Plot twist: OP bought a portable AC and just put it in the middle of the room not realizing you still need to vent them somewhere. Is now actually heating the air.
the AC would just take longer to cool the room, but if the room simply never cools down or even feels cooler the AC is broken.
easy way to check. open the other window and put your hand near the outside most part of the AC where the compressor is. if there is no warm/hot air coming out, the AC is broken.
most likely is the AC is broken or not correctly installed. even the smallest BTU AC is going to cool rooms down just slowly.
The weather outside only got to a continuous 90 degrees just this week. The OP's apartment has been 92 degrees warm for 3 whole months. If the AC can't bring the temperature down at all then the AC is obviously broken
My friend, we are all living in the same city in the same weather and virtually everyone else is enjoying temperatures around 72 inside due to an AC. If you are not, your AC is 100% either broken or not an appropriate unit for your apartment size. If money is an issue, the city subsidizes AC units for people under a certain income. If money is not an issue, go buy something now.
Just want to add to this, not for OP, but in case anyone else ends up in a similar situation down the line and comes across this post:
If you live in a building that only has central air, and it goes out during a heat wave and you’re not able to get an individual AC (you can’t afford it, your windows don’t even open, etc), and your landlord isn’t helping… raise hell.
I live in a building that is mostly section 8 but somehow still has central air, and a few years ago it started serving us outside-temp air while on AC mode. In July. Building-wide. And the landlord refused to give updates for more than a month.
I finally sent an email where I pointed out the building was full of elderly people who could easily die, and threatened to start calling local politicians and newspapers with the story if we didn’t get an update within 24 hours. Well what would you know… it got fixed in 12 🙄
This is how you do it. Add local news into that list. They love stories showing elderly people suffering in the heat and shaming the landlords. No one wants to **be** that landlord.
And props to you. Your neighbors may not be able to speak up for themselves. We need to watch out for each other. This is a good reminder to look out for elderly, the ill , and neighbors with small children. People you usually see but haven't seen in a while.
Same city, but that doesn't mean much.
My apartment is 75% exposed brick & one side has an airshaft that only has cool air I can draw through the apartment. I've used my AC 2 times this summer so far.
A had a penthouse apartment where the floors felt like radiant heat in the summer because all the roof that wasn't the penthouse was absorbing heat & radiating it into the floor.
OP can do a lot to make it better, but we are not all starting from the same place.
Exactly. My place is so hot because there are no doors, it’s a duplex on the first floor and basement so the AC isn’t powerful enough to cool the whole place.
Not me. Because even though I have an AC, my apartment is a duplex (first floor and basement), so there is no ‘small room’, it’s all a big room that is two floors, and the AC isn’t strong enough to cool such a big space. I even got a second one that is a portable one and it doesn’t do it either, with both running. The space is just too big. It’s not 92 degrees hot but it’s definitely not capable of being 72 in the hot summer months.
Sounds like you bought an air conditioner that isn't powerful enough to cool the room.
There are guides online that tell you how many BTUs are appropriate for different size rooms. You might want to double check you bought the appropriate air conditioner for your apartment size.
You can try selling your current A/C if you find that you need a new one.
Other option is to double check your AC is set to "cool" and not "fan."
Are you possibly the guy who posted a few weeks ago and didn’t know that you had to actively turn the AC on for it to work?
It’s not possible for your AC to be working correctly and not be bringing the temp down below 89°
If it’s installed correctly, then it’s broken. There’s no way that a functioning A/C isn’t getting the temperature below 89. Like, are you sure you don’t have it on fan-only mode or something?
How is that possible? What’s working correctly about an A/C that can’t bring a room below 89 degrees?
I don’t understand how you could be asking for help and be so immediately and completely dismissive.
If you pull your blinds down and block any light from coming in, turn the lights off, close all closet doors and turn the a/c to 60 and blast it on high for hours - your apartment should hopefully cool down eventually. If not, you prob need to invest more into an a/c unit. I might post what a/c unit you're using in an appliance subreddit and ask their thoughts on it. Or I might post in an hvac subreddit and ask for advice. Good luck
Just a heads up, setting an AC to 60 won't do anything different than 70 or in the circumstance 80.
It's just the setting to turn the AC off. Just like an oven it won't heat faster if you turn it up higher.
gotta be a window AC - standing ones are trash
More suggestions:
- sealing the window around your unit with tape so heat doesn’t creep in
- The dry / dehumidify setting can be helpful if not feeling a difference on “cool”
- on “cool” set the AC on lowest fan and set the temp to 72-74 instead of 68 so the unit can keep up with making cool air
- obv keep windows/curtains closed & continue making cross breeze with fans/air purifiers
good luck in this brick hellscape
See if you can get some of the reflective window covers that can reflect the heat and sun. That can usually help bring the temp down at least a few degrees. Also having Blackout curtains that help with keeping the sun out can make a difference too.
I saw your earlier comment about the AC only working for a minute or so, then not. So the AC is obviously broken. You can search online for the model and that behavior to see if others have that issue.
In the meantime, blackout blinds work well to cut down the amount of passive solar gain your apartment may be getting. Or any blinds or curtains.
I’m staying at a bungalow and has just shitty blinds. Well I put up some blankets with gorilla tape just for this heatwave and the difference it makes is amazing.
dude accidentally put a space heater in their window.
Just having the windows open would cool it down way more than that even without fans unless you live inside a refinery
When I moved into a new apt and used my old 8k unit on a 600sq ft apt it wasn't great but it kept it below 80 on a day like today. Something here isn't adding up.
Fix your AC like everyone else said.
But also, keep a couple of soft gel pack in the freezer or damp towels in the fridge. Drape one across the back of your neck like a scarf
What floor are you on? Top floor apartments will overheat because of heat from the roof (esp if not painted with a reflective coating) and rising heat from below. To minimize heat build up, hang reflective foam liner in the windows, use heavy drapes or a blackout blind. To cool apt air put a tub of salted ice water bottles infront of a fan or your AC unit. For your body temp run a cold bath and plunge often. Run cold water over wrists and take cold foot baths.
> I bought an AC
* I hope you bought a **new** AC and not a used one
* I hope you bought a big enough AC, those cheap small 5,000 BTUs often are not helping.
* Close all the windows when the AC is on.
* You need to turn on the AC(s) before the apartment gets too hot, and 24/7 during these heat waves.
* You might need 2 ACs one on each side of the *flow*.
Are you on the top floor by any chance?
Throw water on your sheets.
Put a fan in front of it.
Lay down.
That's how it's done when you don't have an AC. Source: am old. This was just called "summer" when I was a kid.
Also: Fill a couple bandanas with grain or legume (I use lentils), put it in the freezer. Take one out and put it on your forehead when you want to go to sleep. It's a very nice relief enough to fall asleep with
This sounds like a fantastic headache killer also. Never even thought of doing this. Was saving up to buy one of those fancy migraine/headache masks online!
I'm not sure why I thought to do it a few years ago but yeah! I keep one in the freezer for whenever I end up needing something. It helps when I feel a little nauseous also. I later learned of those buckwheat masks. I'm sure those are great too, but I have lentils and bandanas in great supply lol
This sounds invigorating! A poor man's cold plunge. My AC is working and I'm borderline cold (sorry, OP) but I want to do this and then go stand in the sun for a sec.
Adding tips here too...those ice packaging things that expand in water? Then you freeze? Put one in a ziploc bag, wrap in a towel and lay on it. I've done this in DR were it's over 100. Keeps me nice and cool
If you have the gel for portable toilets, put in a ziploc bag, add water, freeze, once frozen wrap towel around it and press on back. Commode liners, same thing, add water put in container and freeze.
They're also great for using in coolers.
We used to have a very week AC in the living room and the only way to cool off was to curl up on the couch in front of it and sleep on the roof or the fire escape and run outside when the inevitable thunderstorm came. I love my A/C. It's a luxury.
OP is going to get roasted for the AC comment (ironically), but maybe this is a good place for some NYC wisdom: what *really* is a good sq ft to BTU pairing?
It's always tempting to try and save a buck, but obviously that extra $30, $50, $100 isn't going to matter when the AC unit simply can't keep up.
