Cool down a room

[cooljm94]

I hope I am putting this is in the appropriate section!
I live in Florida and we have more days that are hot than cool. I already have my A/C on a decent setting for chinchillas but at times my room gets so warm. I have 2 fans always on full blast, black out curtains and blinds, my chinchillas are away from the windows, but my room is still a tad bit too warm for my comfort for my chins.
I'm looking into a cover that goes on the A/C vent and helps circulate the cold air more. I do have chinchillers always in the cage. I'm going to do the whole frozen water bottle idea. I'm also getting rid of my 55g fish tank to help cool things down, would turning the heater down on my water bed help at all? I don't think it makes my room hot but you never know.
Any other ideas?

 

[Essentia]

What temperature is your room? I also live in FL and keep my home AC on 75 for my comfort and the room the chinchillas are in stays below 70 for their comfort. If you don't have a thermometer/hygrometer in your room you absolutely need one. You can get a digital one at walmart for $7. It looks like this:

or this

It's hard to judge temperature off feeling alone. If it feels warm to you though (without you wearing a fur coat) then it is definitely too warm for them.

 

[cooljm94]

well its just at the safe level for them but for my comfort and their I'd like it to be just a few degrees cooler. I'm not asking for a whopping 20-30 degrees cooler lol, just maybe 3-5. I'd rather not buy an expensive A/c unit if I'm just wanting 3-5 degrees cooler.

 

[mercynursie]

If you can shut off/close some of the other vents in your house that will force more cool air into just your room.

 

[chinnychinchinchilla]

still it is not good to go by your estimate. you need a thermometer. it needs to be below 70 for you chin to be comfortable.

 

[Essentia]

Even if you only want it 3-5 degrees cooler you still need a thermometer/hygrometer near their cage that way you know exactly what the temperature and humidity is. Like mercynursie said, you can somewhat close the other vents in the house and leave yours fully open in your room.

Also, I never said for you to buy another air conditioner. The room the chins are in stays cooler at my house because I use the method mercynursie said, not because I use a second air conditioner, though I do always have a window ac unit on standby for emergencies (power going out and needing to use a generator, main ac not working, etc).

 

[Dusty Foot Prints]

My husband is in the A/C business, and he said your best option for that one room would be to get a window unit- 6000 btu. It should run you less than $200. He says there is no way to circulate cold air unless you make more cold air. He has never heard of a "cover" for an A/C that boosts cold air. I would also get a thermometer, like the others have said and check your humidity level. :witch:

 

[cooljm94]

I had never heard of the cover either its from a post earlier
http://www.smarthome.com/3017W/Flus...Conditioning-Booster-Fan-White-HC500-W/p.aspx
I already have a thermostat, I just need to get a new one cause my current one is attempting to die. I will try the "close other vents" method and see how that turns out. See the cost for me to get an A/c window unit would be really expensive, I'm no window expert but I don't think my windows are built to have a unit in them lol.
Thanks for the tips guys!

 

[Dusty Foot Prints]

Dusty foot prints husband here-
the device is what we in HVAC trade call a inline duct booster fan. At first I was not sure of what you were looking at, but now that I see it, I know. The booster fan will help pull air to the room at the expense of stealing a little air from the whole system or the sum. The thermostat will still only be responding to the temperature at where it is mounted. Your dilemma will play out like this, the booster fan will help bring a little more air into the room but I doubt it will drop the temp by one degree. You will be using your homes cental cooling system to try and "overcool" one room. The only real way to solve your situation is to zone the damper system and to add multiple thermostats to zoned areas. If you were to add a small window unit, it would only be delivering air to the room that you wanted.
The window unit will draw much less amperage that the homes larger central air system. Bottom line, IMO I wouldn't waste your money on the booster fan, air flow is not the same thing as air cooling, if that makes sense. However, having said that, if you do give it a try, let us know how it works.

 

[cooljm94]

I will definitely let everyone know if I have seen any changes when I get that booster fan. Seeing as it is cooling down in FL I don't need to get it until spring. I'm also getting rid of my HUGE fish tank that emits heat (due to the lights and the pump) so hopefully those things combined will help. I also lowered my water bed temp just to see if that would do anything. I'll keep everyone updated!

 

[fbodgrl]

I will definitely let everyone know if I have seen any changes when I get that booster fan. Seeing as it is cooling down in FL I don't need to get it until spring. I'm also getting rid of my HUGE fish tank that emits heat (due to the lights and the pump) so hopefully those things combined will help. I also lowered my water bed temp just to see if that would do anything. I'll keep everyone updated!

I have a 90 gal (water) turtle tank with a UVA light, heat lamp and 2 filters. My guess is removing your tank is going to do nothing.

I'm not sure what kind of windows you have that wouldn't accommodate a AC unit. Only kind I can think of is the jalousie :confused3:

I have no CA in my house and I have bought 4 window units off craigslist for under $30 all are between 5000-6000 btu

 

[Essentia]

I also bought mine on CL for around $30. It actually brought my electric bill down as I was able to turn the main AC up a few degrees since they had their own AC unit.