Apartment warmer at night?????

[marlinspike]

I don't understand this, but it's driving me crazy. I don't turn on my heater at all these days. By 3 pm my apartment is about 70F, but by 8pm it's gone UP to about 75F, by the time I go to bed it's 78F. I'm sure as heck not going to spend money air conditioning the place in March, but how on earth can this be? Highs are in the 60s these days. My only thought is the guy below me goes nuts with his heater (I'm on the top, 3rd, floor).

[bruno]

Uh....heat rises??

Is your building poorly insulated? Besides the suggestion you made, I believe you also need to consider sun exposure to your particular apartment. How about just opening your windows for now?

I hope you have your answers before summer arrives!

bruno

[fadertoo]

You probably need somebody with knowledge of thermodynamics. I'm sure someone will be along soon.

In the meantime... Yeah, the guy below will certainly have an effect. So can the sun getting lower in the sky. Ever notice how the high temps for the day generally occur around 4 or 5 o'clock? That's a cumulative effect of heating during the day and the angle of the sun's rays. Until it begins to set, it's heating stuff - the ground, the bricks, your furniture - that it's already been heating. Kinda like food in the oven getting hotter and hotter even though you put it in there at a pre-heated 350; the oven air temp may stay close to 350, but the temp of the food keeps rising. Lower in the sky, to a point, may also make for thinner atmosphere for the rays to penetrate, therefore the heating is more efficient.

You don't say whether you're home during the day. If not, your own body heat can have a dramatic effect, too, multiplied by how many bodies are added to the environment. I've seen my apartment temp rise 2 - 4 degrees after I get home, even if I arrive after it's already dark. If if bothers you, crack a window and enjoy some fresh air.

Hope you get a more authoritative answer. Meanwhile, that's my story and I'm stickin' to it!

[bac n black]

If your heating elements are in the ceiling then that would explain it, the guy under you.

[marlinspike]

fadertoo - the thing is, my apartment is hottest around 1 am.
I am home during the day these days, but it's just me.

I think Bac n black hit it, all my vents are up high, so it's probably a fair assumption that so are those of the guy below me. Darn old people and their love of heat. I guess during the day they don't run enough to affect my apartment because of the ambient temp and sun, but when it gets cold out I guess his heater is running non-stop and making my place toasty.

I'd crack a window, but even though the screens are intact somehow bugs get in, and I hate bugs.

[CUEBALL]

Us old folks need our heat....

Now we have a "heat hater" in our midst!!!

[fadertoo]

Originally Posted by CUEBALL

Us old folks need...

Oh, yeah, Cue. You're soooooo old! Then I'm a flippin' dinosaur! (... but I keep the heat on 70.)

You're probably right marlin, 'bout the guy below. Since you're on the top, some of it may be filtering down from the attic/whatever is above you, too. Top floors of houses with poorly insulated/poorly vented roofs get almost unbearable with heat as the sun bakes the roof, especially if the outside doesn't cool down rapidly at night. Ceiling fans, if you've got 'em, or just turning on your central heat's fan (only) will help make it feel better, since the windows aren't an option. Ice cold adult beverages always help, too!

[marlinspike]

I'm a tee-totaller (fortunately or unfortunately, depends on your point of view), but I've been keeping cool with lemonade on the balcony these days. Above me is crawl space (or I suppose unuseable attic since the roof is sloped). I don't know why nobody makes a high-rise here, just these 3 story apartment community things. Must be a zoning reg.

[Casey]

thats really funny that you should mention that marlin. my apartment is the same way, except its just my bedroom that is hot. every other room in this place is fine during the winter months, but for most of the winter, except on the windiest of days, i actually have my bedroom window open! it could be 5 degrees outside, and that thing is open.

i live in a relatively crummy apartment for the moment, so the thermostat is just 1-10. i keep it on 3-4 most of the winter, otherwise i get too hot. but without fail, if i dont have that window open, when i go to bed, i can actually turn on my AC to cool off the bedroom! which means the AC also thinks the room is warm enuff to cool things off. the apartments have baseboard heat, and its only 2 stories. you think its the people downstairs right? maybe, if all 3 different tenants down there kept their heat at the exact same setting. it boggles my mind. yes i am the type of person that is always hot...but if the living room, den, and kitchen are all normal, WTF is wrong with the bedroom!? just imagine waking up at 4 am in the beginning of January and be sweating! (no i wasnt sick).

perhaps physics just cease to exist at our places marlin...

[marlinspike]

Ok, now for a real laugh - one piece of info I left out is that my bedroom, while still warm, is slightly cooler (about 3-4 degrees) than the rest of my apartment.