options without AC

[pallindrome]

so, the heat is slowly getting to us. and we have an AC which we've already had several feedback complaints to our landlord that isnt working as well as expected....

which brings me to my topic - what options do you guys use for cooling? Fans? Any recommendations? Does Vornado really work or what's the hype with it? Any better than a window fan? I'm a little skeptical about that vortex thing.

and im definitely not willing to go for a dyson.

[gettocard]

I wonder how our grandparents made it without AC because I can't live without it. Well...different times I guess.

I would say your best bet is ceiling fan. Don't know about this Vornado thing,first time I've heard of it but reviews are excellent..

Big Ass fans maybe ?? ..LOL. I'd buy one just for the name

https://www.bigassfans.com/

[Abdullah71601]

Get your AC fixed, even if you have to pay for it yourself. If you're looking at buying stuff, look at HVAC guys to fix your system.

Tell your landlord in advance, preferably in writing. Notify whatever city agency regulates your landlord of his substandard maintenance. Then get it fixed. I don't know how your locale works, but in mine you can take that out of the rent.

[tyler1980]

Originally Posted by Abdullah71601

Get your AC fixed, even if you have to pay for it yourself. If you're looking at buying stuff, look at HVAC guys to fix your system.

Tell your landlord in advance, preferably in writing. Notify whatever city agency regulates your landlord of his substandard maintenance. Then get it fixed. I don't know how your locale works, but in mine you can take that out of the rent.

i wonder if AC is a requirement? I have no idea. If its broken do they even have to fix it? Its different than no heat in the winter which i think constitutes an emergency and they have to fix immediately.

Lots of places dont have AC so if its not listed in the lease as something they specifically are responsible for, could they just say you are on your own? Or say we are removing the faulty unit and not replacing it.

[Art 1]

I'm not sure AC is a requirement but heat is. Even in Florida.

[Abdullah71601]

Originally Posted by tyler1980

i wonder if AC is a requirement? I have no idea. If its broken do they even have to fix it? Its different than no heat in the winter which i think constitutes an emergency and they have to fix immediately.

Lots of places dont have AC so if its not listed in the lease as something they specifically are responsible for, could they just say you are on your own? Or say we are removing the faulty unit and not replacing it.

It's all local. But in the end, if the OP is willing to pay for an alternative, he should be looking at getting the ac fixed himself.

Often, it's just a service and a little refrigerant. $200 bucks and you're on your way.

[Rogdogg]

If you were told there was AC in the property when renting it then wouldn't it count?

Could you argue that you rented the property based on it having AC which you require and were told about before renting?

[tyler1980]

Originally Posted by Rogdogg

If you were told there was AC in the property when renting it then wouldn't it count?

Could you argue that you rented the property based on it having AC which you require and were told about before renting?

ive heard of landlords removing dishwashers or washers/dryers from rental properties. A lot of people do not pass on a rental because of a lack of one, and having one is maintenance for them. If i was OP, i would check the lease first as that is probably the important part. Most times a lease lists all the things the landlord provides over and above what is legally required.

[Art 1]

Originally Posted by Rogdogg

If you were told there was AC in the property when renting it then wouldn't it count?

Could you argue that you rented the property based on it having AC which you require and were told about before renting?

Yes it should have to be there was listed. But what is working and not working? Not saying the op but some people expect the dwelling to be kept at 70F on a 95F day. I see it often and it's mostly with rentors.

[Abdullah71601]

Originally Posted by Art 1

Yes it should have to be there was listed. But what is working and not working? Not saying the op but some people expect the dwelling to be kept at 70F on a 95F day. I see it often and it's mostly with rentors.

It should be able to keep it 70 on a 95 degree day, unless the place is very poorly insulated. Then, it's hard for any residential system to keep up.

[Rogdogg]

Originally Posted by tyler1980

ive heard of landlords removing dishwashers or washers/dryers from rental properties. A lot of people do not pass on a rental because of a lack of one, and having one is maintenance for them. If i was OP, i would check the lease first as that is probably the important part. Most times a lease lists all the things the landlord provides over and above what is legally required.

Originally Posted by Art 1

Yes it should have to be there was listed. But what is working and not working? Not saying the op but some people expect the dwelling to be kept at 70F on a 95F day. I see it often and it's mostly with rentors.

