Portable air inserter (ie bring fresh air inside)

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timmmay

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#129052 2-Sep-2013 13:37

My area at work is super warm when the sun's out, it's an old building and the place I work can't/won't do anything about it for us. Is there such a thing as a unit that mounts on or near a window and brings fresh air in? I'd want something that can be moved easily that plugs into a wall socket, and is quite quiet.

We do have portable air conditioners that have a big hose hanging out the window, but they're so loud no-one likes to use them - except the people with noise cancelling headphones.

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#888321 2-Sep-2013 14:55

Umm, a fan?

timmmay

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#888326 2-Sep-2013 15:03

Yeah, basically a fan but it would need to be mounted in a window or better still have a hose hanging out a window to bring the air in. A fan just moving air around the room wouldn't help, and with the weird windows the building has (they open inwards, hinged on the bottom) little to no air flows in naturally.

So basically yeah a fan with a hose intake out output. An extractor in reverse, made to be portable.

I doubt they exist, just trying my luck really.

RunningMan

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#888346 2-Sep-2013 15:29

timmmay: weird windows the building has (they open inwards, hinged on the bottom) little to no air flows in naturally.

With some of those windows, the whole thing can just lift out when it's open - that may get you better airflow without a fan?

timmmay

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#888349 2-Sep-2013 15:33

Yes, they do lift out. I'll give that a go, but I think forced air will still be required - it gets pretty hot in here. A pedestal fan may work if I can get it close enough... not ideal but maybe good enough.

Zeon

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#888353 2-Sep-2013 15:47

DIY project for fan and hose?

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RunningMan

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#888372 2-Sep-2013 16:06

Lift the window out, and stick one of those $20 pedestal fans from Bunnings in front of it - better yet, do two windows, with a fan pointing out on one, in on the other to get circulation across the room.

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bazzer

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#888727 3-Sep-2013 08:43

timmmay: My area at work is super warm when the sun's out, it's an old building and the place I work can't/won't do anything about it for us. Is there such a thing as a unit that mounts on or near a window and brings fresh air in? I'd want something that can be moved easily that plugs into a wall socket, and is quite quiet.

We do have portable air conditioners that have a big hose hanging out the window, but they're so loud no-one likes to use them - except the people with noise cancelling headphones.

Isn't your work obligated to provide you with reasonable workign conditions?

timmmay

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#888736 3-Sep-2013 08:59

bazzer: Isn't your work obligated to provide you with reasonable workign conditions?

Yes, though their attitude is "tough luck it's an old building", and I'm a contractor so I can't push it. There's a meeting room in my area that's fully air conditioned, but they can't (or won't) even get the basic fresh air vents working in my area 3m away. Some parts of the building reach the mid thirties in summer. I work at a government department too.

Jaxson

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#888740 3-Sep-2013 09:12

A two fold approach might work. I'd look at the pedestal fan approach, if you can get a whole window section out. Then look at options to extract the hottest air at a different location, potentially even do the opposite to above, as in remove another window section further down and face the fan in reverse, so it sucks from your area and blows outside.

As an aside, you can fit solar window film to an older building...
This would help significantly if the rise in temperature is due to direct solar influx over summer.

timmmay

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#888741 3-Sep-2013 09:16

Fitting solar film to a building isn't something contractors do. It's not even something tenants tend to do.

I'll consider pedestal fans, but I'm not convinced it'll suck air in from outside, which is why I was thinking something with a big pipe - like the air conditioners we have but without the massive noise the air conditioning part makes.

Jaxson

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#888785 3-Sep-2013 10:10

IF you can get access to a full exposed window opening then you could try a bit of quick cardboard DIY ducting. As long as the fan blows it will suck, so some shielding around it will force it to be sucking from outside. It would probably work quite well anyway without it if placed close enough to an open void.

I once saw some DIY ducting take cool air from a heatpump a long way down a hallway to another room, was quite a laugh how much effort those guys had put into it.

Solar film is something that doesn't cost much that you could take to your landlord if anyone cared enough to at least present it. Not saying it's your role to do that, and not saying anyone cares enough either.

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timmmay

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#888809 3-Sep-2013 10:41

May be worth a try, thanks :)

Jaxson

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#888819 3-Sep-2013 10:52

or put a fan in your meeting room, set the air con to it's minimum of 16deg, and keep the door open :-)

timmmay

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#888823 3-Sep-2013 10:54

Tried that, helps a little but the room to cool is quite large. That probably means fresh air won't help much unless it's at a significantly higher volume than a pedestal fan.

andrewNZ

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#888827 3-Sep-2013 11:00

If you put a pedestal fan directly in front of the window (really close, or even in it), there is a good chance it will give better fresh air intake than if you duct it. I don't know if it's quite classed as a venturi effect, but I think it is.

If you add another fan to force air out another window as suggested, you will end up with a fairly good air flow (assuming you're not fighting the wind). Depending on how large the room is though, you may not feel the draft.

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