Hello,

I am used to living in single-story, no-basement houses, where one would just
open a window on either end of the house and pop in a box fan and have a nice
breeze. Now I bought a big old uninsulated house from 1916 with a full
basement, main floor w/11ft ceilings, upstairs w/10ft ceilings and an
unfinished (but large enough to be finished) floored, walk up attic. Now
obviously, the basement is nice and cool, the main floor is about 77-81 during
the day (when its like 85 outside), the upstairs is noticeably hotter, and well
the attic is excruciatingly hot! I have tried opening windows on opposite ends
of the main floor, and putting a fan blowing out the hot side hoping to draw in
from the shady side, but it only gave me about 1 degree of difference. I tried
opening the basement windows and putting a fan in one of the main floor windows
hoping to draw up some of that cool basement air, but all that did is bring up
that not-so-cool basement smell hehe. Opening up the 4 attic windows helps the
upstairs a little but we have been leaving the attic door closed. I guess I am
trying to figure out the best combination of fans and open windows to cool off
this monster house. From what I have read in various newsgroup postings, I am
considering trying fans in the attic windows. But how should I do it? The attic
windows are directly across from each other on opposite walls. Should I put a
fan in one facing in, and one facing out on the opposite side with the attic
door closed? Or should I put two in one side facing out and leave the attic
door open in hopes to draw heat up from the rest of the house (and leave the
opposing windows open or closed?)? Or, fans in both windows and the attic door
open? I know I am over complicating things, but it takes like a whole day to
see if each method is effective and I just wonder if any of you
old-house-dwellers have any good tricks! I am trying to not have to buy any air
conditioners, as I am an incredibly cheap individual

CoogarXR