Problem with room getting too hot from facing the south (even in late October)

[jeff]

One of the 3 bedrooms upstairs in my new house has a strange problem in which the temperature inside the room got as high as 84 degrees last Thursday even when it was only in the mid 50's outside. I find this problem strange because I live in the northeast (Northern NJ), and don't recall ever owning a house in which a room gets so warm in the fall on a sunny day.

This problem is not due to the heating system which was not on that day. I checked to see if the attic above has insulation, and the room does have insulation in the attic above it, and the ceiling does not feel warm. It seems to me that the cause of the problem is sunlight hitting the roughly 4' x 4' window that faces the south. Even if I have the aluminum shades closed all the way the room gets hot (as high as mid 80s in late October on a sunny day when it's only in the mid 50s).

I'm just wondering how this problem can be solved (besides opening the window, which isn't an option when I'm recording music in the room). Are there any special blinds that will prevent so much heat getting into the room due to the sunlight hitting the window? I've read about Hunter Douglas triple-honeycomb blinds which supposedly stop 76% of solar heat from entering a house. Will these blinds really solve the problem? If not, what other blinds or shades will do the trick?

Thanks,

J.

[wayne]

I purchase a small sheet of faced 1/2" Styrofoam and cut it to size for my windows that face west. My house was cooler this year for sure the heat that comes in was amazing. It actually warped the Styrofoam. There has also been an occasional odor from the heat. Not The foam has a blue plastic face to it not foil. I was afraid the foil would deflect too much heat back to the window.

Wayne

[Kyle Boatright]

Your problem is probably heat through the window and wall. You could turn on the blower in your heating/cooling system and circulate the warmer air back into the rest of the house and you could consider it pseudo-passive solar heating.

KB

[Norminn]

Reflective coating for outside of glass, awning, tree. Opening the window a crack, top and bottom, would probably help a lot in the fall. That's a huge window, and summer is likely to be beastly.

Blinds would probably do more good with the window open enough to let the heat that builds betw. shade and window escape.

It's likely to lose a lot of heat in winter, so different window and/or insulation should be considered.

[Bob K 207]

SNIP

Actually he might luck out due to increased sun angle during the summer, south facing window are great heat collectors in winter

I have a very similar situation & summers are ok.

Bob

[Joe Fabeitz]

Short term - apply aluminum foil to window. Wet glass and apply foil, shiny side out, smooth out wrinkles. Then cover glass & foil with a panel of foam insulation (H-D or Lowes). If the heat's coming in the window, this will stop it.

Longer term, consider sun control film on glass and an outdoor awning.

[m Ransley]

You probably have windows that do not have Low E or argon, and trasmit

100% light. The real long term solution is modern glass. If you heat up during the day you also radiate out heat at night. And with longer nights in winter you have a net loss. I used to have a room like that it went to 85, then froze at night. I replaced all glass and heating bills and AC went down 17%. Recording equipment produces heat, run you blower to distribute it. Window film may help, but now it is free daytime heat. Shades or curtains will help, but Cellular shades will add R 3.3, a great first step to improving and upping efficiency of your house.

[willshak]

[nicksanspam]

Wrong again, m. There is no such animal.

Nick

[nicksanspam]

Congratulations. You have solar heat.

Add more south windows and a thermostat that turns on the furnace fan (only) when the room is warm and the rest of the house needs heat. You might add a 2' overhang for summertime shading.

Nick

[m Ransley]

Kinch the idiot Grinch who doesn't believe there are Molds that can make people ill, or that gas tankless water heaters are a better alternative spoke without merit again.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Before mechanical heating and cooling made it cheap, houses were designed that way with eaves blocking the summer sun but allowing the winter light into the room.