on the southwest corner of the house in AZ and was poorly insulated. Works great, easy setup and only a few hundred $$. Plus it is movable if needed.

Bamafan2277
Premium Member
join:2008-09-20
Jeffersonville, IN

1 recommendation

Bamafan2277 to Koil

Premium Member

to Koil
I have the insulated drapes in the bedrooms of my apartment. One of the rooms has 3 walls facing outside so it gets real hot with windows on 2 sides in the summer and real cold in the winter. After I added the heavy shades it made a good 15 degree difference.

Koil
Premium Member
join:2002-09-10
Irmo, SC

Koil to nightdesigns

Premium Member

to nightdesigns
said by nightdesigns:

How about a portable AC unit (freestanding, not window)? I got one a few years back for the bedroom which is located on the southwest corner of the house in AZ and was poorly insulated. Works great, easy setup and only a few hundred $$. Plus it is movable if needed.

I'll check into these...Any idea of how hard that hit your power bill?
Koil

Koil to Bamafan2277

Premium Member

to Bamafan2277
said by Bamafan2277:

I have the insulated drapes in the bedrooms of my apartment. One of the rooms has 3 walls facing outside so it gets real hot with windows on 2 sides in the summer and real cold in the winter. After I added the heavy shades it made a good 15 degree difference.

Any particular kind, or just something heavy? I would imagine that even if they absorb the heat from the window, it'd still just heat up the shade and thus heat up the room, no?

Was wondering if it needed to be reflective.

OldCableGuy
@planetcr.net

OldCableGuy

Anon

There are special thermal backed shades that work wonders, they're $15 each at Wal-Mart.
Talis
join:2001-06-21
Houston, TX

1 recommendation

Talis to Koil

Member

to Koil
I use both a sun screen on the outside of my windows and a honeycomb shade on the inside. Helps quite a lot and looks good.

»solarshieldusa.com/

»www.hunterdouglas.com/st ··· ency.jsp

cowboyro
Premium Member
join:2000-10-11
CT

cowboyro to Koil

Premium Member

to Koil
Some heat may come through the windows, but most is coming through the walls. The surface of the walls is much larger than the surface of the windows, and realistically no insulation will help when the siding heats to 140-150F.
Get a portable A/C - that's pretty much your only realistic solution.

Jtmo
Premium Member
join:2001-05-20
Novato, CA

1 recommendation

Jtmo to Koil

Premium Member

to Koil
I had the same problem on the south and west windows here in California. When I lived in Phoenix, everyone used Gila Film.
I found it here at Home Depot 10 years ago, still on the windows today. Grey tone, or the bronze. Grey is totally unnoticible from the outside, bronze is a little bit noticible.

Way less heat, no more fading of carpets or wood floor (Slider).
Still looks good after 10 years and cuts the 'glare' allowing me to work on the PC and stil have the natural light.

»www.gilafilms.com/en/Def ··· ult.aspx

workablob
join:2004-06-09
Houston, TX

1 recommendation

workablob to Koil

Member

to Koil
A lot of the heat is likely coming from the roof especially the darker it is.

I had a new roof put on an got the lightest (almost white) shade of shingles I could.

Proper attic ventilation is important too.

Get ridge vents installed if possible.

Soffit vents if applicable need to be big enough.

A cheaper alternative to a new roof is to snow-coat the roof.

I tried running a Proliant DL380 server in my office.

That heated up the office a lot so it's now in the garage.

We use very thick fabric shades in the upstairs loft and when they are closed the loft is easier to cool.

Good luck to you.

Dave

Koil
Premium Member
join:2002-09-10
Irmo, SC

Koil to Jtmo

Premium Member

to Jtmo
said by Jtmo:

I had the same problem on the south and west windows here in California. When I lived in Phoenix, everyone used Gila Film.
I found it here at Home Depot 10 years ago, still on the windows today. Grey tone, or the bronze. Grey is totally unnoticible from the outside, bronze is a little bit noticible.

Way less heat, no more fading of carpets or wood floor (Slider).
Still looks good after 10 years and cuts the 'glare' allowing me to work on the PC and stil have the natural light.

»www.gilafilms.com/en/Def ··· ult.aspx

How hard was the film to apply, and is there a chance of taking it off with minimal pain? I really didn't want to go this route, but looking at the alernatives open to me, this may be the cheapest.

Jtmo
Premium Member
join:2001-05-20
Novato, CA

1 recommendation

Jtmo

Premium Member

Very easy to apply, they also sell a low suds soap, xacto knife and tiny squeegee to go with it. Cut a little larger, spray the solution, put on the film, slide it around, trim and squeegee if I remember right. The Gila site has install instructions.