In alt.home.repair on Sun, 10 Jul 2005 21:16:13 -0700 "Pagan"
posted:



I don't believe cranking up the AC is the answer to anything, and my goal is
to use it as little as possible. These things cost a bloody fortune to run,

My house is newer, 1979. Most years, I haven't used the AC at all.
The summer I moved in, I slept in the basement when it was hot, and
didn't go upstairs until the morning, to get fresh clothes.

Then I put in a roof fan. It lowered the temp of the second floor at
least 10^F. Turns on by itself, off by itself. Although I do have an
override and I turn it off in the fall and spring to use the heat of
the day to heat my house for the night.

Strange though. The first motor lasted 5 years. The second, which I
ordered from the manufacturer of the fan, about 1. The third, from a
local motor store, about 5; the fourth about 2: the current one about
5 so far. Plus another 4 years I can't account for, but I know some
lasted 5 or 6 or 7 and others 1 or 2.

Rain hits the roof and bounces through the coarse screen that
surrounds the fan, or hits the screen directly. And mist lands on the
attic floor, and I guess on the fan motor too. Haven't figured out
how to protect the motor without making it overheat while running.
But still it's strange how long some last and how little others.

At least the fan motor is replaceable from the inside, and every time
I do it faster than before.

That friend has a cathedral ceiling and there isn't much space in his
attic (24 inches?)


not to mention the wear and tear of pushing it to cool a virtual greenhouse,
or the reduced humidity which can irritate the lungs, eyes, and skin, and
dry out any fancy wood in the home. (of course, not all of this stuff was
done just for energy reasons, but also ascetetic and functional
reasons...house is over 60 years old)


Meirman
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