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KEEPING THE HOUSE COOL IN AN AFA

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Post by Cassini Sun Jul 12, 2015 4:03 pm

Well this disagreeable heat and humidity looks like continuing for most of July....Cool  We have some fans, keep many of the shutters closed in the day, try to get a cross draft through the house, open up windows after sunset - but not with impressive success. Any good tips on keeping houses cool without installing air conditioning?
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Post by stevegwmonkseaton Sun Jul 12, 2015 6:36 pm

Cassini wrote:Well this disagreeable heat and humidity looks like continuing for most of July....Cool  We have some fans, keep many of the shutters closed in the day, try to get a cross draft through the house, open up windows after sunset - but not with impressive success. Any good tips on keeping houses cool without installing air conditioning?

The very question I thought of the other day to put to the forum.... Well done Exclamation  We are in a similar position where we do not want to install air-con and are in a "heat management" mode. We have sun on the south east side of the house all morning, but little on the opposite side until 18:00 - 19:00 at the moment, so we open all the windows and shutters (mozzie nets down of course) until around 18:00 and then again a half hour or so after the sun goes down. Same for the other sides we close when the sun is on them. The guy that built the house knew exactly what they were doing as we have at least 2 thirds of all our windows and shutters open in shade most of the day, all are open at night. We've found failing to shut down on the sun, even when it gives a through draft to do so, increases the house temperature by 4-5c or more. The other big factor we found helps is cooking very little or nothing in the main house, we go native so to speak and cook most things in the pizza oven which is not attached to the main house - amazing what you learn to cook in there Exclamation  Found the fans a waste of time, but the kids like them Suspect

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Post by stevegwmonkseaton Sun Jul 12, 2015 8:14 pm

I'd also be very interested to know what our resident heating experts think, particularly how much they reckon you could reduce 27c in the house at 22:14 by... and how Question

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Post by Geotherm Sun Jul 12, 2015 8:35 pm

LOL steve. We just use a couple of fans. Got used to 39C with ceiling fans when worked in the Middle East for 4 years!!! Had a client asking me a few days ago with a heat pump about passive cooling for the UFH, so just sorting out the specs for him.
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Post by stevegwmonkseaton Sun Jul 12, 2015 8:50 pm

Geotherm wrote:LOL steve. We just use a couple of fans. Got used to 39C with ceiling fans when worked in the Middle East for 4 years!!! Had a client asking me a few days ago with a heat pump about passive cooling for the UFH, so just sorting out the specs for him.

Don't fans just move warm air around? Just replied on the Abruzzo forum to agree that 30c overnight is our limit, just a tad far too hot Exclamation  But can only surmise that the current complaint on the heat (we have around 23-24c in the house by 5 in the morning), is due to the prolonged nature of the current warm spell. We were just discussing the other day small things that added together that may chase us from paradise here and prolonged exposure to heat was one of them near the top.

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Post by Geotherm Sun Jul 12, 2015 8:56 pm

The fans just circulate the air, so you get a nice cooling effect with the air movement, just like a nice breeze.
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Post by stevegwmonkseaton Sun Jul 12, 2015 9:00 pm

Okay, best advice on Abruzzolutely forum so far is... Limoncello, Scotch or a wet blanket (don't ask)  Cool

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Post by stevegwmonkseaton Sun Jul 12, 2015 9:05 pm

On a more sober note.... Is ground source heat reversed as good as it sounds for reducing heat in the house Question

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Post by ghiro Sun Jul 12, 2015 9:13 pm

stevegwmonkseaton wrote:
Geotherm wrote:LOL steve. We just use a couple of fans. Got used to 39C with ceiling fans when worked in the Middle East for 4 years!!! Had a client asking me a few days ago with a heat pump about passive cooling for the UFH, so just sorting out the specs for him.
Don't fans just move warm air around?


No! Sad  

Different animals have different ways of cooling themselves.  For instance dogs pant.  Essentially they can't sweat because they're wearing a fur coat!

We humans, on the other hand, do sweat.  When liquid sweat becomes a gas the body cools.  This is called the 'latent heat of evaporation'.  For sweat to become a gas it needs moving air, such as a breeze or (in this case) a fan.

So Steve fans do actually cool you (but only if you're in the direct draught) .  Very Happy


Last edited by ghiro on Sun Jul 12, 2015 9:30 pm; edited 1 time in total (Reason for editing : clarification)
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Post by Geotherm Sun Jul 12, 2015 9:33 pm

stevegwmonkseaton wrote:On a more sober note.... Is ground source heat reversed as good as it sounds for reducing heat in the house Question

Yes, it will give the temp of the ground loop into the house. this is normally quite lower than the outside air temp in summer, as it is around 1.2 - 1.5 mtrs underground. With UFH it will cool the floors, with fan coils it will give you a similar effect to AC.
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Post by stevegwmonkseaton Mon Jul 13, 2015 8:46 am

Thanks Ghiro and Geo. On the fan front all I've found is that they increase the room temperature, so once off I'm hotter than ever.... The kids manage to sleep with them on all night, but we found them far too noisy, much worse than the tractors, scops owl and cicadas ....

