How to Cool Your House when Your AC Cannot Keep Up

In the summer there are extremely hot days when your AC cannot keep up. I am sharing some tips on how to keep your house cool. These tips will also help you even if you do not have air conditioning.

[@xslabcabxhearsex]

Just a little advice.when you spray your condenser you need to take the top off and spray inside the coil out.if you have a condenser like in this video the part that gets the dirtiest is where the compressor is.always cut the power off also.please don’t run your unit without a filter.will do more harm then good.your air conditioner is sized for your house.if you close to many vents it won’t be able to move enough air and possibly make your indoor coil freeze up. Closing the windows and not turning up the thermostat at night will help as was said.attic fans are well worth the money. Been doing HVAC for 31 years and just some advice

[@wokejoke2675]

I'm in TX and it gets to over 100 many days. I hose down the roof in the afternoon and evening. That quickly cools the house down.

[@NOT_A_TOP_FAN]

Dallas here and dying. Especially with a 2 story house facing east and west and loaded with windows…oh yeah, and my nice 9cent rate doubled this month. Lol it’s ridiculous! If I didn’t have a 2 story house I would like to try this!

[@joethethunder4906]

How cold does it get at night and for how long?

[@user-qt5xm2xp2f]

1. The "freon" line that has insulation on it is the cold side coming FROM the house (you stated the opposite). The Outside unit compresses the cold "freon" coming from the inside condenser, and makes it hot, that fluid is circulated throught the oudoor radiator unit, which cools it down. This line is not insulated, because by definition it is warmer than the outside air. 2. Shading the Compressor will have little (or negative) effect. It only takes SECONDS for the air flow thru the coils to bring them down to air temperature. AND keeping the airflow path clear is much more important so that you are not traping the hot air coming out of the compresser unit and raising the temperature of the air being pulled in. Having vegetation around the compresser WILL cool the inflowing air (offset by the cost of the water used) -- just (as you say) make sure it does not impede the actual flow of air.

[@Hengry-hn7rb]

Thank u Flannel Guy DIY that was very helpful, you have a nice comfy home.

[@flannelguydiy6458]

Thank you Rafael...

[@chasetan1059]

Exreetiatingly! I love you man! 😂😂😂

[@AG-tm4gr]

I wouldn't recommend removing your furnace filter. This will cause the dust to get trapped in your evaporator coil or secondary heat exchanger on your furnace and it will be much harder to clean and if it gets dirty enough your AC will freeze and your furnace will over heat

[@drleo6409]

A lot of good ideas.. wanted to mention that. removing air filters may help air flow BUT this will allow dust to collect on the cooling coils inside. which will reduce how well the freon will help cool the inside of the house. for a short time a day or so maybe ok but not long term.

[@flannelguydiy6458]

thanks for watching..

[@searay260sundeckforsale4]

Just left a similar comment. DO NOT EVER - EVER run an AC w/o a filter.. You will be amazed how much dust gets sucked in and left in the duct and then it's a PITA to clean those... Not worth it

[@denisegirmer4550]

Watching this cause with the National Guard doing grid down exercises .... best to be as prepared as possible!

[@complimentarycontemplation1873]

I kind of surprised myself when I figured out you overlooked something. As long as we’re doing little things that ultimately help the situation: some people have chimneys that have a door that opens and closes. Close it if you can. Chimneys mixed with the outside acts as a vacuum. Ours is a long cable that reaches the door at the top. Cheers Bill

[@flannelguydiy6458]

thanks for watching! please share the video

[@jeffcole1914]

Put rails on the basement stairs that’s an emergency and easy thanks for your tips

[@flannelguydiy6458]

i have a railing! We just took it off to bring something very large down the stairs

[@svilenkonac2084]

That's very helpful video 👍 THX a lot

[@flannelguydiy6458]

Glad it was helpful!

[@jaybam1990]

Window tinting also helps A LOT! Basic clear film even cuts the UV and BTU count in half!! Darker film can cut up to 2/3. Amazingly cheap and effective.

