This should be higher up. Coubtering heating with AC doesn't make any sense from the double expense or the carbon footprint point of view. I had the came CH system in the first house I owned (combi boiler, no thermostat) and the radiators would come on whenever hot water was run. We had a man out to replace the stuck valve and all was fine afterwards.
It’s definitely weird in that sense. Most old homes were designed to trap heat so that’s why I think we struggle so much to keep it cool. Even in winter it’s windows open and keep the back door open when I am downstairs.
Do you have sash windows?
They were designed to help cool the house. By opening the top window a little, then same with bottom it helps create a circular air flow so hot air is vented out the top
If you can afford to buy and run it, you need to buy an air conditioner. Since you say you have big rooms, you need to be looking at a unit that has at least 9k BTU of cooling power, and make sure that you get a proper window seal kit in order to get effective cooling in your room of choice.
If you can't afford to run air conditioning, then you need to be considering alternative options that cool yourself down, rather than the room. I personally make use of a Ranvoo Aice neck 'air conditioner' device (It's not actually an air conditioner but a peltier cooler) which keeps my neck chilled and blows cooler air around my head and down my back, then extracts the heat and exhausts it out the sides. I combine this with good airflow throughout the house, lightweight breathable white clothes, reflective blinds on the windows, and massively increased hydration.
With the above I find it rare that I need to switch the actual air conditioning on. The outdoor temperature has to rise above \~28 before I really need to start bringing down the air temperature inside the house.
Before you switch off radiatiors or fit thermostats: On older heating systems, some radiators have to stay on as they are defined as 'leak heat' radiators. They are designed to ALWAYS 'leak heat' as a critical safety feature of your heating system to prevent explosion from water boiling in the heating system. Those radiators that heat up when you turn on the heating system for hot water are likely defined as 'heat leak' radiators.
It sounds like though you live in a rental, you can ask the landlord for an inspection of the heating system and directly have a chat with the gas engineer over whether any of those radiators are safe to turn off and why they heat up with the hot water.
On the other hand, you could be reasonable to ask for electric showers and under the sink heaters for hot water on demand rather than firing up the boiler.
Portable AC is expensive to operate and extremely inefficent compared to fixed systems.
It's a difficuilt one to give a solution tbh as its a rental, its whether you have a good landlord to resolve the issues.
Thank you. You have just explained something that I have been asking my landlord for years. I’ve considered moving because of how unpleasant summer is but my budget would mean moving half an hour out of the city and I really cba with that.
Open the loft hatch if you have one. The heat can go up there. Open windows at night when the air is cooler and close windows and shut curtains in the morning before you go out.
In very hot summers I have hung space blankets outside my French windows to stop the room heating up.
Our loft is my bedroom/ office space. It’s my cool sanctuary. I don’t think I have ever had the heating on even in winter but I do have a good fan that I put on a lot. I tend not to keep the window open as the local wildlife is obsessed with getting in- had both a squirrel and a magpie come in through an open window
Sounds like torture for you! We live in an old early Victorian property. First thing in the morning I open all of the windows front and back it makes a draft and genuinely circulates the cooler air well I close them in the evening. Albeit this is generally in late spring through to early autumn.
Get thermostats on those radiators for a start. Figure out the heating system, running water for washing up shouldn’t produce enough hot water to warm radiators, they often take half an hour or more.
Curtains closed in the direction of the sun as much as possible (this isn’t great if you are at home, but can be very protective whilst out).
Portable AC units, £200-£300ish are surprisingly good, but only do one room.
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RosemaryThorn@reddit
This happened in a rental I used to live in. It was a busted diverter valve and was very quick for them to replace.
farraigemeansthesea@reddit
This should be higher up. Coubtering heating with AC doesn't make any sense from the double expense or the carbon footprint point of view. I had the came CH system in the first house I owned (combi boiler, no thermostat) and the radiators would come on whenever hot water was run. We had a man out to replace the stuck valve and all was fine afterwards.
txe4@reddit
The rads coming on with the hot water is a fault which the LL should fix.
Depending on boiler type it's either a failed diverter valve in a combi or a failed zone/3-port valve.
If it's the latter you can probably manually override it with a lever to stop the rads coming on.
dbxp@reddit
Turn off the radiators via the lock shield at the other end from the thermostat
Sirlacker@reddit
Cover the windows in tinfoil or get blackout curtains and keep them shut throughout the day.
Open the loft hatch. Heat rises, give it a place to actually escape.
A dehumidifier can work wonders too if your house is particularly humid.