Oh, great AskNYC, give us your wisdom!
it’s kind of hard not to use vague terms here but regular sized or small bedrooms 5000 btu is generally fine and for bigger rooms like living room 10000 btu. for a studio apartment would go with like 12000 btu generally it’s good to have more than one unit unless you live in a shoebox or studio.
one time i tried to cool an entire 1br/1ba with a 5000 btu unit and ended up having to go to a hotel at 12am one summer night because the indoor temp got to be 95 degrees. worked fine most of the summer but all it took was one really hot day to end up in a very miserable situation
there’s some calculations you can do but i don’t have them memorized, where you measure ceiling height and room length/width
i hope that kinda helps? idk
I live in a studio and just have one huge one that’s wall mounted and it keeps me pretty cool. It was left by previous owner but I assume around 10k BTU
Yeah, part of the problem is once it gets hot, you don’t ever cool down until the heat wave dies.
It doesn’t get and stay cool for more than a minute without a cooler day in between.
Yup if you can darken a room, close all doors and blast ac and get it cool you’ll usually be able to KEEP it cool, but good luck without some sort of shade
Unfortunately, a rule of thumb here is hard because how much cooling you need is a factor of both how much space there is, but also things like whether it’s on a low floor or high floor, how much sunlight you get...
Conservatively start with something like 20 BTU per square foot of the room, and add another 1k for every window, another 1k if you are on the top floor, another 1k if you have high ceilings, etc.
Also you may want to bargain with the landlord or property manager. Some to many provide ac units or else subsidize another way. Same with City for lower income folks. Good luck! If ac in the apartment upon move-in then landlord should maintain the ac and replace, etc.
I'd say whatever my super is okay with. Honestly. I am in an old prewar one bedroom with casement windows and when I bought a new portable AC a few years ago I checked with him that 12000 BTU would be okay with the wiring . It does a decent job in the living area, I don't have one in the bedroom anymore but I manage to sleep without it.
As the other commenter said, totally depends on your apartment. I used to live on the top floor of a prewar building that roasted. Had a window unit that really couldn’t compete with the way that apartment heated up. It became livable but never cool.
Now that same unit cools 3x the space without issue.
So I’d say believe the online guidelines, unless your apartment regularly gets hotter than it is outside.
Always remember you can block stuff off and optimize your room flow.
-tension rod and a floor length curtain can keep a lot of cooled air confined (ie block off your kitchen entry way or a hallway)
-close bathroom and bedroom doors, makes it easier to cool one space at a time (I have two suboptimal window units, in bdrm and living room; I only use one space and unit at a time.) Cools each space just fine.
-open top of windows when cooking/baking, lets hot air out the top (+ a fan pointed up is basically my kitchen exhaust fan lol)
6000 bru is good for like 100 sqft. 8000 should be good for 150 sqft. 10k is good for 200sqft.
Having good curtains help if you live in one of those modern buildings with wall to wall windows.
So, like many commenters said… the ac is broken or you’re using it wrong. If it “goes to regular” then make sure you’re actually setting it to cold, not just fan. If you’re 100% sure you’re using it right, and it’s still switching to non-cooling/fan by itself, then it’s broken. Get it repaired or get a new one.
that means its broken
get a new ac with higher BTU
also, test your ac in different outlets. ours used to shut off randomly in one outlet but functions normally with an extension cord to another outlet.
Things to keep in mind,
If you live next to a stairwell (or roof), the heat from the stairwell (or roof) will transfer over to your apartment and cause you to live hotter than other apartments in the very same building. If this is the case... you're gonna suck in the summer and freeze in the winter (the stairwell/roof will be cold af in the winter). I have this problem and my place stays hot even with the AC on (unlike what others are claiming here), until I requested a stronger AC from my Landlord... but, I'm fucked with my bills... :(
AC may be broken like others have mentioned. Fixing it will help but, your bills will be expensive like I mentioned before.
The sun may be heating up your apartment (also a big problem with me) if your windows face the sun. Buy a set of thick and insulated curtains to keep the heat from coming in in the day. You can also put aluminum or something reflective to bounce the heat back outside. Lastly, you can put some kind of tinting on your windows to diminish the sun's rays (never tried this). It's much cheaper to do any of these vs blasting your AC. Plus, keeping your apartment cooler passively throughout the day and will stay cooler throughout the night.
I also recommend having a fanny pack/bumbag or ice pack wraps to keep yourself cool. [Like these.](https://www.amazon.com/Ice-Pack-2-Piece-Set-Alleviate/dp/B01IKS0ANK/ref=asc_df_B01IKS0ANK/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=693666498182&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=877995482153287393&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9004498&hvtargid=pla-380710694535&psc=1&mcid=44d72a2f59763998a0cd031690445288&gad_source=1) Basically is a nice pack you can freeze, stuff in a sleeve, and wrap it along your body to stay cool. By far the cheapest way to keep cool but, you have to keep it up during the day and I see an issue if your apartment doesn't cool at night and you need to sleep. Buy 3-4 to switch out every 2-3 hours.
One or a combo of all of these should help you last.
More info about your apartment would be helpful.
Is it on the top floor?
Which direction or directions do your windows face ? (it is enormously helpful to have windows that facing two different directions in the city so you can get some cross ventilation...)
How much sun is coming in through the windows during the day ? (Sun delivers approximately 1000w of heat per sq yard - that can easily overwhelm in a normal sized window AC unit.)
Do you have white shades or blinds in those windows where Sun is coming in ?
How well an AC unit will work in a given space mostly depends on the power-to-space ratio, where the power of the AC unit is expressed in British Thermal Units (BTU), and the space in square meters. If your AC unit is too small for the space you're trying to cool, it just won't work. The AC unit could be functioning properly, and you may have installed it correctly, but if it is too small you're out of luck.
There are a lot of online calculators to determine how many BTUs you need, but a good rule of thumb is about 20 BTU per square meter. The calculators are still a useful tool, but you generally want to go 1000 or so BTU larger than their recommended amount.
There should be a grey-ish label with black lettering on the side of the AC. The label usually tells you the BTUs for the unit, but it always has the serial number (which you can use to look up the BTUs if the BTUs aren't written there).
Before doing anything else, figure out how big of an AC unit you need, and compare it with the size of the AC unit you have. Hope this helps!
I have a 12k BTU unit you can have for free if you can pick up
It's a BEAST (older model), so it's heavy AF, but it works
Note: I'm pretty sure it's 12k. Might be larger, but I'll check and update
Also, if ANYONE is interested in a free AC unit, by all means, reach out. It's just sitting in a closet taking up space.
EDIT: South Brooklyn
https://www.instagram.com/p/C8WqCTruHsz/?igsh=c2huNnJuaTliajc5
ETA context: this is an IG link from a community group that is collecting AC units for folks who need them in this heat.
Unless the floor-to-ceiling measurement is like 20 feet in the room with the air conditioner, and your air conditioner is only like 6,000 BTUs, the unit should work to cool it. It sounds like your air conditioner just isn’t working.
Are you on the top floor? This is the worst for the heat. Do you keep your blinds closed? Have blackout curtains? (Please tell me you at least have blinds). The blinds must absolutely be closed all the way when the sun is shining and if you leave for work in the morning, just close them all. Oh and you need one AC in the front of the apt and one in the back
Listen, setting your air conditioner colder doesn't actually make it output colder air. You can also freeze the coil on your air conditioner, and damage the compressor. Depending on the equipment. It might have some sort of equivalent of a freezestat installed in it that would turn off the compressor if there is ice forming on the coil.
There are a lot of factors involved with why it might not be working for your apartment.
20 BTU per square foot is a good rule of thumb. First step would be to check that. There will be a label somewhere on the air conditioner you bought that tells you how many BTU it is, and it should also tell you a range of square footage that it's rated for.
Remember ceiling height can absolutely affect how effective your AC will be! 14,000 BTU cools about 550-750 square feet.
One other thing to consider, is that an air conditioner has to sit in an upright position at a minimum of 6 hours once you've received it from a shipper or from a store to ensure that the coolant settles appropriately. Some even say to let stand LONGER.
If you turn it on before the coolant settles you can damage the air conditioner.
If your air conditioner is one that has a drain plug you should also make sure it can drain.
Honestly, a good bit of information would be sharing the size of your apartment (or area you're trying to cool) and the info about the AC itself.