[@darkskies6564]

I have window film on all my windows works great to reduce summer heat.

[@BrittDova]

Great tips! its gonna be a extremely hot day of 117 in az today! so im trying to beat the heat haha

[@flannelguydiy6458]

good luck Brittany

[@eliseholly2428]

Same!

[@Blessedhands2209]

Same!

[@theoneandonly3836]

Lame!

[@user-lw8ne5oz1p]

When cleaning the condenser fins, you wanna go up and down. Going across or side to side may close those fins.

[@avanellehansen4525]

110* in Olympia, Washington this week!

[@walkemout809]

BRO IM IN KENT

[@walkemout809]

It like 90 in my house

[@iandavis5139]

I’m in kitsap county and it’s funny af that is Washingtonians are desperately searching for remedy’s haha

[@mariel7964]

Lol. I am in King County. My house is on fire, but we're extremely blessed because we do have a basement. We'll surely appreciate the rain after this. Stay "cool" everyone and God bless.

[@caarends9985]

Everyone from Washington watching this video! I’m from Puyallup and it was 90* in my house yesterday! I’m dying!!

[@gr8tefaith]

Thanks for the tips

[@flannelguydiy6458]

thanks for watching

[@keithnoneya]

I liked everything you said except removing the filters. In the short run it will help, in the long run you'll either end up changing your A-Frame (Evaporator) or having it cleaned at around $400.00 to $500.00. Realistically you should have your Evaporator Cleaned every few years, it will save on heat and ac costs. After Katrina the contractors had removed the filters in my home to get it cooler in my house while they rebuilt it. When we got home the AC didn't work very well and would freeze up a lot. I did some research and found out it was a partially plugged Evaporator. I pulled the side cover off and it was caked on there like a felt pad. I literally peeled it off. The I hit it will 50% bleach and water and scrubbed it with a toothbrush, the difference was amazing. the other thing you can do is remove the outside covers off the main unit and purchase coil cleaner. Coil Cleaner dissolves all the organic particles that get in between the fins and slow the air flow. Coils should be cleaned at the start and end of each season to ensure it's ready for the next season. It doesn't cost much and will pay for itself several times over in saved electricity. If you have a unit that the fins are not covered well you cans straighten any that are bent to increase air flow as well. Mine gets hit with the lawn mower every now and then. So other than pulling the filters I like your video. Thanks for sharing. Best Wishes & Blessings. Keith Noneya

[@captainsensation]

Cool video! No pun intended

[@CarnivoreRonin]

Another thing we did in college when we couldn't install an attic fan in a rental property... We put a sprinkler on the roof. The water was scorching hot when it ran from the gutters. Then, after an initial cool down, we set it to match the evaporation at the hottest time of day so that nothing reached the gutters. It makes a huge difference.

[@flannelguydiy6458]

I can definitely see that working. Hopefully, the water bill was not a problem!

[@tjahangon7286]

I do so over our house. Spraying water between 11am and 3pm with interval 30minutes, for 2 minutes each. That works!

[@DiggininthecrateS100]

Very interesting, unfortunately can’t reach my roof at all with a hose

[@cheryljones2009]

Our outdoor compressor USED to be in the shade, but a few years ago we had some trees cut down in the backyard, so now I realize the compressor gets FULL sun hitting it in the morning! Hope it doesn't hurt it! 😳

[@chasetan1059]

“This is just a vegetable sprayer” 😂

[@OldTimerGarden]

Opening a basement door is bad advice. Hot air rises and cool air sinks. If you open a basement door, all the cool air in your house will sink into your basement through that open door. Cool air in a basement will not rise into your house.

[@Reader98058]

Have a condo in IN with a AC that died. New one won't be installed for a couple weeks. We haven't moved in yet (in CA). Family member checking on place for us. Was 88 in there the other day . Think all your suggestions followed except for cooling down at night. Should we buy a dehumidifier while AC down. Thank you.