Thanks for the responses guys. I was just thinking out loud in case it might help the OP in any way. It's an interesting scenario that's for sure. I'll be interested to see how it turns out.

[Art 1]

Originally Posted by Abdullah71601

It should be able to keep it 70 on a 95 degree day, unless the place is very poorly insulated. Then, it's hard for any residential system to keep up.

It can happen from time to time. Usually a smaller dwelling if it does happen. Large chiller systems for large building are sized for that temp but houses are not.

[jrs146]

Originally Posted by tyler1980

ive heard of landlords removing dishwashers or washers/dryers from rental properties. A lot of people do not pass on a rental because of a lack of one, and having one is maintenance for them. If i was OP, i would check the lease first as that is probably the important part. Most times a lease lists all the things the landlord provides over and above what is legally required.

You’re right. The lease should stipulate all the appliances that the landlord provides. It should also stipulate in the lease who is responsible for repairs and maintenance on those items. Generally speaking if the landlord provides it then they will be responsible for maintenance.

It wouldn’t surprise me to see a poorly written lease though that leaves things like this ambiguous. In that case I’d expect as a tenant that if it was there when I moved in then it’s the landlord’s responsibility.

At least here in the US, the laws are in favor of the tenants. An ambiguous lease will only help the tenant and hurt the landlord if it ever came down to a court situation.


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[Pix]

A 5 gallon bucket, a fan, and some ice...you're all set, Google Redneck AC

[~JJ]

You can buy window mounted ac units for $200 and they are easy to install yourself. Put one in the living room and one in the bedroom and you should be good. Sell the units on Craigslist for half off when you move out.

[TheVTCGuy]

I don’t want to rub it in... OK, maybe I do. but my central air has been broken for years, keep saying I am going to get it fixed but living so close to the beach, with the nice breezes all summer long I don’t miss/need it.

[dmash]

Or welcome to Germany

Where practically no apartment includes AC, dishwasher, fridge, stove, kitchen cabinets, washer, dryer, practically anything but the floor and walls

[JasoninDenver]

Most states do not have what is known as a warranty of habitability requiring the landlord to make repairs to non-essential items. Some states even say operating doors and windows arent even gauranteed.

In such situations, I routinely tell people to fix the property and, provided they did not break the item themselves, deduct the repair cost from the rent along with a copy of the receipt. This effectively cuts the landlords claim of “not my problem” out at court since the costs directly improved their property. I have seen judges award freble damages against a landlord in these situtations when they tried to withhold tenants deposit.

[wantonebad]

All landlords are different but I agree with Abdullah, reach out to him/her and let them know you are not going to sit on status quo. Phone is fine initially, only put it in writing if s/he ignores the call or doesn't respond in a day or two. Yes it's important to have a paper trail but you don't necessarily need to go to DEFCON 2 for a reasonable request. JMHO

[austinp]

The property owner should fix the AC.

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[tyler1980]

Originally Posted by dmash

Or welcome to Germany

Where practically no apartment includes AC, dishwasher, fridge, stove, kitchen cabinets, washer, dryer, practically anything but the floor and walls

i have no AC either in the UK.

Its funny as i was reading an article yesterday that said AC energy use in the US is more than the rest of the world's AC use combined. Thats saying something as Dubai has a ski area in the mall in the middle of the desert

That said, im not living in Houston without it.

[singe89]

Originally Posted by jrs146

You’re right. The lease should stipulate all the appliances that the landlord provides. It should also stipulate in the lease who is responsible for repairs and maintenance on those items. Generally speaking if the landlord provides it then they will be responsible for maintenance.

Learned this one the hard way with my first rental.

We were moving from our condo into a house so decided to buy everything new. Thought we would be nice and let our new tenants decide what they wanted to keep of our current furniture, TVs, surround sound, washer and dryer, refrigerator, etc. Turned out to be a total hassle. Every time there was a minor issue with the washer/dryer, ice maker, etc. we would get service calls. Even had a TV go out and they called to get it fixed or have a new one installed. When the lease came up we told them they could keep the stuff but spelled out that they weren't covered.