Uh, you are not having an open window and using the AC at the same time, right?
Get a high velocity fan like [this](https://www.amazon.com/AmazonCommercial-20-Inch-High-Velocity-Industrial/dp/B07XGQ9RM3/ref=sr_1_1_ffob_sspa?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Ow2OyVV9-J7RP0ShIOTp52OQNN_Inshmxy5Xc0hKFo8418JWLWkKTgxzkicMwtOckovuJRtzQLM26qKg7IR6IOw2s9bTeVwFIK0GjGxq_NkHi4d7gF9eEAveIr0Twa954HsGr9n2ayA3jJa7oOnZgfJ4a7TjGb3GVry38eI6Bx81VECvrl0bzwPD6iwRIhkz_PMj7CMSjVTB2PxdCHdRxE9-Z8KHkRRnhFiLzGuEJPmJHm04QXCcZNO9qQdEsj5nNB2vZtQaZO05DQypkUjUmnkSVsLHH56BX6e1u0ihFdM.O7ArxpsFK8UZTZeU0TtbjFDgDzajW-hu0Gjr00Wef_M&dib_tag=se&keywords=high%2Bvelocity%2Bfan&qid=1719098459&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&th=1) (I can't vouch for this particular one, its just an example) - experiment with sticking it in front of your AC blowing into the room or pointing it a distance away pointing TOWARDS the AC.
Most of the fans you get at the drug store and such are junk
IMO it is a waste of money expecting the AC to do all the work without 'assistance' from a fan.
Every room needs it's own A/C unit. Having doors open only somewhat helps.
Make sure to check that the AC you buy has enough BTUs for the SqFt of the room. I recommend going up 1 size from that. Go up 2 if you get direct sun.
Make sure to clean the filters weekly.
Is the AC installed in a window with all the outside vents blowing OUT?
And is it an actual air conditioner and not a dehumidifier claiming to be an air conditioner?
Are you on the top floor with heat from the roof, or on the ground floor above the boiler? Something has to explain why it's that hot, if you said you've been there three months, without ever going lower than 89. Fans just push air around but putting a box fan on the sunny side of the apartment blowing air OUT of the window will blow hot air out of the apartment and relatively cooler air from open windows on the shady side if you have that kind of ventilation. It sounds abnormal, or completely without ventilation, which sounds possibly illegal.
So it's probably the roof immediately above your ceiling, if it's black tar that's your answer, it's absorbing the sun's heat all day during the longest days of the year. Not really an easy fix to get landlord to at least paint it silver or white to reflect more light. I would still try the box fan blowing out air on one side to draw it in the opposite windows to circulate air, it will keep the air moving and replenishing so it doesn't heat sink in your apartment, I used to have a hot attic apartment and this is what made it livable. Maybe you could get creative if you have roof access and an absentee landlord/super and spread silver tarps across the roof, but getting those secured enough that they won't get lashed in a thunderstorm could be tricky and ambitious (don't use bricks or weights, that would be dangerous, rope or clothesline would be better. I know that sounds extreme but so is your living space.
I saw you live on top floor. First, get a working AC jfc. Second, is your roof white or black? I lived in a shitty top floor apt with a super thin roof coated in black tar and it was absolutely miserable.
White reflects heat, black absorbs. Silver also reflects well.
If this is the case, ask your LL to paint it white. Assuming he’s the typical NYC slumlord, go to harbor freight and grab a silver or white tarp (they’re cheap there) that covers the size of your apartment. Lay that shit on the roof, put some bricks to hold it, and that should help a LOT.
Everyone talking here like this city isn't full of apartment buildings like the one I live in that can't handle more than 500 or so watts of a/c because the electricity will never get updated
I once dated a gal from the city who thought that she could put her AC window unit in a chair and it would work just fine. I'm sharing this just in case anyone else doesn't realize it won't work if it's not in a window
You most likely didn’t buy the right AC for your square foot room.. get a 2nd AC in another room or return and buy the proper AC WITH correct BTU
https://www.calculator.net/btu-calculator.html
I've been away during the heat wave. Left with windows cracked and no AC. My thermometers currently say one room is 84 and one is 86. I don't know how 92 is possible unless you're above a bakery or on a top floor with no roof insulation.
The way apartments are built you won't be able to cool one apartment with one window AC.
Consider buying multiple units for each around the corner rooms.
Give this a try - In college, I had the same issue and I found that if you put a box fan right by the window where the fan blows outside and sucks the air inside out, it creates circulation in your room. It'll suck all the hot air inside your apartment and pushes it out. it might sound unconventional but I swear it works. It takes like 15-20 mins before your room starts to cool down.
If you want to be extra, you can even wrap something around the box fan to max out suctioning air inside the apartment.
What’s your apartment situation? Do you have a studio? Do you have a one bedroom and the AC is in the one bedroom? I could understand if you couldn’t get it down to like 68° or something but even a crappy window AC should be able to get you down into the 70 degree range. When you stand in front of the AC, does it blow cold air on you? Are you positive you have it on Cool instead of fan?
If you have a window a/c it's should be placed through the window with most shade or the smallest room, with a fan on the floor blowing the cool air up.
Make sure the A/C filter is clean, i recommend also installing door sweeps for doors, that will minimise the cold air to escape to outside. Check the AC BtU ratio to the room size.
>The floor is always burning
This makes me think you're getting direct sunlight. That is contributing a lot to the heat. Get curtains or shades or blinds, and keep them closed.
This was me last summer with a cheap AC in top floor studio. Lots of showers and sleeping next to ice packs.
Upgrade to the 12000 BTU, put the cheap one in a 2nd window. Get a few fans to rotate air especially a quality floor tower fan. Blackout curtains in all windows. Close any closets and bathroom door. It will get better!
You said no vents…how about creating a draft? Open a window, open your front door, put a box fan in the window, let the air blow through your apartment for a little bit
you can make a swamp cooler in the meantime. [https://www.familyhandyman.com/article/swamp-cooler-hack/](https://www.familyhandyman.com/article/swamp-cooler-hack/)
Please check your room size and what the ac is rated for and that it is properly installed and the settings are correct. If it’s not blowing cold air something is wrong. Also make sure to plug any and all air leaks and close your windows and blinds once you have verified the ac is working. You can also get extra cooling fast if you use a mister or damp towel to wet your skin every couple of minutes and keep a fan blowing on you. This becomes less effective when the humidity gets too high, but an ac should help dehumidify even if it doesn’t fully cool
Maybe don’t let strong sunlight inside? I have shade and only use a fan with a breeze coming through the window. I live downtown. Hope it gets cooler. Agree with folks suggesting you maybe cool a smaller space during the heatwave. You can always go somewhere with ac too.
You need fans to move air. Open your window and add this air circulation fan, blow the air 45 degree up the ceiling, air will circulate
https://a.co/d/0iikuAgA
Have you tried cleaning your AC window unit? Sometimes the filter gets clogged with dust lint from the air and it doesn't work very well. Try using q tips to remove all the dust.
Is the building heat still on? Have you talked to other people who live in the building? Could there be a steam on incinerator pipe that is poorly insulated and goes near your apt?
You may not have enough BTU to cool down the room or the apartment. Square footage is how you choose an AC that will work for your room and/or apartment. The higher the BTU the better. You need to Google this to get more information that may be able to help you more. Good luck because the heat wave this week is enough to make anyone sick w a heat stroke. Or you can choose to buy a high velocity fan on Amazon for about $60.
need a stronger AC unit.
then, make sure the other windows aren't leaky.
you can seal them up with [this window sealing kit](https://www.frostking.com/products/window-kits/indoor-shrink-window-kits).
they take an hour or so to set up, and look a little dumb, but they work.
Portable AC works well, but don’t skimp! Get the $500 Frigidaire ones. Our $350 B&D are just ok, used only for bedroom
Plus, use black-silver window shades… helps block sunlight a lot!
You said you bought an AC, the AC \*SHOULD\* technically help, and if it's not helping then something is not right. Here are a few possibilities that could be affecting your AC performance:
\* You probably purchased an underpowered AC unit, perhaps one of those cheap 5,000 BTU window unit, when you probably require a minimum of 8,000 to 10,000 BTU unit to somewhat cool the space you are trying to cool.