[@Hiperf]

And the problem with open the return vent downstairs stops the system from pulling warm air out of the rooms and circulating the room temperature. People need to understand the system works the same inside as it does outside. Pulls warm air out of the room and pushes cooler air inside the room.

[@tinajohnson3162]

Beautiful home

[@flannelguydiy6458]

Thank you 😊

[@danieldeason169]

Hi, I like your vidoes, I installed an Attic fan in my 1600sq ft home and it actually made it hotter in the house, what should I look for? Oh by the way the attic fan is for a 2900 sq ft house, about the same size as the one you installed, but the sides were vented plastic

[@jennifert3528]

Very informative. Moved from an updated two zoned heat and air with amazing systems in a huge house to an older townhouse with an aged one unit with cathedral ceilings. Torture!

[@RetroRogue.]

Went from straight winter to summer here near Hagerstown, Maryland it's 84 already at 8am.

[@flannelguydiy6458]

thanks for watching! please share the video

[@edzanjero353]

Suppose you put an array of misters on the roof. The amount of water needed is minimal to operate a misting system. Would such a setup help dissapate heat?

[@dudder86ify]

I'm in Bakersfield California ac is set at 70 degrees and its 76 degrees

[@justinodaniel8466]

Don’t tell people to remove the filter all that will do is dirty up indoor coil faster and cause decreases air flow and vents should not be closed it will effect air flows

[@jimmywarren9478]

You said it there is some good information on there but you're absolutely right never remove your air filter this will cause a dirty evaporator coil and cause hundreds of dollars to fix the problem and possibly thousands in home repairs if the coil get impacted with dirt .it can kill the blower motor kill the compressor, out door fan motor also cause your coil to freeze up or water to drip off your coil and cause sheetrock damage or floor damage Don't remove your filter!!!!closing vents can change freon pressures. Also your basement is were you will find the most humidity. And the the best solution for you would be another ac system or a whole home dehumidifier please do more research before tell people this I'm a ac technician and take it from me some of these idea's are great but closing vents and removing filters are not something else in the comments one guy said to put bleach and on your out door unit and let it sit overnight don't do this!!!it will eat the coil overnight unless you're a pro only use dawn dish soap ty

[@crcurran]

If you put a powered fan in the attic without first checking for airflow in at the eaves through soffits or roof vents you may be making things worse. You need to ensure that you sealed the unconditioned space of the attic from the conditioned spaces below or on the same floor. If you don't have proper air intake into the attic then add a powered fan that's not sealed you will be drawing air from the conditioned space. Used closed cell spray to seel the floor joists in the attic (plenty of videos on this on KZbin) While your up there ensure your cooking and bathroom vents are going outside and not into unconditioned spaces.

[@flannelguydiy6458]

i mentioned in the video that I had plenty of air flow through the other openings in the roof. The conditioned space was also air sealed

[@searay260sundeckforsale4]

Good channel and content - however I STRONGLY not recommend removing the filters as this will allow for all the dust and crap to be sucked in and left in the ducts and condense coils... Then it will take a lot of effort to clean the mess.. I just recently had to replace the return plenum and clean the ducts - it's just amazing how much dust they had - and I did make a mistake of removing the filter (it got filled and I didn't have a spare one and ran like this for a couple of days)... Next thing you know you breath dust and your coils are clogged... It's not worth it

[@ThisTimeofDarkness]

I found one of your tips a little confusing. We have a ranch with a basement, but keep the door to the basement closed during the summer months in order to trap the cool air upstairs. Otherwise, we find that the cool air flows unimpeded down the stairs and doesn't stay in the upstairs area where we are most of the time.

[@flannelguydiy6458]

Okay, there is a return vent at the air blower in the basement. Leaving the basement door open allows for the warm air to be sucked down to the basement and then pulled in through that return vent. The basement is always in the upper 60's so it helps to keep the whole house cool.