Don't open the doors and windows unless there is a breeze. They act as barriers to help prevent the heat from transferring from room to room.
nowdoingthisatwork@reddit
If you can, pop the loft hatch open. It let's the rising heat out
HalfAgony-HalfHope@reddit
Open the internal doors and windows to let the heat out.
In my experience Victorian houses are usually freezing. Great in the summer terrible in the winter 😂
lou-mary02@reddit (OP)
It’s definitely weird in that sense. Most old homes were designed to trap heat so that’s why I think we struggle so much to keep it cool. Even in winter it’s windows open and keep the back door open when I am downstairs.
sharpied79@reddit
Render it in a light colour (we did with our Victorian house)
Keeps it quite cool in the summer, still effing freezing in the winter though...
zephyrmox@reddit
Windows closed blinds down all day, open all night, is the best you can do.
WhoLets1968@reddit
Do you have sash windows? They were designed to help cool the house. By opening the top window a little, then same with bottom it helps create a circular air flow so hot air is vented out the top
Koda614@reddit
If you can afford to buy and run it, you need to buy an air conditioner. Since you say you have big rooms, you need to be looking at a unit that has at least 9k BTU of cooling power, and make sure that you get a proper window seal kit in order to get effective cooling in your room of choice.
If you can't afford to run air conditioning, then you need to be considering alternative options that cool yourself down, rather than the room. I personally make use of a Ranvoo Aice neck 'air conditioner' device (It's not actually an air conditioner but a peltier cooler) which keeps my neck chilled and blows cooler air around my head and down my back, then extracts the heat and exhausts it out the sides. I combine this with good airflow throughout the house, lightweight breathable white clothes, reflective blinds on the windows, and massively increased hydration.
With the above I find it rare that I need to switch the actual air conditioning on. The outdoor temperature has to rise above \~28 before I really need to start bringing down the air temperature inside the house.
MaltedMilkBiscuits10@reddit
Before you switch off radiatiors or fit thermostats: On older heating systems, some radiators have to stay on as they are defined as 'leak heat' radiators. They are designed to ALWAYS 'leak heat' as a critical safety feature of your heating system to prevent explosion from water boiling in the heating system. Those radiators that heat up when you turn on the heating system for hot water are likely defined as 'heat leak' radiators.
It sounds like though you live in a rental, you can ask the landlord for an inspection of the heating system and directly have a chat with the gas engineer over whether any of those radiators are safe to turn off and why they heat up with the hot water.
On the other hand, you could be reasonable to ask for electric showers and under the sink heaters for hot water on demand rather than firing up the boiler.
Portable AC is expensive to operate and extremely inefficent compared to fixed systems.
It's a difficuilt one to give a solution tbh as its a rental, its whether you have a good landlord to resolve the issues.
lou-mary02@reddit (OP)
Thank you. You have just explained something that I have been asking my landlord for years. I’ve considered moving because of how unpleasant summer is but my budget would mean moving half an hour out of the city and I really cba with that.
Competitive_Rub_9590@reddit
AC unit from curry’s they’re pricey but well worth the money
No-Reason-8205@reddit
Open the loft hatch if you have one. The heat can go up there. Open windows at night when the air is cooler and close windows and shut curtains in the morning before you go out.
In very hot summers I have hung space blankets outside my French windows to stop the room heating up.
lou-mary02@reddit (OP)
Our loft is my bedroom/ office space. It’s my cool sanctuary. I don’t think I have ever had the heating on even in winter but I do have a good fan that I put on a lot. I tend not to keep the window open as the local wildlife is obsessed with getting in- had both a squirrel and a magpie come in through an open window
Iammildlyoffended@reddit
Sounds like torture for you! We live in an old early Victorian property. First thing in the morning I open all of the windows front and back it makes a draft and genuinely circulates the cooler air well I close them in the evening. Albeit this is generally in late spring through to early autumn.
No_Secret2322@reddit
Get a portable AC unit, they’re so worth the money.Â
BrowsingOnMaBreak@reddit
Yeah opening windows and doors only moves the hot air around at some point, you need something to literally take the temp down.
No-Jicama-6523@reddit
Get thermostats on those radiators for a start. Figure out the heating system, running water for washing up shouldn’t produce enough hot water to warm radiators, they often take half an hour or more.
Curtains closed in the direction of the sun as much as possible (this isn’t great if you are at home, but can be very protective whilst out).
Portable AC units, £200-£300ish are surprisingly good, but only do one room.
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