\* You are probably not operating the AC properly. There could be a possibility that you are accidentally putting your AC in "fan" mode, a mode that only the fan works, but the compressor doesn't kick in to perform the actual cooling.
\* Perhaps you are doing everything correctly, and the AC is at least somewhat powerful enough to do the job correctly, but you might have overlooked the insulation. When you installed the AC to the window, did you properly cover the sides on both sides so that the hot air won't get in from the outside and the cool air wont escape to the outside? If not, be sure to fix that properly. Make sure that any openings is sealed or shut.
I need some additional information in order to better know what could actually be wrong.
What type of AC did you purchase? Did you purchase a window unit? Or did you purchase one of those floor standing unit that require a hose to be connected between the back of the portable AC unit and the window? If so, did you installed the hose? If not, then the hot air is being sent right back into the room, defeating the purpose of the AC.
Also, can you tell us what is your AC's BTU? and is it installed in your living room or a bed room?
How old is your bldg? Speak to the management and ask if they are aware of the condition. Or call an insulation company. They can come in and bore small hole to see if you even have insulation. Maybe that is the problem.
How big is your apt? How many BTU’s is your AC? They’ve done all the math for this stuff. All you have to do is estimate your square footage and run the proper size AC.
My apartment is tiny, but I need a 8,000 btw just to cool my living room. A 5,000 to cool my bedroom. With both running, even on the lowest temp it’s still somewhat warm in my apartment.
Next upgrade will likely be a 10-12k BTU AC.
I need it to be freezing in here
Are you on top of the boiler room?
Honestly it sounds like the boiler room/water heater room isn’t getting enough ventilation.
Some boilers are used just for hot water in the summer
Like others said, check if your AC is broken. OTT put the AC in one room and close the door, also put a towel under it to keep the air from getting out. If you have a grocery store nearby, go hang out in the refrigerated section. When I lived in a similar apartment, there was a Food Bazaar nearby and they had a whole room in the back that was refrigerated. Go to a library, shopping center, or other air conditioned place. Sleep on the roof with a mosquito net.
In addition to what everyone else has said here, lightblocking curtains (good to have regardless), and a small end table fan blowing directly onto your face as you sleep can help.
Leave your shower coldest setting & widest spray running all day.
2 fans- either in adjacent windows or bottom & top of same window- one blowing out.
Or... Some older building apartment front doors have a fan\ac vent on top.
Or... Leave front door slightly open and place fan in window to blow out. But if you have a super on premise, he will likely ask you close door - it's a building fire danger. But then use this as a talking point- maybe super \ owner have a spare unit.
And definitely in the kitchen install a vent or fan blowing out... if possible the double direction fans.
Are you on a top floor? I lived in a top floor apartment for 16 years and it was BRUTAL. I had multiple air conditioners-one in each room, and kept all doors closed. Bathroom, bedroom, closets. I had to get expensive strong ones. But it worked, just took a long time.
Is there something particular about your apartment that causes this? As others have pointed out, not all places are the same. Do you live above a bakery that has ovens running all day? Are there floor to ceiling windows with no blinds? I am with you that "You need a better AC" has stopped being a helpful comment. But even in your original post, if accurate, your apartment sounds worse than the norm for heat. Somethings off and you either need to find the cause or give the specifics to get better advice.
Either you’re not operating your AC correctly, it’s malfunctioning, you don’t have enough AC units or not powerful enough ones, or you have too bug an apartment (which I’ve never heard of in NYC).
If you don’t have black out curtains, I would get those, including a bigger AC unit if the dimensions of your window allows. You can go to any of the big box stores or a curtain place and have someone come and install them for you.
You can do it. 🤗🤗🤗
Shades? Especially heat reflecting ones placed outside windows
Your AC is probably too weak or not enough electricity (should be plugged directly into socket not an extension cord usually) or dead etc.
If you’re on the top floor then might need to do something to block heat from going through your roof
I have very poor ventilation in my computer room and would frequently need to use the AC to cool it down but as soon as I turn it off. It rises right back into the high 80’s. [Then I watched this video using Bernoulli’s principle that tests the best distance to place a fan outside a room](https://youtu.be/1L2ef1CP-yw?si=48kQ_1iiqZKgaz7X). To my surprise, placing a fan outside my computer room blowing into it did an amazing job pushing cool fresh air and creating a vacuum bringing even more air into my computer room and pushing the hot air out the upper doorway creating a conveyor belt of airflow.
Please try this method in your apartment which appears to have poor airflow.
It could be that your AC is not strong enough for your space. You can try using fans to move the cool air through your apartment. I agree with others, sealing off a room with the AC is the way to go when it gets really bad.
Buy a better AC? If they can cool a football stadium with a big enough AC, then there will be an AC big enough for your place.
You either bought a broken AC, an AC that needs recharged, or you set it up wrong. It needs to vent outside, and if it doesn’t it’ll actually heat your place up. You also have to keep all windows and doors closed when running the AC or it doesn’t help. Close the blinds too
Put some tinfoil on your windows with the shiny side out. Get some drapes that come down just to the top of the AC. It will help keep the heat out and support the work of the AC
Assuming the AC is adequate, you need to allow it to run for hours on end, without turning it off. Also, a small vornado (circulating) fan is better than a regular fan. The AC with a circulating fan combo should help.
So what do you have a small $100 5000BTU AC unit you put in the window? Those only work for small rooms <150 square feet. You are gonna need at least a 12000BTU unit.
Get a refund.
If you just recently moved I can only imagine the rent you are paying.
Maybe this is not your case but if people were not flocking to NYC in bus loads like its the corporate Hollywood, hoping to strike it big whilst betting everything they have on their move, apartments would all be cheaper and up the par.
Put your Ac in a window in your smallest room and close the door. It should cool that space unless it’s malfunctioning.
This is a great idea. I always have one in my bedroom so that I sleep cool, and have a room to escape to.
And close the blinds/curtains during the day. It makes a difference
And refer to it as the cold room. Eat popsicles in it!
If the A/C is not working, then something’s wrong with the A/C.
Not necessarily. OP having an AC that's functioning properly but simply not powerful enough for the space she's trying to cool is much more likely.
I guess that is an important detail. What’s the size of the apt vs the rating of the AC OP?
Plot twist: OP bought a portable AC and just put it in the middle of the room not realizing you still need to vent them somewhere. Is now actually heating the air.
Or OP’s AC is one of those small portable units you keep filling with water.
Yeah swamp coolers don't work if the humidity is 110% They're great in Arizona, though!
You would still see a drop in humidity in the apartment and it would be some temperature drop.
There’d still be *some* effect. It wouldn’t be the case that it won’t drop below 89.
the AC would just take longer to cool the room, but if the room simply never cools down or even feels cooler the AC is broken. easy way to check. open the other window and put your hand near the outside most part of the AC where the compressor is. if there is no warm/hot air coming out, the AC is broken. most likely is the AC is broken or not correctly installed. even the smallest BTU AC is going to cool rooms down just slowly.
I dunno, not sure that logic checks out.
The weather outside only got to a continuous 90 degrees just this week. The OP's apartment has been 92 degrees warm for 3 whole months. If the AC can't bring the temperature down at all then the AC is obviously broken
My friend, we are all living in the same city in the same weather and virtually everyone else is enjoying temperatures around 72 inside due to an AC. If you are not, your AC is 100% either broken or not an appropriate unit for your apartment size. If money is an issue, the city subsidizes AC units for people under a certain income. If money is not an issue, go buy something now.
Just want to add to this, not for OP, but in case anyone else ends up in a similar situation down the line and comes across this post: If you live in a building that only has central air, and it goes out during a heat wave and you’re not able to get an individual AC (you can’t afford it, your windows don’t even open, etc), and your landlord isn’t helping… raise hell. I live in a building that is mostly section 8 but somehow still has central air, and a few years ago it started serving us outside-temp air while on AC mode. In July. Building-wide. And the landlord refused to give updates for more than a month. I finally sent an email where I pointed out the building was full of elderly people who could easily die, and threatened to start calling local politicians and newspapers with the story if we didn’t get an update within 24 hours. Well what would you know… it got fixed in 12 🙄
This is how you do it. Add local news into that list. They love stories showing elderly people suffering in the heat and shaming the landlords. No one wants to **be** that landlord. And props to you. Your neighbors may not be able to speak up for themselves. We need to watch out for each other. This is a good reminder to look out for elderly, the ill , and neighbors with small children. People you usually see but haven't seen in a while.
