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Unused rooms, heat storage and heat transfer

(16 Posts)
MawsRosie Mon 29-Jun-26 11:20:23

There have been a few over the years I see, perhaps all that needs to be said has been?
I’ll shut up now!

NotSpaghetti Mon 29-Jun-26 11:16:16

There's a thread all about fans...
Started recently.

MawsRosie Mon 29-Jun-26 11:08:39

I bought DD3 a Dyson fan when her first baby was born in 2019 as I remembered only too well what life in a London Victorian terrace had been like with a baby in 1976 and then I thought, hang on, don’t I deserve one too?
So I bought my first, now I have one upstairs, one downstairs and another on order when JL get them back in stock!
Yes they come at a premium but are more than worth the extra.

karmalady Mon 29-Jun-26 10:55:42

Fancyflowers yes mine were bought when my husband was still alive ie pre 2015. I could not afford them now

Anyway, I am reporting back, my bedoom temperature is now 21.5 from almost 26 this morning and the whole of upstairs feels at a nice temperature. I am still keeping my built in wardrobe doors open. Who would have thought that the wardrobe and contents would be acting like a storage heater

Btw the exhaust fan in en suite and bathrooms also helps to suck warm air out

fancyflowers Mon 29-Jun-26 10:06:49

karmalady

My fans are all Dyson, I have pedestal fan, table fan and a hot/cool fan. Bought over a long time as very expensive

Jaxjacky why does the size of my house matter? The tips I have mentioned are for anyone in any house or apartment. Being a scientist and practical, I am always looking for a solution to a problem and do like to pass on anything that can help

I have been looking at Dyson fans but according to the reviews, the quality has diminished from when they were first on the market. I'll look elsewhere as the Dyson ones are so expensive.

Jaxjacky Mon 29-Jun-26 10:06:36

Sorry if I said the wrong thing.

karmalady Mon 29-Jun-26 09:53:44

Fancythat the upside is that insulated houses are much better at heat conservation during the cold months

The current problem that I am looking at is wrt keeping infra-red out while still retaining long wave radiation ie visible light. It is the infra-red which does the heating and all the stuff, flooring etc is absorbing that

Keeping IR out while still keeping the room light is my aim, the alternative is to live in cave-like darkness, not nice for MH

karmalady Mon 29-Jun-26 09:49:03

My fans are all Dyson, I have pedestal fan, table fan and a hot/cool fan. Bought over a long time as very expensive

Jaxjacky why does the size of my house matter? The tips I have mentioned are for anyone in any house or apartment. Being a scientist and practical, I am always looking for a solution to a problem and do like to pass on anything that can help

fancythat Mon 29-Jun-26 09:45:33

I agree Karmalady, its alarming how long the build up of heat takes to dissipate

We have that problem too.

When we refurbished house about 30 years ago, DH put insulation everywhere.
He thinks that that is the cause.

fancyflowers Mon 29-Jun-26 09:34:52

Sorry, fans not dans.

fancyflowers Mon 29-Jun-26 09:33:43

Our living room faces north and there are really big trees on the pavement outside, so the room is always shady. However, with the temperatures we've been getting, it still warms up uncomfortably during the day.

We are looking at good quality dans to buy before the next heat wave arrives in a couple of weeks. Does anyone have any recommendations?

MawsRosie Mon 29-Jun-26 09:21:18

I keep the 2 spare rooms closed these days to keep Rosie out, but with the curtains closed and windows open they stay cool despite being S facing.
TBH I don’t do all this stuff about opening the loft hatch, just create a through draught wherever I can, use my silent Dyson fan and remember to shut curtains, blinds etc. The house faces due N/S and is relatively modern so there’s not a lot I can do about that. I try not to overthink things.

keepcalmandcavachon Mon 29-Jun-26 09:16:18

I agree Karmalady, its alarming how long the build up of heat takes to dissipate. On Friday morning I thought I'd walked into a boiler room (normally my utility) after leaving the door closed overnight!
The hall was quite comfortable and so the contrast made me realise how insufferable the previous temps had been.
We're all, sadly having to learn a few more tricks to manage the heatsad

Jaxjacky Mon 29-Jun-26 09:13:17

We have a 3 bedroom house, the smallest bedroom is the least used, door is open, the other spare room is used for ironing and has an overflow wardrobe, so is accessed regularly.
You must have a much larger house karma.

karmalady Mon 29-Jun-26 08:35:16

The next intense heat wave will, I believe, be arriving in a week or so and next time I will be ready

karmalady Mon 29-Jun-26 08:33:55

I have been wondering why it has been so difficult to reduce temperatures upstairs and have just found the source.

My wardrobe is too warm, the warmth is transferring from the back wall, which is the shared wall with my currently closed, unused and fully tiled bathroom. Ditto my closed up spare bedroom which is on the other side of the opposite wall in the bathroom

All the wood in that spare bedroom is as warm as the walls and the inside wardrobes are very warm too

Remedy is now to open all the `closed off` doors and the windows in those and other unused closed- off rooms. Best now while the temperature outside is lower and skies cloudy. My loft hatch is open for a while, unless the sun shines on it and certainly will be open for tonight and a few more nights