[@jeffcole1914]

Makes sense keep the basement door closed just have returns for humidity control

[@1969ttu]

@@flannelguydiy6458 warm air will not fall, that defies physics - good stuff otherwise

[@ethanj5527]

@@1969ttu as long as that air circulates, it will get cooler

[@mikeluongo537]

Happened to me today 98 outside and the 3 AC,s could not keep up. I am in a 800 sq foot condo with a 12, and 2 8k window units 3 years you'd. All Friedrich, great 444 units, and they are spotless. Kitchen s compressor seamed liked it was cutting out due to overheating. Condo in brick building. All blinds down 6 pm and still 80 in my office w ca cranking. The other two still trying to play catch up. Had a mini split in last house, wonderful, and central b4. Never had this happen b4 Will call Friedrich tom morn

[@dtom1145]

Some good tips but I disagree with keeping the basement door open. Cold air is much heavier than hot air so the cool air on your first and second floors will want to sink down into the basement if the door is open. Just open your freezer door and feel the cold air drop to the floor. Keep the door closed.

[@SweetHomeDelights]

Interesting ideas👍👍

[@flannelguydiy6458]

thank you!

[@charleneoneill4729]

Right now 😂 it feel 100 degrees in lake Charles Louisiana.

[@flannelguydiy6458]

thanks for watching

[@sb9442]

Clayton Marcus yes 👍

[@uhf001]

are all your register and return vents for AC located just above the baseboard? What size central AC unit?

[@flannelguydiy6458]

yes they are. not sure of the AC unit a that time. i have a new unit now

[@martymeunier4862]

Placing an umbrella or party tent over the unit will trap all the hot air the fan is trying to expel.....

[@dgc940]

Listen by removing filter the fan motor isnt under a load and can pull too many amps shortening life of fan motor. Also a ac doesn't blow cold air it remove's heat from the house the evaporator coil transfers heat like a radiator and the condensing coil outside dissipates the heat that is removed. So opening the return air in basement is a bad idea unless the basement is conditioned air. Not to be a ars but you are saying what you think not what you know. there is a spacer where your filter goes maybe!!! and if removed you can then run a 2'' thick filter doubling the life and more air flow. ALSO Be sure ceiling is totally sealed or your attic fan will also pull conditioned air into attic.

[@bradj229]

I would recommend ceramic window tint. It will keep ~60%+ heat from entering your house. ESPECIALLY on any west facing windows. Blinds won’t stop the heat.

[@kennixox262]

Or solar screens over the outside windows.

[@richarddomsicz670]

If you live in the United States, I would consider concentrating on the southern most windows in your house

[@ambilaevus7607]

No good dehumidifier. Wow, I suspected...

[@lilycat1694]

I live in Fresno and my home has a roof mounted evaporative cooler, which is almost useless when temperature is above 100. Saturday and Sunday it will be 113 Saturday and 115 Sunday. No shade around the house. I have cats and I worry for them. Not sure how we can survive such heat.

[@leejennifercorlewayres9193]

I have portable fans and pet cooling pads. You can put the cooling pads in the fridge and bring them out at hottest part of day. Use ice bags under the cooling pads to keep it colder longer. I also have been spraying them a bit with water.

[@TheSjh196]

When it’s too 100 degrees outside my ac stays around 80 . It does this every year . Filter is bone dry .

[@TheSjh196]

@@TechEreb just got it fixed I had a dead fried snake in there lols

[@ORIGINALLANDEROS]

What about building a concrete cave 3-4 feet outside of the house?

[@flannelguydiy6458]

lol

[@ORIGINALLANDEROS]

Or just two concrete walls on the sides of the house where you can hang tarp in the middle for different layers of shade

[@manuelsalgado8510]

My ac is not cooking as it did before, any ideas?

[@iatiencerussell8143]

Do you say, your vents in the basement should always be open?

[@Krustykrabpizzas]

117 degrees here in las vegas nevada

[@flannelguydiy6458]

hopefully your attic is insulated

[@AdrianGomez-xt6hf]

They just put a new ac on my place but still not keeping up!! Any tip for that I need help

[@flannelguydiy6458]

good luck Adrian...

