How do I keep my 2nd floor apartment from getting too hot?
I live in a 2nd story apartment in SoCal. For some reason it's usually 5-10 degrees hotter INSIDE than out. During the day it can be 75 outside and 81 inside. At night 62 outside 72 inside. I basically have a wall of 3 south facing windows. It basically amounts to 14 feet wide by 7 feet tall of glass facing south. The windows only slide open at the very bottom. The windows have vertical blinds on them that barely block out the light. The front door opens up into a hallway. The other windows face east, one in the kitchen and one in the bedroom. The kitchen and living room are basically the same room with only a counter separating them. Here is a rough floor plan I made on MSpaint. http://img229.yfrog.com/img229/3637/floo... Here's what I've tried to keep the place cool. I have fans blowing in cool air over night and sometimes 24/7. For some reason closing the windows and the blinds makes the temperature skyrocket.With the huge windows the apartment is a freaking greenhouse. I have also put up heat control window film which doesn't do a damn thing. The main problem seems to be getting the hot air out of the apartment. The only vents are in the bathroom and one over the stove. I've tried setting the window fans to exhaust but it doesn't seem to do anything. The windows in the living room are probably too low to suck out the hot air. Putting a fan in the kitchen window doesn't seem to have any affect. Is there anything besides getting AC that I can do to make my home more bearable?
Yes aluminum foil will do it, but then everyone seeing it from the outside will think you are growing marijuanha.
If you have a sunny windowsill, you can grow kitchen herbs in pots on it, such things as basil, thyme, cilantro, chives or other herbs you may prefer. If you have a balcony or access to a roof, you can grow tomatoes, capsicum, snowpeas, garlic, shallots, and so on, depending on the time of year and climate in your area. Make sure to put plates or pie tins under the containers with the plants, so run-off from watering does not damage the roof or balcony. You will need to get your landlord's permission to garden on a roof or balcony. There are kits for growing mushrooms which can be placed in a dark closet and will produce well for you as long as the room is warm and the kit is watered occasionally.
Blinds not blocking the sun?
If you just need a temporary fix, block the window with something. Use a dark towel, a piece of cardboard, etc. The window in my bedroom stays pretty bright and I just shove a pillow in it when I need extra darkness. Fits perfectly. The alternative is to talk to your landlord/apartment manager and see about replacing the blinds. If you work shift work this might be a good investment for you, even if you do have to pay out of pocket.
How do you cool off your apartment without air conditioning?
Get room darkening (white) mini blinds or plantation blinds. The white color will reflect the sun light back out of the window. Ceiling fans in the living room and bedrooms (leave them on the keep the air moving). Portable standing fans in the bedrooms too (keep them on low at all time to keep the air moving). If you have a large sliding glass back door, put up something to block the sun's radiation from reaching the door. This will keep the heat radiated by the sun outside of your apartment. I use a 6 ' wide hanging shade that rolls up and down. It is about 4 feet from the door. It catches the sun's radiation and the back door area stays cool. Put an insect strip on the bottom of the front door as close to the floor as possible. This will keep insects out and the cool air from flowing out under the door. Once you have the apartment cooled, do not open the windows. Make sure they are sealed properly. Remember that cool air sinks and will flow out under anything that is open to the outside. Hope this helps.
so, first of all, I wish I lived where you are, because in the places where I lived, complaining about smoke doesn't do ^*+=.And now for the answer. BOTH requests are UNreasonable. I haven't bothered reading through the 100+ answers, but they likely do not reveal the TRUTH.Prepare for science and logic.1.Most buildings are leaky. They are not designed to keep air in. They are not air tight. Buildings that do not breathe(are not leaky) require mechanical ventilation to bring fresh air in. Simple example: you can keep your windows and doors closed for days and you will have no trouble breathing because you are getting oxygen laden air from outside.2. Particles from smoke does NOT float up. Smoke does NOT evaporate into thin air. Basic fact: Hot air rises and cold sinks. Hot vapor is visible and it rises. The air is a lower temperature and quickly cools down that vapor. Smoke particles are not less dense than air, thus they sink. Obviously, if you've been following along, this means that smoke is just sitting around hurting everyone. More science in #3.3. If you can smell it, it's there. Smell works by taking in particles through your nose. If there are no particles, there's no smell. So for you to smell gunk after you've already finished smoking means that residue from that smoke lingers for a long time. It also sticks everywhere. For you to smell smoke even while you're outdoors when you see vapor rising means it didn't go away.Now add up 1 and 2. If your neighbors were to close their windows, your smoke is still going to enter their apartment room, because it drifts around and will enter because these buildings are leaky.If you closed all your windows and smoked, the smoke will still leak outside and find its way into their room because both rooms are leaky.In conclusion. Smoking is bad for everyone, no matter where you're doing it. Most reasonable suggestion is to quit.
I used 4x8 sheets of 1/4″ thick foil backed foam board from my local big box home improvement center.Cost like $8 a sheet and provides near 100% light blockage. Good for apartments where you can't mess with their blinds. As a bonus, it has insulation value.
Is there a way to block the heat from my windows?
Yes! Everyone suffering from this hot, humid weather. First, is this place air conditioned? Can you use an air conditioner in one of your windows? Some suggestions; add window tint to that big window and maybe change window covering to a white, reflective material. You also have the option to buy a portable air conditioner that can be used in any room. This has rollers for mobility and no needed hookups except, plug it in to any outlet. Slightly expensive right now but well worth it for relief and especially, your health. These will probably go on sale this fall but at least you can save some $ for next year. You can use an exhaust fan to suck the warm air out of your apartment and to the outside. Just place it in a window. At night reverse it to suck the cooler night air in. Good luck!
Unless the light physically discomforts you, say it hurts your eyes, maybe… now, don't take offence as I'm merely offering a possibility given very little information, maybe… the sunlight reminds you of the life going on around you. The laughter and joy shared among people, as opposed to the calm, or joy - why not both - you feel when you play video games. If you had said any other word than depressed, I might have offered you a different answer.There is nothing wrong with being a hermit, and I'm not saying you are, but what I am saying is that very few people are hermits by choice, and fewer of those who are are genuinely happy. You might be clever, say a high IQ, an inhibtator to finding common ground with your average bystander and a common reason for isolation. But, whatever the reason we choose to spend time on our own, we mustn't forget our underlying nature.Look at how people lived a 100 years ago, then look at the majority of the tens of thousands of years we've been around. Humanity has never spent so much time in solitude.Whether we're aware that we're lonely or not, maybe we never connected with our “clique” and assumed we just weren't people persons, we probably are just that - lonely. Do you know how much I used to cringe at things like “8 hugs a day makes you happier”, well… of course you don't know, but I didn't like it one bit. No, I was a lone wolf who found peace on my own. Then, I met my people. I connected, I shared, and I found myself at peace with other people who enjoyed and valued the same things I did.Maybe sunshine is your headline about the necessary amount of hugs a day; a plain reminder of something you are missing. Maybe you just love sleeping and it's a reminder that you have to stay awake. You do know the answer to this question, and if you finally find that you really don't know - Google “depression by sun light”, maybe it's a physiological thing? Actually, maybe ask a doctor, because Google seems to only find sun light as a cure to depression…