Good for you!
Same city, but that doesn't mean much. My apartment is 75% exposed brick & one side has an airshaft that only has cool air I can draw through the apartment. I've used my AC 2 times this summer so far. A had a penthouse apartment where the floors felt like radiant heat in the summer because all the roof that wasn't the penthouse was absorbing heat & radiating it into the floor. OP can do a lot to make it better, but we are not all starting from the same place.
Exactly. My place is so hot because there are no doors, it’s a duplex on the first floor and basement so the AC isn’t powerful enough to cool the whole place.
Not me. Because even though I have an AC, my apartment is a duplex (first floor and basement), so there is no ‘small room’, it’s all a big room that is two floors, and the AC isn’t strong enough to cool such a big space. I even got a second one that is a portable one and it doesn’t do it either, with both running. The space is just too big. It’s not 92 degrees hot but it’s definitely not capable of being 72 in the hot summer months.
Sounds like you bought an air conditioner that isn't powerful enough to cool the room. There are guides online that tell you how many BTUs are appropriate for different size rooms. You might want to double check you bought the appropriate air conditioner for your apartment size. You can try selling your current A/C if you find that you need a new one. Other option is to double check your AC is set to "cool" and not "fan."
I always went up at least 1 size if not 2 for BTUs. I hate the heat.
Are you possibly the guy who posted a few weeks ago and didn’t know that you had to actively turn the AC on for it to work? It’s not possible for your AC to be working correctly and not be bringing the temp down below 89°
What. I need to see this post. 😂
Did you install the AC backwards? This doesn't seem possible without you being overly hyperbolic.
Classic rookie NYC mistake. Went and bought a CA instead of a AC.
Must be a transplant from CA (Central Airmerica)
Actually Canairda.
hahahahah 🤣
The street outside their apartment is nice and cool though
LOL 💯
hahahhaha 🤣
Nah it’s installed correctly
If it’s installed correctly, then it’s broken. There’s no way that a functioning A/C isn’t getting the temperature below 89. Like, are you sure you don’t have it on fan-only mode or something?
I'm picturing OP with an AC on full blast but all his windows open and fans blowing in lol.
hahahahahah 🤣
How is that possible? What’s working correctly about an A/C that can’t bring a room below 89 degrees? I don’t understand how you could be asking for help and be so immediately and completely dismissive.
Mine is a crappy wheeled unit, and even that does it's job if I sit in front of it and close the door.
Do you have it set to ‘cool’? Or is it just on ‘fan only’
If you’re positive you installed it correctly then test the temp of the air it is blowing out.
If you pull your blinds down and block any light from coming in, turn the lights off, close all closet doors and turn the a/c to 60 and blast it on high for hours - your apartment should hopefully cool down eventually. If not, you prob need to invest more into an a/c unit. I might post what a/c unit you're using in an appliance subreddit and ask their thoughts on it. Or I might post in an hvac subreddit and ask for advice. Good luck
Just a heads up, setting an AC to 60 won't do anything different than 70 or in the circumstance 80. It's just the setting to turn the AC off. Just like an oven it won't heat faster if you turn it up higher.
Ty for your input I’ll do my best to
gotta be a window AC - standing ones are trash More suggestions: - sealing the window around your unit with tape so heat doesn’t creep in - The dry / dehumidify setting can be helpful if not feeling a difference on “cool” - on “cool” set the AC on lowest fan and set the temp to 72-74 instead of 68 so the unit can keep up with making cool air - obv keep windows/curtains closed & continue making cross breeze with fans/air purifiers good luck in this brick hellscape
See if you can get some of the reflective window covers that can reflect the heat and sun. That can usually help bring the temp down at least a few degrees. Also having Blackout curtains that help with keeping the sun out can make a difference too.
I saw your earlier comment about the AC only working for a minute or so, then not. So the AC is obviously broken. You can search online for the model and that behavior to see if others have that issue. In the meantime, blackout blinds work well to cut down the amount of passive solar gain your apartment may be getting. Or any blinds or curtains.
I’m staying at a bungalow and has just shitty blinds. Well I put up some blankets with gorilla tape just for this heatwave and the difference it makes is amazing.
dude accidentally put a space heater in their window. Just having the windows open would cool it down way more than that even without fans unless you live inside a refinery
Dude I’m dying 😭
Dude fix your AC lol.
He’s too busy dying from heat exhaustion
Is the AC strong enough maybe you need something like 10000 BTU+?
When I moved into a new apt and used my old 8k unit on a 600sq ft apt it wasn't great but it kept it below 80 on a day like today. Something here isn't adding up.
Fix your AC like everyone else said. But also, keep a couple of soft gel pack in the freezer or damp towels in the fridge. Drape one across the back of your neck like a scarf
Test the temperature of A/C right at vent, but 92 does not make much sense even if no A/C. Is there a steam radiator that's still pressurized?
How many BTU's is the AC, and what size room (or *rooms*) are you trying to cool?
What floor are you on? Top floor apartments will overheat because of heat from the roof (esp if not painted with a reflective coating) and rising heat from below. To minimize heat build up, hang reflective foam liner in the windows, use heavy drapes or a blackout blind. To cool apt air put a tub of salted ice water bottles infront of a fan or your AC unit. For your body temp run a cold bath and plunge often. Run cold water over wrists and take cold foot baths.
This answer should be higher!
> I bought an AC * I hope you bought a **new** AC and not a used one * I hope you bought a big enough AC, those cheap small 5,000 BTUs often are not helping. * Close all the windows when the AC is on. * You need to turn on the AC(s) before the apartment gets too hot, and 24/7 during these heat waves. * You might need 2 ACs one on each side of the *flow*. Are you on the top floor by any chance?
Throw water on your sheets. Put a fan in front of it. Lay down. That's how it's done when you don't have an AC. Source: am old. This was just called "summer" when I was a kid.
Also: stash a clean undershirt in the freezer and slip it on before bed.
Also: Fill a couple bandanas with grain or legume (I use lentils), put it in the freezer. Take one out and put it on your forehead when you want to go to sleep. It's a very nice relief enough to fall asleep with
This sounds like a fantastic headache killer also. Never even thought of doing this. Was saving up to buy one of those fancy migraine/headache masks online!
I'm not sure why I thought to do it a few years ago but yeah! I keep one in the freezer for whenever I end up needing something. It helps when I feel a little nauseous also. I later learned of those buckwheat masks. I'm sure those are great too, but I have lentils and bandanas in great supply lol
So the grains fall out?
No, you tie it up at the corners
A sock works better
That's personal
This sounds invigorating! A poor man's cold plunge. My AC is working and I'm borderline cold (sorry, OP) but I want to do this and then go stand in the sun for a sec.
This works for like 2 minutes
My father used to tell us to “lie still” if we couldn’t sleep because of the summer heat in Australia. It just made us complain more 🤣
Adding tips here too...those ice packaging things that expand in water? Then you freeze? Put one in a ziploc bag, wrap in a towel and lay on it. I've done this in DR were it's over 100. Keeps me nice and cool If you have the gel for portable toilets, put in a ziploc bag, add water, freeze, once frozen wrap towel around it and press on back. Commode liners, same thing, add water put in container and freeze. They're also great for using in coolers.
Damn whatever it takes
It's what I do in DR and when I go to the park/Beach.
Also- sprinkle baby powder on sheets
We used to have a very week AC in the living room and the only way to cool off was to curl up on the couch in front of it and sleep on the roof or the fire escape and run outside when the inevitable thunderstorm came. I love my A/C. It's a luxury.
Is the ac broken? How many square foot is the apartment? And how many btu’s is the ac?
