Wow it's Hot in here

[Mike S.]

The past few days it has been about 88-92 degrees Fahrenheit here. The AC and whole house/attic fan are not ready to be used yet. So the upstairs of the house has been about 82-90 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and nights (depending on the room). We try to ventilate the house in the evening when the outside temp gets lower then the inside temp. I've been messing around with the various fans we have to try find the best way to cool the air. I'm mostly interested in cooling the rooms on the south west side of the house.

Is there something wrong with the house or insulation if the upstairs rooms are around 90 degrees? That just doesn't seem right. I know houses absorb heat in the summer and all that but geez! It's hot in here.

Any tips on cooling this place down? All the suggestions I've read on various websites aren't helping. I can't seem to get these fans/window fans to do much. I know people who use them and they usually get a nice breeze going through their house but I get nothing.

[Steve K]

If you find an answer let me know! My house is the same way.

But I think mine gets very hot upstairs because I have no soffit vents, or cool air intake so the hot, hot air in the attic has no circulation. It just sits there, and with black shingles that doesn't help at all. I have vents in the attic on both sides of the house.

I gotta get off my butt and do something about it. Our kids can't even sleep in their own rooms in the summer. Fans placed in their window blowing air in or out help a little but I'd rather fix it at the root of the problem, the soffit vents. Or at least I think that is the problem.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

You have a few factors adding heat. First is hte greenhouse effect. Draw the shades, blinds or whatever. Years ago awngings were common to keep the sun out. Heat rises so any heat from lights, TV, computers, water heater is going up and adding to the alrady worm air. People add something like 450 Btu per hour. The attic space above the second floor is probably 20 degrees hotter than the h ouse itself. Insulation helps to keep it our of the house, but it also prevents any heat from going up. Not that it would.

Most window fans today are crap. The sides have to be blocked to prevent the fan from sucking air in the window and right out again. Block the sides and you will increase the efficiency. Closing some windows may help. This allows the air to be drawn through the house. Close windows and/or doors in unused rooms for better draw through the occupied rooms.