Another heatwave due?

[ladybird69]

Does anyone know whether we're getting another heatwave after this rain? A friend has said that we're having mega hot weather until September after this spell of wet weather.

Hemi, are you in one of those flats where the air con would have to vent out the door or a very high window? My problem is how to vent it.

Btw my neighbours have Diy film, but it does make the place a bit darker, I've only seen it on a dull day though. they say it reduced the temp by a couple of degrees. The one they have is no longer on the market, they got it on eBay.

I'd have looked at air con before but I didn't think I'd live in this flat for so long. Ruddy house prices.

Ive just thought, with secondary glazing it's going to be more that it stops the heat spreading in the room, that's why it goes on the inside....also because it won't withstand weather (the DIY stuff I mean).

I could either vent it out a door, or out an awning window - there are floor to ceiling windows that don't open, plus a glass door, then these windows that open from the top. So it would have to be vented through there, which make it difficult to block off. I have found some kind of sealing thing that attaches to the window with velcro and unzips to leave a hole for venting. It would all look a bit crap though, covering up the window and a big machine and a great stonking hose out the window. Plus nowhere at all to store it the rest of the year (very small flat, no storage!). But if it comes to it, I might have to... Need a real quiet one though to work at home and talk over the noise.

Hemi that's the kind of window I'd have to vent through.

If you find anything, please let me know. I don't think the window opens enough for an outlet so I always thought I'd have to run it via the door.

Why are so many of these wi does designed to open from the top? I'm in the bedroom now and the cool air is all circulating round the ceiling. I am not at ceiling level!!

*windows

actually I got that backwards, I meant it's hinged at the top, and it opens outwards from the bottom! But it opens really wide, so no problem fitting the hose through on mine. More of a problem is actually blocking the rest of it off - even when it's only open a small amount, the whole window would need to be covered. It's ground floor, as well, and not safe to leave open at night or when I'm out, so could only be used in the daytime, which is slightly inconvenient. At least with a high window, you could leave it open at times. The hoses I saw had diameters of about 13cm. I think you can get extensions for the length, though.

You definitely don't want all the hot air blowing straight back into the room. There is something on amazon available but it wouldn't have worked on ours.

I made something out of the cardboard box it came in and used good old Gorilla tape to make it pretty indestructible, then covered it in an old blackout curtain so it doesn't look too monstrous from the outside.

It works but I do have to tape the edges around to seal it completely every time I put it up again, so tend to keep it up all summer on that window.

Apple for really stupid question but with a hose vented out of the window, is it a lot of hassle when you need to close the window - removing all the stuff set up around it?

Blimey autocorrect is set change "Apols" to Apple! With a capital A! But it's not the iPad being brand aware because I also find it defaults to Windows!!

the sort of thing I was looking at was like this:
www.amazon.co.uk/TROTEC-AirLock-100-Window-Seal/dp/B002W774V2?tag=mumsnetforum-21

I think I read somewhere that you could close the windows with it attached, but I'm not sure whether that works with all types - I guess the idea is that it attaches with velcro to the frame, and then to the inside of the window, so that when the window is closed, it all bunches up around the edge of the window on the inside, but would still let the windows close.

I don't know if you take the velcro off the rest of the year when you're not using it - that would surely leave messy paint plus you'd need new velcro the next year. But leaving velcro stuck on won't look great either, but might be fine if it really works. Or maybe there are stick on fly-screens that you can get as well for times when you don't need air con, but do want open windows - at least then the velcro would serve a purpose?!

In general it looks like a pretty reasonable week this week, temps high teens or low 20s for most. A little bit of rain perhaps.

I hope so. Hate all this rain and the cold it brought with it / even had to our the heating on the other night.

The cold and rain have made my arthritis play up and I've been in much more pain the last week. I need some nice warm and dry weather again!

We've used the window film on our conservatory and it's brilliant. I was worried about it being chilly in winter but wasn't because we had heating on in the house. We got ours from The Window Film Company. It was very easy to put on as you wet window with a spray gun (uses water with a bit of washing up liquid as a surfactant). You will need a table (wallpaper pasting table will do) and ideally a friend to help as you need to peel off the backing to expose the sticky side (two pairs of hands are useful). You cut film slightly larger than the pane of glass, move it around into position, use a scraper (either one provided or a window blade) to remove big bubbles and trim. The little bubbles disappear on their own. www.windowfilm.co.uk/ I don't work for them btw

Hemi, thanks, I have a feeling that might not fit my windows as they have that crazy narrow opening at the top. btw as you are ground floor, is it worth buying a really big tilting parasol to help cover the windows, then you can just put it away - they store quite narrow so will slot under the bed.

Kitten, thanks. It's Wimbledon this next couple of week so my amateur forecast says that = higher risk of rain than heatwave!!!

Hula, are you in the north of England?

Machine, so would you say the film really helps cool the conservatory? is it fitted to the inside? That's what I bought - I will have to pay postage to send it back.

Yes it's fitted on the inside. It works by reflecting the sunshine. You know how the temperature suddenly rises if the sun comes out from behind clouds. The film reduces that effect. We could not sit in our conservatory after about 11 in the morning as it was just too intense. The film has meant we can use it all day now.

thanks Machine.
how do you find it affects the light?

sorry for all the questions!

OMD I went out for the afternoon - it's really nice out, probably no more than 22 and breezy.

the flat is 26c!! And the breeze is coming through, it's the right direction for once. So the mgmt com may be right - it's about the building and covering the windows may not help at all. (curtains all drawn, all have blackout lining).

argh. argh. Sorry to moan but just a relief to have found people who have the same problem. hopefully the newer builds are not being built with such crazy amounts of insulation.

It's fine for us as we only put it on the ceiling glass. We did go for the most reflective though. If we'd be doing the wall glass we might have gone for the one that let in more light.

Machine, I thought you had put it all the way round. I can imagine it's very different if it's ceiling only.

Mid to high 20s again in a few days where I live, and really humid too from the looks of things. (Just a warning to everyone who needs to stock the ice packs back up in the freezer )

Just adding it to ceiling has made a huge difference.

Machine, that's good to know.

Lieka, yes, the 2 week forecast has suddenly changed a lot. Office was 26c by midday. Didn't check after that but could feel the humidity.

Returned home to find it was 25c in the flat. It seems so awful to be criticising a good summer but I think this is the first "good summer" i've had in the flat because when I first moved here I was working 2 jobs. Def anything is better than 2 jobs though so at least I'm past that stage but roll on retirement and a house in somewhere non-urban!

but yes, I think no matter how I feel about the light, tomorrow night I'll make a start on the window film. Too pooped this evening!

PS Machine, when I said it would be different for the ceiling I meant it won't block the light the way it would for me, or Hemi, who sounds like she has even lots of glass all around her flat.

I was bored at work today :) and browsing those little half umbrellas you can get for a really tiny balcony area. While I was looking, I saw the prices of those other umbrellas - really large overhanging ones - couldn't believe the prices!! Anyway, those half umbrellas will be no use for me, they look like they won't shade the balcony door at all. At least the mirror film will be better than having the curtains drawn all day.

I'll be interested to know how you get on with it!

I am right by a main road, so not sure I can put much outside that won't get stolen or valndalised in some way. But there are some trees planted, that when they grow, might give some shade in one direction. come on trees, get a move on!!!