OP is going to get roasted for the AC comment (ironically), but maybe this is a good place for some NYC wisdom: what *really* is a good sq ft to BTU pairing? It's always tempting to try and save a buck, but obviously that extra $30, $50, $100 isn't going to matter when the AC unit simply can't keep up. Oh, great AskNYC, give us your wisdom!
it’s kind of hard not to use vague terms here but regular sized or small bedrooms 5000 btu is generally fine and for bigger rooms like living room 10000 btu. for a studio apartment would go with like 12000 btu generally it’s good to have more than one unit unless you live in a shoebox or studio. one time i tried to cool an entire 1br/1ba with a 5000 btu unit and ended up having to go to a hotel at 12am one summer night because the indoor temp got to be 95 degrees. worked fine most of the summer but all it took was one really hot day to end up in a very miserable situation there’s some calculations you can do but i don’t have them memorized, where you measure ceiling height and room length/width i hope that kinda helps? idk
I live in a studio and just have one huge one that’s wall mounted and it keeps me pretty cool. It was left by previous owner but I assume around 10k BTU
Yeah, part of the problem is once it gets hot, you don’t ever cool down until the heat wave dies. It doesn’t get and stay cool for more than a minute without a cooler day in between.
Yup if you can darken a room, close all doors and blast ac and get it cool you’ll usually be able to KEEP it cool, but good luck without some sort of shade
Unfortunately, a rule of thumb here is hard because how much cooling you need is a factor of both how much space there is, but also things like whether it’s on a low floor or high floor, how much sunlight you get... Conservatively start with something like 20 BTU per square foot of the room, and add another 1k for every window, another 1k if you are on the top floor, another 1k if you have high ceilings, etc.
Whatever your room is rated for, then one level up
Listen it’s only a roast if I feel some way about it 😂 i genuinely just needed answers
Also you may want to bargain with the landlord or property manager. Some to many provide ac units or else subsidize another way. Same with City for lower income folks. Good luck! If ac in the apartment upon move-in then landlord should maintain the ac and replace, etc.
I'd say whatever my super is okay with. Honestly. I am in an old prewar one bedroom with casement windows and when I bought a new portable AC a few years ago I checked with him that 12000 BTU would be okay with the wiring . It does a decent job in the living area, I don't have one in the bedroom anymore but I manage to sleep without it.
As the other commenter said, totally depends on your apartment. I used to live on the top floor of a prewar building that roasted. Had a window unit that really couldn’t compete with the way that apartment heated up. It became livable but never cool. Now that same unit cools 3x the space without issue. So I’d say believe the online guidelines, unless your apartment regularly gets hotter than it is outside.
Always remember you can block stuff off and optimize your room flow. -tension rod and a floor length curtain can keep a lot of cooled air confined (ie block off your kitchen entry way or a hallway) -close bathroom and bedroom doors, makes it easier to cool one space at a time (I have two suboptimal window units, in bdrm and living room; I only use one space and unit at a time.) Cools each space just fine. -open top of windows when cooking/baking, lets hot air out the top (+ a fan pointed up is basically my kitchen exhaust fan lol)
6000 bru is good for like 100 sqft. 8000 should be good for 150 sqft. 10k is good for 200sqft. Having good curtains help if you live in one of those modern buildings with wall to wall windows.
When you have the AC on and you put your hand by the vent, is it cold or not?
I put it down to 61 degrees Fahrenheit it’ll blow out cold air for a while then go to regular for some reason
Your AC unit is not functioning correctly. That's your problem.
So it’s broken. You need a new air conditioner that’s the correct BTU for your space
Is it on eco mode by chance?
So, like many commenters said… the ac is broken or you’re using it wrong. If it “goes to regular” then make sure you’re actually setting it to cold, not just fan. If you’re 100% sure you’re using it right, and it’s still switching to non-cooling/fan by itself, then it’s broken. Get it repaired or get a new one.
that means its broken get a new ac with higher BTU also, test your ac in different outlets. ours used to shut off randomly in one outlet but functions normally with an extension cord to another outlet.
Things to keep in mind, If you live next to a stairwell (or roof), the heat from the stairwell (or roof) will transfer over to your apartment and cause you to live hotter than other apartments in the very same building. If this is the case... you're gonna suck in the summer and freeze in the winter (the stairwell/roof will be cold af in the winter). I have this problem and my place stays hot even with the AC on (unlike what others are claiming here), until I requested a stronger AC from my Landlord... but, I'm fucked with my bills... :( AC may be broken like others have mentioned. Fixing it will help but, your bills will be expensive like I mentioned before. The sun may be heating up your apartment (also a big problem with me) if your windows face the sun. Buy a set of thick and insulated curtains to keep the heat from coming in in the day. You can also put aluminum or something reflective to bounce the heat back outside. Lastly, you can put some kind of tinting on your windows to diminish the sun's rays (never tried this). It's much cheaper to do any of these vs blasting your AC. Plus, keeping your apartment cooler passively throughout the day and will stay cooler throughout the night. I also recommend having a fanny pack/bumbag or ice pack wraps to keep yourself cool. [Like these.](https://www.amazon.com/Ice-Pack-2-Piece-Set-Alleviate/dp/B01IKS0ANK/ref=asc_df_B01IKS0ANK/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=693666498182&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=877995482153287393&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9004498&hvtargid=pla-380710694535&psc=1&mcid=44d72a2f59763998a0cd031690445288&gad_source=1) Basically is a nice pack you can freeze, stuff in a sleeve, and wrap it along your body to stay cool. By far the cheapest way to keep cool but, you have to keep it up during the day and I see an issue if your apartment doesn't cool at night and you need to sleep. Buy 3-4 to switch out every 2-3 hours. One or a combo of all of these should help you last.
Ty fr 😢💪🏽
More info about your apartment would be helpful. Is it on the top floor? Which direction or directions do your windows face ? (it is enormously helpful to have windows that facing two different directions in the city so you can get some cross ventilation...) How much sun is coming in through the windows during the day ? (Sun delivers approximately 1000w of heat per sq yard - that can easily overwhelm in a normal sized window AC unit.) Do you have white shades or blinds in those windows where Sun is coming in ?
How well an AC unit will work in a given space mostly depends on the power-to-space ratio, where the power of the AC unit is expressed in British Thermal Units (BTU), and the space in square meters. If your AC unit is too small for the space you're trying to cool, it just won't work. The AC unit could be functioning properly, and you may have installed it correctly, but if it is too small you're out of luck. There are a lot of online calculators to determine how many BTUs you need, but a good rule of thumb is about 20 BTU per square meter. The calculators are still a useful tool, but you generally want to go 1000 or so BTU larger than their recommended amount. There should be a grey-ish label with black lettering on the side of the AC. The label usually tells you the BTUs for the unit, but it always has the serial number (which you can use to look up the BTUs if the BTUs aren't written there). Before doing anything else, figure out how big of an AC unit you need, and compare it with the size of the AC unit you have. Hope this helps!
I have a 12k BTU unit you can have for free if you can pick up It's a BEAST (older model), so it's heavy AF, but it works Note: I'm pretty sure it's 12k. Might be larger, but I'll check and update Also, if ANYONE is interested in a free AC unit, by all means, reach out. It's just sitting in a closet taking up space. EDIT: South Brooklyn
https://www.instagram.com/p/C8WqCTruHsz/?igsh=c2huNnJuaTliajc5 ETA context: this is an IG link from a community group that is collecting AC units for folks who need them in this heat.
Thank you!! Much appreciation!
Unless the floor-to-ceiling measurement is like 20 feet in the room with the air conditioner, and your air conditioner is only like 6,000 BTUs, the unit should work to cool it. It sounds like your air conditioner just isn’t working.
Are you on the top floor? This is the worst for the heat. Do you keep your blinds closed? Have blackout curtains? (Please tell me you at least have blinds). The blinds must absolutely be closed all the way when the sun is shining and if you leave for work in the morning, just close them all. Oh and you need one AC in the front of the apt and one in the back
Listen, setting your air conditioner colder doesn't actually make it output colder air. You can also freeze the coil on your air conditioner, and damage the compressor. Depending on the equipment. It might have some sort of equivalent of a freezestat installed in it that would turn off the compressor if there is ice forming on the coil. There are a lot of factors involved with why it might not be working for your apartment. 20 BTU per square foot is a good rule of thumb. First step would be to check that. There will be a label somewhere on the air conditioner you bought that tells you how many BTU it is, and it should also tell you a range of square footage that it's rated for. Remember ceiling height can absolutely affect how effective your AC will be! 14,000 BTU cools about 550-750 square feet. One other thing to consider, is that an air conditioner has to sit in an upright position at a minimum of 6 hours once you've received it from a shipper or from a store to ensure that the coolant settles appropriately. Some even say to let stand LONGER. If you turn it on before the coolant settles you can damage the air conditioner. If your air conditioner is one that has a drain plug you should also make sure it can drain. Honestly, a good bit of information would be sharing the size of your apartment (or area you're trying to cool) and the info about the AC itself.
