In past years, in the hot summer months, we would place fans in the windows of many of our rooms to blow cool to cold outside air into the rooms.  This year I decided to try a new technique.  This method only works when your immediate geogrpahical area naturally cools down at night so the morning temperatures are very cool.  My early morning temperatures go down to about 60 degrees F.

First, let me explain the layout of the rooms that I am trying to cool.  The bottom list of rooms each has a window and are just a part of the second floor and separated from the rest of the house with a hallway door.  It is only this list of rooms that I have cooled using just one window fan!

• South large office.  This room faces south toward the ocean and thus has a natural breeze from the ocean.  This room has two windows.
• East side Bathroom.  Not often but sometimes there is a natural breeze from the east.  Has a medium size window.
• North west small bedroom.  Almost never any outside air comes naturally into this room.  It has a large sliding glass window.
• North east small bedroom has a large sliding glass window.
• Center hallway connecting each room.

I tried out a new idea to see if it would work.  It did!  I was really surprised.

The solution was to put a window fan into the north east bedroom, my bedroom, and blow the air OUT the window!  The reason is to see if this would draw air into the other rooms by suction and thus exit my bedroom.  IT WORKED!

You would think that this window fan would keep me awake.  I ran it at it’s lowest speed and it was quiet.  If I had turned the fan around to direct the airflow toward me, it would be bad.

Apparent disadvantage, but not, with this method.  Because I put the exhaust fan into my bedroom all the air from the other rooms flowed into my room thus keeping my bedroom warmer for a bit longer.  As the outer rooms received outside cool air that air then cycled into my bedroom.  Thus, my bedroom took a bit longer to cool down, after the other rooms did.  I did not find this a problem when sleeping.

NOTE:  This cooling method takes time to achieve results.  Here is a sample of my recording this on my cell phone:

Today was hot, 80 degrees.
The rest of the house is 80 degrees.
My room is 76.
Wife’s bedroom is 80
Fan set to mid speed to make up for late start (normally set to low).
——————-
Started cooling process late.
Time: 8:30 opened windows
Wind 3.4
Outside temp 66.0
My room 76
Office 74.5
Bathroom 73.9

——————-
Fan now set to low speed.
Time 9:50
Wind 0.8
Outside temp 63.1
My room 73
Office 69.9
Bathroom 72,3
————-

Time 12:46
Wind 0 – 2.0
Outside temp 61.5
My room 71
Office. 67.6
Bathroom 70.0
————-

Time 3;53
Wind. 0.9
Outside temp 61,2
My room. 69
Office. 65.8
Bathroom 68.2
————-

Time 5:12 am. AWAKE
Wind. O –
Outside temp 61.5
My room. 68. (notice that this room is a bit warmer because it is the exhaust room.)
Office. 65.5
Bathroom 67.8
————-

ADVANTAGES:

• You use less power, one fan instead of 3 or more.
• You use less power running only one fan.
• I really felt much safer being in the same room with the fan, in case something would go wrong with the fan.

Note that this suction house cooling, worked with just a few rooms.  I have no idea how this might work for your house.

Posted:  6-12-2024

Posted by: Score Card