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Post by Sagraiasolar Mon Jul 13, 2015 8:58 am

As Ghiro says, latent heat of evaporation is very powerful.  Try mopping your floors then waft out the humid air.  Also as night time temps are significantly lower than days put a fan on a downstairs window sill to pull in as much cold air as possible.
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Post by stevegwmonkseaton Mon Jul 13, 2015 9:07 am

Sagraiasolar wrote:As Ghiro says, latent heat of evaporation is very powerful.  Try mopping your floors then waft out the humid air.  Also as night time temps are significantly lower than days put a fan on a downstairs window sill to pull in as much cold air as possible.

OH now has instructions to mop the floor (well I can't be getting hot doing it can I?) and the fan(s) will be suitably placed (only live upstairs mind) when the time comes that it's too hot at night... At the moment we have managed overnight, this morning it was 26.3c in the hall and 26.4c in the living room, this we can sleep with....

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Post by stevegwmonkseaton Mon Jul 13, 2015 10:00 am

Has anyone tried one of these Amazon.it LINK, and if so, do they work?  A friend asked me to help move one once and I soon found out why - they are very heavy! However they might be useful to some if any good.

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Post by Flip Mon Jul 13, 2015 8:01 pm

We often put a wet tea towel over the front of the fan which gives a lovely cool blast of air and keep a plant mister nearby to spray it again if it starts to dry out.
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Post by stevegwmonkseaton Mon Jul 13, 2015 8:28 pm

On checking today I noted Lucca is 5-6c above where we live, even Fivizzano is around 3c above our temperature here in Abruzzo. Another thing for people buying to consider, not Abruzzo or Tuscany, but how high you buy at perhaps!


Last edited by stevegwmonkseaton on Tue Jul 14, 2015 9:30 am; edited 1 time in total (Reason for editing : Finger slip...)

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Post by ghiro Mon Jul 13, 2015 9:39 pm

The temperature drops by some 2C/350m in height.  But cold air, being heavier, tends to drop into valleys.  But, on average, there are more winds/breezes higher up.  So overall you're better off up a hill than down in a valley.

One of the prime reasons OH & I bought in Italy in the first place was to escape the miserable, damp cold UK summers.  We don't whinge!

32C.  Bring it on! Smile
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Post by Gala Placidia Tue Jul 14, 2015 5:29 am

Here is some interesting advice http://greatist.com/happiness/tricks-to-sleep-in-the-heat
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Post by stevegwmonkseaton Tue Jul 14, 2015 9:54 am

ghiro wrote:The temperature drops by some 2C/350m in height.  But cold air, being heavier, tends to drop into valleys.  But, on average, there are more winds/breezes higher up.  So overall you're better off up a hill than down in a valley.One of the prime reasons OH & I bought in Italy in the first place was to escape the miserable, damp cold UK summers.  We don't whinge!32C.  Bring it on! Smile

I totally agree with this, we too bought a house in Italy mainly for the weather... Supposed to be 37c here on Sunday.... Idea

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Post by stevegwmonkseaton Tue Jul 14, 2015 10:11 am

Gala Placidia wrote:Here is some interesting advice http://greatist.com/happiness/tricks-to-sleep-in-the-heat

Interesting indeed - socks in the freezer.... In the house if we are below 30c we manage to sleep, up to now we've maintained it well below at 27c max. However the longer the hot spell goes on the hotter the house becomes as the heat builds up over time. Looking at the forecast there is one single day where the temperatures drop (11c overnight), however I can't see that happening.  Therefore I guess this will go on until the end of August (according to the forecast). Now despite my agreeing with Ghiro that we bought in Italy for the weather, we've never lived for long periods like this in constant heat, this is by far the longest in our 6 summers here. I don't think it would change our minds on air-con, but think this is a great post for those thinking of buying here. It's yet another point to look out for, check how much sun a house will get, does it have mozzie screens, how high above sea level it is etc...

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Post by ghiro Wed Jul 15, 2015 2:44 pm

I feel I need a good thunderstorm! Smile Smile
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Post by Flip Wed Jul 15, 2015 3:43 pm

It must be those Berries you've been eating Ghiro.. lol!
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Post by stevegwmonkseaton Wed Jul 15, 2015 8:48 pm

ghiro wrote:I feel I need a good thunderstorm! Smile Smile

Now, now we can't complain G  Exclamation

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Post by stevegwmonkseaton Fri Jul 17, 2015 1:28 pm

I can't believe how stupid I am.... Rolling Eyes  Just realised (through trial and error) that ALL windows and shutters need to be closed when the OH phone (very modern person, not like me) tells us it's hotter outside than inside... A bit tough from around 08:30 until after 17:00 walking around in near darkness, but it is working, house is cool again when I come back in from being out.... Embarassed Embarassed Embarassed

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Post by Vicino Fri Jul 17, 2015 6:48 pm

DOH !!!! Hot comes in, stone houses soak in the damp in winter and the heat in summer.

Open all windows at night, fans and/or a/c...................drink water !!! hang on !

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