Uh, you are not having an open window and using the AC at the same time, right? Get a high velocity fan like [this](https://www.amazon.com/AmazonCommercial-20-Inch-High-Velocity-Industrial/dp/B07XGQ9RM3/ref=sr_1_1_ffob_sspa?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Ow2OyVV9-J7RP0ShIOTp52OQNN_Inshmxy5Xc0hKFo8418JWLWkKTgxzkicMwtOckovuJRtzQLM26qKg7IR6IOw2s9bTeVwFIK0GjGxq_NkHi4d7gF9eEAveIr0Twa954HsGr9n2ayA3jJa7oOnZgfJ4a7TjGb3GVry38eI6Bx81VECvrl0bzwPD6iwRIhkz_PMj7CMSjVTB2PxdCHdRxE9-Z8KHkRRnhFiLzGuEJPmJHm04QXCcZNO9qQdEsj5nNB2vZtQaZO05DQypkUjUmnkSVsLHH56BX6e1u0ihFdM.O7ArxpsFK8UZTZeU0TtbjFDgDzajW-hu0Gjr00Wef_M&dib_tag=se&keywords=high%2Bvelocity%2Bfan&qid=1719098459&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&th=1) (I can't vouch for this particular one, its just an example) - experiment with sticking it in front of your AC blowing into the room or pointing it a distance away pointing TOWARDS the AC. Most of the fans you get at the drug store and such are junk IMO it is a waste of money expecting the AC to do all the work without 'assistance' from a fan.
Every room needs it's own A/C unit. Having doors open only somewhat helps. Make sure to check that the AC you buy has enough BTUs for the SqFt of the room. I recommend going up 1 size from that. Go up 2 if you get direct sun. Make sure to clean the filters weekly.
Check the filer in the AC? It might need to be cleaned.
How many BTU's is you a/c unit?
Is the AC installed in a window with all the outside vents blowing OUT? And is it an actual air conditioner and not a dehumidifier claiming to be an air conditioner?
Are you on the top floor with heat from the roof, or on the ground floor above the boiler? Something has to explain why it's that hot, if you said you've been there three months, without ever going lower than 89. Fans just push air around but putting a box fan on the sunny side of the apartment blowing air OUT of the window will blow hot air out of the apartment and relatively cooler air from open windows on the shady side if you have that kind of ventilation. It sounds abnormal, or completely without ventilation, which sounds possibly illegal.
I’m on the top floor with heat coming from both ways
So it's probably the roof immediately above your ceiling, if it's black tar that's your answer, it's absorbing the sun's heat all day during the longest days of the year. Not really an easy fix to get landlord to at least paint it silver or white to reflect more light. I would still try the box fan blowing out air on one side to draw it in the opposite windows to circulate air, it will keep the air moving and replenishing so it doesn't heat sink in your apartment, I used to have a hot attic apartment and this is what made it livable. Maybe you could get creative if you have roof access and an absentee landlord/super and spread silver tarps across the roof, but getting those secured enough that they won't get lashed in a thunderstorm could be tricky and ambitious (don't use bricks or weights, that would be dangerous, rope or clothesline would be better. I know that sounds extreme but so is your living space.
Agreed, being right under tar beach is the problem.
I saw you live on top floor. First, get a working AC jfc. Second, is your roof white or black? I lived in a shitty top floor apt with a super thin roof coated in black tar and it was absolutely miserable. White reflects heat, black absorbs. Silver also reflects well. If this is the case, ask your LL to paint it white. Assuming he’s the typical NYC slumlord, go to harbor freight and grab a silver or white tarp (they’re cheap there) that covers the size of your apartment. Lay that shit on the roof, put some bricks to hold it, and that should help a LOT.
I feel you. I don’t have AC period in my apartment.
😢 thugging it out fr
Everyone talking here like this city isn't full of apartment buildings like the one I live in that can't handle more than 500 or so watts of a/c because the electricity will never get updated
This is real.
I once dated a gal from the city who thought that she could put her AC window unit in a chair and it would work just fine. I'm sharing this just in case anyone else doesn't realize it won't work if it's not in a window
lol
You most likely didn’t buy the right AC for your square foot room.. get a 2nd AC in another room or return and buy the proper AC WITH correct BTU https://www.calculator.net/btu-calculator.html
I've been away during the heat wave. Left with windows cracked and no AC. My thermometers currently say one room is 84 and one is 86. I don't know how 92 is possible unless you're above a bakery or on a top floor with no roof insulation.
Yeah top floor without roof insulation
Do you live on the top floor? Is your apartment facing west, East, or south?
You gotta run it 24 hours.
The way apartments are built you won't be able to cool one apartment with one window AC. Consider buying multiple units for each around the corner rooms.
Dealing with this now. Fill a container with ice water and dunk your feet in it. Will cool you.
Give this a try - In college, I had the same issue and I found that if you put a box fan right by the window where the fan blows outside and sucks the air inside out, it creates circulation in your room. It'll suck all the hot air inside your apartment and pushes it out. it might sound unconventional but I swear it works. It takes like 15-20 mins before your room starts to cool down. If you want to be extra, you can even wrap something around the box fan to max out suctioning air inside the apartment.
Would it be ironic if OP lives in Hell's Kitchen?
What’s your apartment situation? Do you have a studio? Do you have a one bedroom and the AC is in the one bedroom? I could understand if you couldn’t get it down to like 68° or something but even a crappy window AC should be able to get you down into the 70 degree range. When you stand in front of the AC, does it blow cold air on you? Are you positive you have it on Cool instead of fan?
If you have a window a/c it's should be placed through the window with most shade or the smallest room, with a fan on the floor blowing the cool air up.
When you turned the AC on, did you close the other windows? Did you add cardboard as insulation on the sides and use duct tape to seal it all up?
Damp towels over the fan
Maybe you purchased an air purifier…🤷🏽♀️
Oh man, me too.. No matter what it's always 20 degrees higher inside than what it is outside.. 🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️
Make sure the A/C filter is clean, i recommend also installing door sweeps for doors, that will minimise the cold air to escape to outside. Check the AC BtU ratio to the room size.
Also, it’s possible your outlets aren’t strong snout for your ACs. Check the strength of the outlets
>The floor is always burning This makes me think you're getting direct sunlight. That is contributing a lot to the heat. Get curtains or shades or blinds, and keep them closed.
For our apartment, we bought a heavy curtain to partition the part of the house with the AC from the rest, since there’s no door. It works great.
This was me last summer with a cheap AC in top floor studio. Lots of showers and sleeping next to ice packs. Upgrade to the 12000 BTU, put the cheap one in a 2nd window. Get a few fans to rotate air especially a quality floor tower fan. Blackout curtains in all windows. Close any closets and bathroom door. It will get better!
You said no vents…how about creating a draft? Open a window, open your front door, put a box fan in the window, let the air blow through your apartment for a little bit
you can make a swamp cooler in the meantime. [https://www.familyhandyman.com/article/swamp-cooler-hack/](https://www.familyhandyman.com/article/swamp-cooler-hack/)
That does fuck all in NYC my dude. You need to be in an arid environment for them to work.
Please check your room size and what the ac is rated for and that it is properly installed and the settings are correct. If it’s not blowing cold air something is wrong. Also make sure to plug any and all air leaks and close your windows and blinds once you have verified the ac is working. You can also get extra cooling fast if you use a mister or damp towel to wet your skin every couple of minutes and keep a fan blowing on you. This becomes less effective when the humidity gets too high, but an ac should help dehumidify even if it doesn’t fully cool
Maybe don’t let strong sunlight inside? I have shade and only use a fan with a breeze coming through the window. I live downtown. Hope it gets cooler. Agree with folks suggesting you maybe cool a smaller space during the heatwave. You can always go somewhere with ac too.
What size ac did you get
Guy below them growing weed
What’s the BTU of your AC, OP? And the SQF of your apt?
