Hey guys, I just need some type of cooling device for my study/computer room.
I've been using a pedastal fan, but this won't help when the summer heat hits and I have a feeling the summer is going to be brutal this year.
What should I look into?
How to Cool a Small Room?
ThePensioner on 29/10/2015 - 22:32
Comments
Evap coolers don't work too well when the air is too humid though. And also, the window must be open to ensure that the cooler is not recycling the already humid air in the room — it works best when it is able to suck in dryer air.
Needless to say evap coolers, while being the poor-man's solution does very little to cool the room. Refridge units are the only method, although they are pretty loud. My study s currently hooked up to a portable AC that was bought cheaply from Bunnings. Works pretty well.
If you have direct sunlight shining into the room then you've also got to install blinds or block out curtains.
A portable air-conditioner sounds amazing, but how much are they to buy then install?
$0 provided you already have an openable window in the room and some duct tape.
Usually around $500. Installation is easy just need a window as mentined above.
I remember that sometimes it's better to have the fan face outside so that it's taking away the warm and humid air out.
Maybe that'd help?That only works at night.
http://lifehacker.com/keep-your-room-cool-at-night-by-facing…
If it's daytime and the air outside is warmer than the air inside, then you're going to want to shut the windows and keep the fan pointed at you. Best to have a thermometer that can take two measurements and compare the temperature difference before you open any windows.
In a small study though, a regular desktop PC with two monitors can actually generate enough heat to make the room inside a few degrees hotter than the other rooms of the house — it's a good idea to keep the study room door open so that air can circulate.
Bear in mind, pedastal fans are the cheapest to run.
AC units chew power, unless you have solar.Use more fans. Maybe 15 blowing at you and at the computers
Fans help because of the wind chill factor but won't do any good when it's hot summer. Air conditioning will be your best friend and you will be one of energy company's best friends.
Swamp cooler.
A misting fan? (evaporation is how big cooling towers on commercial buildings work)
http://www.oo.com.au/Mistral-40cm-Misting-Fan-with-_P192931.…
A Cardiffair? (more expensive but it will cool every room) - especially great at night time in warm weather, as the outside temperature cools quite quickly after sunset and it sucks away all the hot air to bring cool air in every window…
I don't know what you mean by "cooling towers" (probably you are thinking of air conditioner heat exchangers) but commercial premises do not use evaporative cooling.
Cooling towers is the industry term for "air conditioner heat exchangers".
Arguably commercial buildings do use evaporative cooling, just indirectly… The cooling tower draws the heat out of the Ammonia (usually) after compression and before it passes to the condenser units.Household Refrigerative units use air cooling cause the maintenance is lower (ie pretty much non-existent).
Cooling Towers are far more efficient at drawing heat than air cooling but you've got the corrosion and pesky bacteria (namely Legionella sp.) issues which require a high level of maintenance.My first proper job was maintaining and cleaning out cooling towers…
Yes they do. I know for a fact that new cooling towers in shopping centres/high rises in SE QLD need to prepare a Water Efficiency Management Plan for the local water authority because they're using a lot of mains water.
This video clearly shows that they use evaporation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9-cVGrR9OE
However I realise that a misting fan is not quite the same as a cooling tower.
Huh I stand corrected you are right.
Surprising that they're used in Queensland.
@Diji1: In fairness I don't really know what you mean by "air conditioner heat exchangers" but I think that could be something entirely different. Cooling towers are what you see on the top of nearly every large commercial building with air conditioning…
https://www.google.com.au/search?site=&tbm=isch&source=hp&bi…
As above, the building is still refrigerated.. but the heat exchange is done by evaporation.
Your best choice is a small airconditioner, either split system or a "window banger" type (entire unit is box shaped and sits in the window often) for effectiveness and efficiency.
Next best choice is a portable air conditioner: these are cheaper to buy up front but are much less efficient than the above two types because they pull outside air into the space they're cooling.
Your least effective (but cheapest) is an evaporative cooling system of some type. As already mentioned they require a source of outside air and work best when there is a flow through the room. They are worse then nothing in a humid climate though as they won't work and will just add the the room's relative humidity causing you to be less able to cool yourself using sweat (that's actually evaporative cooling). This causes the dangers of mould etc. from too high a humidty level. My personal experience tells me that if your relative humidity is 50% or higher an evaporative cooler will not work.
because they pull outside air into the space they're cooling.
Pretty sure that's wrong… they only pull outside air in to cool the compression side, then expel that warmed air. The inefficiency is probably more that the cooling air flow is highly restricted.