[@greatozgreatoz5641]

I am looking at getting some Heat control window film I hear it helps a bit.

[@Sharperthanu1]

During the day the earth turns away from the sun.The hottest part of the day is between noon and four P.M. when the sun is above and therefore closest to the earth.By five P.M. you will notice that it's getting cooler and by eight and nine P.M. you will notice that it's a lot cooler,especially if it has just rained and the humidity has been released from the air.By midnight you will find that it's even cooler out because at midnight the sun is on the other side of the earth

[@conservativeamber1216]

If you have Dark Drapes then its a Problem when they are Shut..Humidity will stay in the house after warming the Drapes

[@bongle9130]

👋

[@mathclass525]

Hi

[@me-cq7wv]

This is a wise man, Regards from Sub Tropical Australia, Buy HUGE fan as well. Dynabreeze

[@flannelguydiy6458]

thanks for watching.

[@skrame01]

If all you are doing is moving the air in the attic around, it will actually heat the air more by convective heat transfer.

[@flannelguydiy6458]

that is not what is actually happening here

[@skrame01]

@@flannelguydiy6458 I understand I was just giving a warning for other setups.

[@pamdoreen8588]

Air purifier on low energy setting all day works cause it was 87 with humidity today no ac running just the air purifier and guess what ? Cleaner air in the house stays cooler and was very comfortable after the heat blasting all day

[@ORIGINALLANDEROS]

A lot of indoor plants

[@flannelguydiy6458]

all of the plants are legal

[@ORIGINALLANDEROS]

@@flannelguydiy6458 in my state, ALL plants are legal.

[@atvkid0805]

Attic fans can be bad because you're creating a vacuum that can suck out cold air if a room isn't insulated well

[@richarddomsicz670]

When you have a Gable fan you got to figure where is the air coming from if you don't have a vent on the other side of the house so it can draw air from. You're just going to suck your cool air conditioned air out your cable fan

[@ryanrobbins22]

Do not open your basement door when you have the AC on. Cold air falls. All your cool air will head down the stairs and make your basement nice and cold, but take longer to cool the main level. If you have a 2nd level, close all the doors. Otherwise the cool air is just going to fall down the stairs.

[@tonye.2021]

Hence the return vent

[@StarwaterCWS]

Rethink your comfort level. Think of your ancestors without AC. Blow cool morning air into the home. Use fans.

[@Hiperf]

Ya not removing my air filter. That would plug up the evaporator over time. Then you have serious problems.

[@katjay3125]

Talk to Arizona people...they know better

[@mirekfojt2723]

When your Condenser fan running - it picking up all dirt around your A/C unit. Remove all plants and make that area at least 1ft clean. When do you cleaning unit coils - spray a bleach on them - and wait overnight - before use the garden hose. Yes, it is true, the de-humidifier not only remove humid - but make air dry which make us feel cooler. Very interesting video. Thank you.

[@greatozgreatoz5641]

Bleach will damage those coil fins it's better to use dawn dish soap.

[@Levonshi]

its very hot in my house and i cant cool off because its too hot

[@mikebingham9700]

We can't hear you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@B1az1ngSuN]

you might want to check your ears or your computer volume Mike... I can hear him just fine.

[@mikebingham9700]

@@B1az1ngSuN Funny, now I can't hear you or maybe I don't want to!

[@B1az1ngSuN]

@@mikebingham9700 ok boomer

[@helmet098]

Please invest in a better microphone

[@flannelguydiy6458]

I have the external Rode microphone mounted on top of the camera. I have been looking for a good lapel mic. Any suggestions?

[@helmet098]

@@flannelguydiy6458 It's just really low. Put it closer, crank it up, I can just barely hear you with my volume maxed I had to use noise cancelling headphones just to make it through the video. Otherwise, good stuff.

[@calebproductions5970]

I can hear him ok

[@helmet098]

@not tellin WHAT?

[@yumoses]

The microphone actually sounds really good...