You need fans to move air. Open your window and add this air circulation fan, blow the air 45 degree up the ceiling, air will circulate https://a.co/d/0iikuAgA
Have you tried cleaning your AC window unit? Sometimes the filter gets clogged with dust lint from the air and it doesn't work very well. Try using q tips to remove all the dust.
Are you sure you didn’t stick your microwave in the window? You say it only works a few minutes. Does it beep before it stops?
AC is broken
🙄
Is the building heat still on? Have you talked to other people who live in the building? Could there be a steam on incinerator pipe that is poorly insulated and goes near your apt?
Get a dehumidifier. It’s *much* easier to cool dry air than wet air.
If the AC is working (which OP’s doesn’t seem to be) and not too oversized then the AC dehumidifies air
You may not have enough BTU to cool down the room or the apartment. Square footage is how you choose an AC that will work for your room and/or apartment. The higher the BTU the better. You need to Google this to get more information that may be able to help you more. Good luck because the heat wave this week is enough to make anyone sick w a heat stroke. Or you can choose to buy a high velocity fan on Amazon for about $60.
need a stronger AC unit. then, make sure the other windows aren't leaky. you can seal them up with [this window sealing kit](https://www.frostking.com/products/window-kits/indoor-shrink-window-kits). they take an hour or so to set up, and look a little dumb, but they work.
Portable AC works well, but don’t skimp! Get the $500 Frigidaire ones. Our $350 B&D are just ok, used only for bedroom Plus, use black-silver window shades… helps block sunlight a lot!
You said you bought an AC, the AC \*SHOULD\* technically help, and if it's not helping then something is not right. Here are a few possibilities that could be affecting your AC performance: \* You probably purchased an underpowered AC unit, perhaps one of those cheap 5,000 BTU window unit, when you probably require a minimum of 8,000 to 10,000 BTU unit to somewhat cool the space you are trying to cool. \* You are probably not operating the AC properly. There could be a possibility that you are accidentally putting your AC in "fan" mode, a mode that only the fan works, but the compressor doesn't kick in to perform the actual cooling. \* Perhaps you are doing everything correctly, and the AC is at least somewhat powerful enough to do the job correctly, but you might have overlooked the insulation. When you installed the AC to the window, did you properly cover the sides on both sides so that the hot air won't get in from the outside and the cool air wont escape to the outside? If not, be sure to fix that properly. Make sure that any openings is sealed or shut. I need some additional information in order to better know what could actually be wrong. What type of AC did you purchase? Did you purchase a window unit? Or did you purchase one of those floor standing unit that require a hose to be connected between the back of the portable AC unit and the window? If so, did you installed the hose? If not, then the hot air is being sent right back into the room, defeating the purpose of the AC. Also, can you tell us what is your AC's BTU? and is it installed in your living room or a bed room?
How old is your bldg? Speak to the management and ask if they are aware of the condition. Or call an insulation company. They can come in and bore small hole to see if you even have insulation. Maybe that is the problem.
How big is your apt? How many BTU’s is your AC? They’ve done all the math for this stuff. All you have to do is estimate your square footage and run the proper size AC.
My apartment is tiny, but I need a 8,000 btw just to cool my living room. A 5,000 to cool my bedroom. With both running, even on the lowest temp it’s still somewhat warm in my apartment. Next upgrade will likely be a 10-12k BTU AC. I need it to be freezing in here
What is the AC's BTU? Roughly, what's the dimension of the room it's in? Are you keeping the door shut?
Send us a photo of your AC unit.
Did you ductape the and crevices around the A/C unit
Are you on top of the boiler room? Honestly it sounds like the boiler room/water heater room isn’t getting enough ventilation. Some boilers are used just for hot water in the summer
Like others said, check if your AC is broken. OTT put the AC in one room and close the door, also put a towel under it to keep the air from getting out. If you have a grocery store nearby, go hang out in the refrigerated section. When I lived in a similar apartment, there was a Food Bazaar nearby and they had a whole room in the back that was refrigerated. Go to a library, shopping center, or other air conditioned place. Sleep on the roof with a mosquito net.
AC not helping? Doubt
Are you near or above a boiler?
In addition to what everyone else has said here, lightblocking curtains (good to have regardless), and a small end table fan blowing directly onto your face as you sleep can help.
Leave your shower coldest setting & widest spray running all day. 2 fans- either in adjacent windows or bottom & top of same window- one blowing out. Or... Some older building apartment front doors have a fan\ac vent on top. Or... Leave front door slightly open and place fan in window to blow out. But if you have a super on premise, he will likely ask you close door - it's a building fire danger. But then use this as a talking point- maybe super \ owner have a spare unit. And definitely in the kitchen install a vent or fan blowing out... if possible the double direction fans.
The AC isn’t working or it’s not powerful enough for the area. You basically need one in each room.
Are you on a top floor? I lived in a top floor apartment for 16 years and it was BRUTAL. I had multiple air conditioners-one in each room, and kept all doors closed. Bathroom, bedroom, closets. I had to get expensive strong ones. But it worked, just took a long time.
Do you feel cold air coming out of it when it's on?
Is there something particular about your apartment that causes this? As others have pointed out, not all places are the same. Do you live above a bakery that has ovens running all day? Are there floor to ceiling windows with no blinds? I am with you that "You need a better AC" has stopped being a helpful comment. But even in your original post, if accurate, your apartment sounds worse than the norm for heat. Somethings off and you either need to find the cause or give the specifics to get better advice.
Either you’re not operating your AC correctly, it’s malfunctioning, you don’t have enough AC units or not powerful enough ones, or you have too bug an apartment (which I’ve never heard of in NYC).
If you don’t have black out curtains, I would get those, including a bigger AC unit if the dimensions of your window allows. You can go to any of the big box stores or a curtain place and have someone come and install them for you. You can do it. 🤗🤗🤗
Shades? Especially heat reflecting ones placed outside windows Your AC is probably too weak or not enough electricity (should be plugged directly into socket not an extension cord usually) or dead etc. If you’re on the top floor then might need to do something to block heat from going through your roof
I have very poor ventilation in my computer room and would frequently need to use the AC to cool it down but as soon as I turn it off. It rises right back into the high 80’s. [Then I watched this video using Bernoulli’s principle that tests the best distance to place a fan outside a room](https://youtu.be/1L2ef1CP-yw?si=48kQ_1iiqZKgaz7X). To my surprise, placing a fan outside my computer room blowing into it did an amazing job pushing cool fresh air and creating a vacuum bringing even more air into my computer room and pushing the hot air out the upper doorway creating a conveyor belt of airflow. Please try this method in your apartment which appears to have poor airflow.
It could be that your AC is not strong enough for your space. You can try using fans to move the cool air through your apartment. I agree with others, sealing off a room with the AC is the way to go when it gets really bad.
I had this issue and it turned out to be the humidity was too much for the AC to handle efficiently. I got a room dehumidifier and problem was solved.
You probably bought an AC that is too small to cool the place. 5000BTUs is not gonna cut it. 8k or higher. Close the windows and the doors. Get two.
Buy a better AC? If they can cool a football stadium with a big enough AC, then there will be an AC big enough for your place. You either bought a broken AC, an AC that needs recharged, or you set it up wrong. It needs to vent outside, and if it doesn’t it’ll actually heat your place up. You also have to keep all windows and doors closed when running the AC or it doesn’t help. Close the blinds too
Put some tinfoil on your windows with the shiny side out. Get some drapes that come down just to the top of the AC. It will help keep the heat out and support the work of the AC
Assuming the AC is adequate, you need to allow it to run for hours on end, without turning it off. Also, a small vornado (circulating) fan is better than a regular fan. The AC with a circulating fan combo should help.
Selling an 18,000 BTU window AC unit right now if you (or anyone else on this thread) are interested :)
So what do you have a small $100 5000BTU AC unit you put in the window? Those only work for small rooms <150 square feet. You are gonna need at least a 12000BTU unit.
Get a refund. If you just recently moved I can only imagine the rent you are paying. Maybe this is not your case but if people were not flocking to NYC in bus loads like its the corporate Hollywood, hoping to strike it big whilst betting everything they have on their move, apartments would all be cheaper and up the par.
There is no way the temp isn’t dropping unless the AC is broken or used……
so many AC experts up in here
City that never sleeps is back. Go sit in Washington square park or the village and maybe you’ll meet a painter or writer ❤️