Their biggest disadvantage is noise.
You said I was wrong and then said I was right as a justification for why I was wrong.
The inefficiency is caused by mixing air from outside the room with air inside the room - there is no getting around the fact that portable air conditioners send air outside of the room. This creates a negative pressure in the room which draws in ir from the outside.
Actually I should qualify this: there ARE portable airconditioners that can be operated in the same way as a split system - they have two hoses that must be connected to an outside air source so the heat exchange is in a seperate area. These presumably are much more efficient and possibly in the same league as a split or window banger though the hoses would need to be insulated with they usually aren't.
However these are much harder to come by than the more common form of portable which has 1 hose to expel hot air.
Not sure why they're less common, from what I know they stopped making them full stop.
Yeah, I thought you were implying that they pulled hot air directly inside to cool down.
Wet face washer around the neck. Combine with fan.
Fan also helps to cool all your sweat once that starts dripping.
That's essentially evaporative cooling on the cheap! :p
Siesta amego
amigo
Aldi has a portable air conditioner for $379 from yesterday.
Are these effective? How much are they to install?
Thank you!
How much are they to install?
PORTABLE!!!
So you just need a car with a boot. I don't believe you need to install anything else.
If you go to your local Aldi you should be able to have a look!
Thank you!
Do these portable air-condtioners take a long time to 'start up' when they're first turned on?
Can anyone give me an idea on price for an installed air-conditioner including the install cost?
You wont get much change from $1000 for a basic unit plus install of a split system.
REALLY??? $1000 including install for just a low end air-conditioner??? I had no idea it would be so expensive.
$500 for a basic install alone
REALLY??? Do you mean $500 for ONLY the install or $500 for the air-conditioner unit + the install cost?
@ThePensioner:
Just to have a bloke come out and drill a few holes in the wall, run some pipes and electrical circuit.You supply the unit.
Can anyone confirm that the cost of installation is so high? Surely there must be stores that sell an air-conditioner and installation package? How much are these packages?
@ThePensioner: scubacoles is correct, it's not cheap. You can try looking on ebay for a second hand unit. However if they've not been disconnected properly and are low on gas that can be a pricey problem to fix. The install will still cost you though. As mentioned before avoid evaps!! A portable is a good option for a small room. Darkening your room as much as possible on the hot days with heavy drapes or blankets on the window will contribute to cooling as well.
I paid about $1500 a year ago for a reverse cycle (unit plus installation cost). It's not the smallest unit available, I didn't go with the cheapest brand, and I also had it installed at the start of summer. I called around 5 places for quotes and only 1 guy actually bothered to come out and give me one, so he got my business by default. I didn't give a shit about cost at that point, I just wanted to be cool.
So yeah, if you're going this route be prepared to pay for it.
Try Dyson humidifier and let us know how it works. I think it may do the job for you. Anyone with experience with it correct me if I'm wrong. I've just checked it out and I sorta liked it.
The summer heat in the upstairs of my old apartment, turned my room into an oven. Honestly, it was unbearable most of the time, I had to sleep downstairs. Bought a portable air con, greatest investment ever.
better do it soon.. Summer comes, retailers jack up prices… Is that a myth or has that been confirmed? think of the squirrel gathering nuts during summer so come winter..
Is this true…?
To save power costs I use a portable Evap when it's 32 or under. More than that only air con is efficient. Portable air con in your case is ideal - as long as you have a window.
What a,so works for me is that I spray the garden hose on the roof sometimes.. It cools down the house too as does installing those spinning vents
Here you go mate
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9Td5uMB_vQ
Very cheap to run
Have fun building it.Your most economical option in terms of start-up outlay and cooling capacity is a window ratler.
If you have normal slide-up/down windows, these are fairly easy to install. If you're not handy with tools, someone should be able to install one for an hours worth of work.
They need no special wiring, unless you get a high capacity unit, and are reasonably quiet.
Depending on how big your room is will depend on the power you need.
Remember though, a 3.5Kw unit doesn't draw 3.5Kw of power. Most power sockets will deliver 2.4Kw, but because of the way air-cons work, a 3.5Kw unit will draw not much more than 1Kw.
You can get reverse-cycle window ratlers as well.
I've got both a portable (3.5Kw) and a window unit (2.7Kw) and the window unit does a better job.
The portable will do the job if you have nothing else. They work best if you can sit in front of them, as they do put quite cold air out.
If a fan aint cutting it, then you need an air-conditioner or an evaporative cooler. You can find smaller portable versions of both.