Summer Sun and heat and heat and heat ...

David · 09-25-14, 04:28 AM

Hello,

I really enjoyed AC Hackers post on how he hopes to warm his kitchen.
It reminded me of my adventures under my house.

My problem is not heating my house but cooling it this Summer which wiil arrive with a vengence in two months time. If last summers heat is anything to go by we will be surrounded by bushfires and suffer weeks at a time with maximums of 100 degrees Farenheight.

My house was built in three stages first in the 1850s then in the 1880s and finally in 1908.It had an open fireplace most rooms and an oil heater in the kitchen.

The walls are rendered and double brick. I think it is 30+ squares. The ceilings are 11'6".

We moved in, in the summer of 1983. My wife and I were then in our 30s I am now the dreaded 64 .

Our house was very rundown when we bought it, but it was spacious (no furniature) beautifully cool during our summer. Oh bliss we thought. Then winter came and we froze huddled together in 3 sets of clothes and heavy colds.

We determined to put an aircon unit. Problem was there was no way under the house. The whole house, ie. every room sits on massive slabs of Basalt hauled into place by oxen. Nothing for it but to pull up some floor boards 6" wide and 1" thick Baltic Pine.

I had to crawl on my belly from room to room to work out where the ducts had to go. Fortunately each door way was clear below the floor.This was where the ducted heating went. Long sections of the floor sadly had to be sawn to enable the placement of the ducting.

Along the way we too found some old treasures. The best was an old corked bottle of Irish Whisky with about a teaspoon of amber liquid in it.I said to my wife that this was either a sublime drop or a very naughty trap left behind for the future. When I pulled the cork it almost instantly vaporised . What ever it was it smelt divine.

Sorry for the long intro.My problem now is not cold but Heat.The roof is of corregated iron and the ceilings have good 3" fiber-glass batts for insulation. But recent years have shown that whilst we will not suffer the heat for the first 3 to 4 days but thereafter the walls retain absorbed heat and we suffer from unremitting heat during the last couple of months of summer.

Putting aside conventional airconditioners which are undoubtedly part of the problem does any one have a suggestion of what I might do to cool this wonderful old house?

I know that Geo thermal systems work but they are quite pricey and my 1/2 acre block may not be amenable to much change.

I have a Bore/Well (See Earlier Post) that is 25 meters deep .The bore proved to be a failure due to the high salinity etc of the water.I commisioned the bore to save my mighty 60 yr old Golden Elm. But without as I was precluded from using mains water due to water restrictions and massive price increases.

I mention the bore because it delivers a huge amount of very cold water .

I would appreciate any help I can get .

Regards

David

09-25-14, 04:28 AM	#1
David David Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Australia Posts: 28 Thanks: 12 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Summer Sun and heat and heat and heat ... Hello, I really enjoyed AC Hackers post on how he hopes to warm his kitchen. It reminded me of my adventures under my house. My problem is not heating my house but cooling it this Summer which wiil arrive with a vengence in two months time. If last summers heat is anything to go by we will be surrounded by bushfires and suffer weeks at a time with maximums of 100 degrees Farenheight. My house was built in three stages first in the 1850s then in the 1880s and finally in 1908.It had an open fireplace most rooms and an oil heater in the kitchen. The walls are rendered and double brick. I think it is 30+ squares. The ceilings are 11'6". We moved in, in the summer of 1983. My wife and I were then in our 30s I am now the dreaded 64 . Our house was very rundown when we bought it, but it was spacious (no furniature) beautifully cool during our summer. Oh bliss we thought. Then winter came and we froze huddled together in 3 sets of clothes and heavy colds. We determined to put an aircon unit. Problem was there was no way under the house. The whole house, ie. every room sits on massive slabs of Basalt hauled into place by oxen. Nothing for it but to pull up some floor boards 6" wide and 1" thick Baltic Pine. I had to crawl on my belly from room to room to work out where the ducts had to go. Fortunately each door way was clear below the floor.This was where the ducted heating went. Long sections of the floor sadly had to be sawn to enable the placement of the ducting. Along the way we too found some old treasures. The best was an old corked bottle of Irish Whisky with about a teaspoon of amber liquid in it.I said to my wife that this was either a sublime drop or a very naughty trap left behind for the future. When I pulled the cork it almost instantly vaporised . What ever it was it smelt divine. Sorry for the long intro.My problem now is not cold but Heat.The roof is of corregated iron and the ceilings have good 3" fiber-glass batts for insulation. But recent years have shown that whilst we will not suffer the heat for the first 3 to 4 days but thereafter the walls retain absorbed heat and we suffer from unremitting heat during the last couple of months of summer. Putting aside conventional airconditioners which are undoubtedly part of the problem does any one have a suggestion of what I might do to cool this wonderful old house? I know that Geo thermal systems work but they are quite pricey and my 1/2 acre block may not be amenable to much change. I have a Bore/Well (See Earlier Post) that is 25 meters deep .The bore proved to be a failure due to the high salinity etc of the water.I commisioned the bore to save my mighty 60 yr old Golden Elm. But without as I was precluded from using mains water due to water restrictions and massive price increases. I mention the bore because it delivers a huge amount of very cold water . I would appreciate any help I can get . Regards David