Change of Address: 10 Ways to a Cooler Home When Your Central AC is Shot

10 Ways to a Cooler Home When Your Central AC is Shot

So imagine you just moved into a new home in the heat of Summer and have tons of expenses piling up and then of course, your central air conditioner gives out on you. Wow! Lucky you! This actually has happened to me not once, but twice. Depending on your personal financial situation and the nature of the actual problem with your cooling system this can be a nightmare. I decided to research alternative ways of cooling a home and was actually shocked by just how many great ideas and articles that have been written on this subject. After completing my research, I narrowed this list down to 10 ways to a cooler home without relying on a central air conditioner.

Fans, Fans, and more fans. Okay so running ceiling fans counter clockwise and situating fans properly throughout your home can result in some nice wind tunnels that can really move air through your house and keep it a lot cooler. In any event, at least the air won’t be stagnant which will help you feel cooler even if the temperature is not really impacted. This is a great article to help you with properly setting up fans in your home: http://www.wikihow.com/Use-Window-Fans-for-Home-Cooling.

Control the use of appliances that generate heat (I mean all of them if possible). Save running the washer and dryer, dishwasher, oven, and other appliances until late evening or early in the morning when it is still cooler outside (late at night is best).

Cover windows in general. You can use window shades or drapes inside your home or apply a tint to your window to try and reduce the amount of sun that gets into your house. Another way to cover windows is to install awnings or exterior/interior shutters over windows located on the South and West walls of your home. You can get information on window tinting film here: http://www.windowtint.com/. The quicker solutions here of course are shades, drapes, and other window coverings to help cool your home (use a bed sheet if you must).

Homemade cooling system #1. Here is one idea that will work pretty much anywhere and will only cost about $40. It’s a bare-bones system and will require some labor to keep it running but here’s a link to a video on lifehacker.com that will show you exactly how to build this system: http://lifehacker.com/5335024/how-to-build-a-diy-dorm+legal-ac. I would recommend keeping ice in the water bucket at least as you start the day.

Homemade cooling system #2. Here is a vastly improved approach to a homemade AC unit. I think this one is pretty amazing as it uses an aquarium pump to keep the water circulating without you needing to swap buckets. Here is a great article with pictures showing this cool invention: http://www.gmilburn.ca/2005/06/15/petes-homemade-air-conditioner/.

Homemade cooling system #3. Okay and now for the one that I am going to work hard to try and build myself because I MUST see this bad boy in action. It uses a radiator based approach to provide even greater cooling. You can read all about it here: http://www.gmilburn.ca/2005/06/15/the-black-beauty/. I like this unit because it is completely self maintaining.

Homemade cooling system #4. We have to give people with a box fan some hope as well right. This is another example of a very similar type of cooling system to #1-#3 but using a box fan. In addition, there are some really good instructions to accompany this one. It’s simple but equally effective: http://www.fiscalgeek.com/2009/07/homemade-air-conditione/.

Super inexpensive portable cooling system. So if you aren’t the type of person that likes to tinker with homemade solutions, I found something that might be perfect for you especially if you are trying to cool a relatively small space. This is basically a unit that fits on top of a garden-variety cooler like one you probably already have in your home or garage. You can read more about this product here: http://www.jabetc.com/products/12-volt-portable-car-auto-air-conditioner-for-ice-chest. You can go to your local hardware store and for under $2 get a converter to be able to plug this 12-volt unit into your wall. Plus, you can take this little guy on the road with you for camping trips. Now realistically you are only going to be able to cool a small room in your house with this but it’s an option worth trying. I would definitely recommend covering all windows in that room as well of course.

Buy a portable air conditioning system. There are several portable air conditioners/cooling systems available. Most of these are also very easy to operate with only a drainage requirement (most people will hang a tube out of their window for drainage). This online store provides some good information and a wide variety of products including window air conditioners if you want to go that route: http://www.portableairshop.com/.

Home warranty. Okay so another very realistic way to take care of this whole situation without costing you much money at all (especially if you are buying a home) is to make a home warranty a part of your purchase that will cover your central air conditioning system. Actually, I now do this on all homes that I purchase just in case I end up experiencing this a THIRD time. With a home warranty, you usually pay a small trip fee (around $50) and then most repairs are covered. I know a home warranty tip is actually cheating the article title some but honestly, it’s a GREAT option. Here is a Wikipedia article on home warranties: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_warranty.