Summer de-humidification & heat reflection

[Mr Gus]

The granite flooring, oak floor elsewhere downstairs & a couple of large fans pointed at the ceiling have worked well these past few days..
Neither of our dogs Frenchie & Boxer have been panting, nor resorted to the granite floors, we have one cool mat down & have been using the 1 litre Hozelock plant sprayer on fine mist to regularly dampen them & let the fan in the living room help with evaporation.

Cheap & effective low-tech, but ultimately I think the brit mindset needs to leave out the carpets to cool in times of global warming , it go's a long way in weather like this.

Upstairs hit 30.7 c last night but with the fan on max pointed upwards & the dehumidifier sleep was captured with ease (kept humidity at a comfortable 42% ...but again sadly folk often only think of dehumidifiers as an object to be wheeled out over winter.

The combination of the two items whilst drawing power made sleeping indoors far more do-able & heat stress-less.

Whilst putting up a screen reflector this morning I did wonder why there aren't command strip type hook & loop "seasonal" window shade adhesive pads for upvc to mitigate some of the heat effect over the worst months for conservatory windows & regular windows alike, or a black fabric car window type for a bit of visibility, iv'e toyed with framing out some foil for the conservatory roof (inside) & currently the utility room has celotex to block the early morning heat making that part far more useable this summer.

Ideally though I'd like to employ an outer reflector for efficiency of not letting heat through glass rather than partial capture & reflect from the inside, anyone tried exterior hook & loop adhesive velcro in this manner on some 3m adhesive (hook and loop with a standard adhesive backing is usually dross on upvc as standard so would suck for glass as it does wood etc)

[Stinsy]

Humidity is key where comfort is concerned. The higher the humidity, the less effective our inbuilt temperature regulation is. At 100% humidity we are unable to survive temperatures higher than 35℃ without some kind of cooling.

[marshman]

__

[Oldgreybeard]

I ordered some external window blinds/awnings last week, with cream fabric that I hope will reduce solar gain through the windows. Our kitchen window, in particular, is a problem as the sun heats up the granite window sill and worktop so that it gets almost too hot to touch. I've tried pulling the internal blinds down, but then the glass and window frame just get very hot and the heat still ends up inside the house.

I'm hoping that external shading will be more effective, in theory it should but the only way to be sure will be to try it. The awnings I've ordered are cheap enough that if they don't work it will be no great loss. If they do work then I may look at getting some that look a bit nicer. I fancy the old Victorian awning look, but they cost an arm and a leg, around 40 times more costly than the cheaper ones. I'll report back on how well they work after the coming hot weather.

On the topic of humidity I agree, today has been uncomfortable outside. I spent an hour doing some work in the shed this morning and although it was only around 26°C it was pretty unpleasant and I was glad to get back in to the cool house. Outside humidity was up around 60%, according to the display on the heat pump. It's usually closer to 40% at this time of the year.

[Stinsy]

We have one of those roller sunshades to cover our rattan furniture set, it does a great job of shielding the kitchen window...

[openspaceman]

I have a cheap roller blind which I have attached to a baton and clip it to an upstairs windowsill in hot weather. It pulls down over a double glazed sloping hallway. It has lasted 4 summers so far with no problems.

[Mr Gus]

In the bathroom for a decade I merely blocked off one DG unit with celotex, but that's internal & i'd like to make an outdoor tarp like reflector with good reinforcing points, internal blocks of celotex help but in a conservatory that can be like seeing in the wind.

[spread-tee]

That's a long time to spend in the bathroom Gus.........

I'll get me coat

[Mr Gus]

14 hours on the bog was my record when I was really ill, now it is more like 3 hours.
How soft is your coat? (I have a delicate tushy)

[muyter]

We have one of those roller sunshades to cover our rattan furniture set, it does a great job of shielding the kitchen window...

Hi,

In theory, external shading should be more effective, but we won't know for sure until we give it a try. The awnings I got are reasonably priced, so it won't be a huge loss if they don't work. If these perform the job, I could consider purchasing some with a somewhat finer appearance. I like the way an old Victorian awning looks, but they are quite expensive—about 40 times as expensive as the more affordable ones. After the upcoming hot weather, I'll let you know how well they perform. I hope u can understand I also like outdoor furniture.