Don't think I could live without AC. We only need it a couple weeks a year and many houses around us dont have AC since we are close to the ocean. During those few weeks in late summer I crank all 3 central AC units down to 68*.

[teqp]

Originally Posted by pallindrome

sand we have an AC which we've already had several feedback complaints to our landlord that isnt working as well as expected....

What does this mean? Does it cool down the room/house? This might be the issue that the landlord and you may never agree upon as it is ambiguous. As stated above, check the lease and see what is covered by the landlord.

Originally Posted by singe89

We were moving from our condo into a house so decided to buy everything new. Thought we would be nice and let our new tenants decide what they wanted to keep of our current furniture, TVs, surround sound, washer and dryer, refrigerator, etc. Turned out to be a total hassle. Every time there was a minor issue with the washer/dryer, ice maker, etc. we would get service calls. Even had a TV go out and they called to get it fixed or have a new one installed. When the lease came up we told them they could keep the stuff but spelled out that they weren't covered.

As some tenants were moving out, they asked if we wanted to buy their washer/dryer. I was about to do it, then searched online and found out all the potential headaches associated with them, that I declined the offer to buy. Glad I did. I know some landlords that would remove the dishwasher as well, but I decided to leave them in. So far, I had to replace 1 dishwasher and change the drain pump on another as a tenant had a piece of hard plastic in the DW that broke off the impeller blades not allowing the water to drain. At least I am handy and can fix some things.

[austinp]

Originally Posted by tyler1980

i have no AC either in the UK.

Its funny as i was reading an article yesterday that said AC energy use in the US is more than the rest of the world's AC use combined. Thats saying something as Dubai has a ski area in the mall in the middle of the desert

That said, im not living in Houston without it.

I think energy costs are very low in the US relative to other parts of the world. That may be one of the reasons AC usage is higher.

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[Abdullah71601]

Originally Posted by austinp

I think energy costs are very low in the US relative to other parts of the world. That may be one of the reasons AC usage is higher.

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Or that Europe is a lot cooler on average than the US. Most of the places I’ve been where there are insufferably hot summers have ac everywhere.

[dmash]

Originally Posted by Abdullah71601

Or that Europe is a lot cooler on average than the US. Most of the places I’ve been where there are insufferably hot summers have ac everywhere.

what? You ever been to South America, Caribbean, India, etc, etc, etc? AC everywhere, absolutely not.... maybe everywhere in a 5 star hotel, but not everywhere living like an actual inhabitant.

But you are right about Europe being cooler than America as a whole. A lot of people fail to comprehend that Rome and Barcelona are actually further north than NYC.

[tyler1980]

Originally Posted by austinp

I think energy costs are very low in the US relative to other parts of the world. That may be one of the reasons AC usage is higher.

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what? Americans constitute 5% of the world's population but consume 24% of the world's energy

[Abdullah71601]

Originally Posted by dmash

what? You ever been to South America, Caribbean, India, etc, etc, etc? AC everywhere, absolutely not.... maybe everywhere in a 5 star hotel, but not everywhere living like an actual inhabitant.

But you are right about Europe being cooler than America as a whole. A lot of people fail to comprehend that Rome and Barcelona are actually further north than NYC.

You ever been to the middle east?

I’ve been to India many times. It depends where you go, but my inlaws in south India, and all their friends, have ac. Everywhere I stayed in central America a while back had ac (not hotels).

It is ubiquitous in hot climates amongst economical classes that can afford to buy the equipment. I think it has much more to do with equipment than electrical costs.

[SearChart]

We only have AC at work and in the car.
It is currently quite hot (30C, humid) and it will stay hot for a while... we Dutch deal with it by complaining all day, then be happy when it's cold and raining again.

[tyler1980]

Originally Posted by Abdullah71601

Or that Europe is a lot cooler on average than the US. Most of the places I’ve been where there are insufferably hot summers have ac everywhere.

summer in the UK is awful but thankfully short. My house is like 150 years old and obviously no central air. My bedroom gets close to 90 degrees F on occasion. And no AC in most places and you cant really cool down.

If i had a car (which i dont) i would probably turn the AC on and sleep in it

I broke down and got a room AC, but it doesnt really vent all that well out of the windows so hot air keeps coming back in.