Super hot basement suite

[theminister]

It's a grow op.

Radiant heat from lights in a sub basement.

Crackpot design.

Cheap labour.

Dismissive landlord.

[LostViking]

To find the heat source, I would first cut off the outside world. Keep windows, blinds, doors closed, turn off all TVs, computers, lights, etc, do this early in the morning (before it gets hot outside) and then leave the house all day. Return after the sun sets and outside becomes cool. If the heat is still there, there must be a heat source in the suite somewhere and you can rule out the heat coming from outside, appliances, lights, etc.

If it is fairly cool when you come back, then it is a problem with an appliance, light fixtures, you keeping the windows open during daytime (try to avoid this), or something of that nature. Make a list of all the things you did the day you left the house and came back to it being cool, something on that list is likely the culprit.

Still baffled? I would get a reliable thermometer (personally I like IR thermometers) and test out various places in your house, try to figure out which areas are hottest and that might give you a clue as to what is causing the heat. Or I suppose throwing an ice cube in a cup and timing how long it takes to melt would work too, test various places and see where they melt fastest, try the floor, walls, ceiling, near appliances/lights, near an open window, check every room, etc (I imagine sitting in the heat would give you motivation to spend the afternoon doing such a thing, might as well keep yourself busy somehow).

Remember that small rooms can heat up awfully fast, the crappy Dynex LCD TV I have in my bedroom will heat up the whole room in no time if the window is closed. Also, people generate lots of heat. Do you often have lots of people over? Do you exercise inside? Have lots of sex? We rent our basement, before renting I used to spend a lot of time down there in the summer as it was so much cooler than upstairs, now the renters and their living habits have completely changed the climate in that basement. They have a constant peoplefest going on and largely due to this the basement is now always hotter than upstairs.

Anyways, if you have a fridge with an automatic ice maker you are at a supreme advantage over the heat. Put a bowl full of ice cubes in front of your fan and you are laughing.

[Psylocke]

Weird. Shouldn't the basement/ground floor be cooler?

My room is on the ground floor and it's perfect during the summer when I leave the window slightly open (sometimes it even gets a bit chilly at night) even though our living room upstairs (facing west) gets super hot.

[Offensive Threat]

We had a condo a number of years ago. South and west facing. 16th floor. Long and narrow design that had a LOT of windows. Full wall windows. Got very very hot inside during summer regardless of what we did. We bought a big portable AC unit that just sat on the floor, plugged into the wall outlet and came with a large flex hose to exhaust out the window that we used a few hours every day off and on to moderate the temp. Would move it from the living room to bedroom every night.Our electric bills went up noticibly. Maybe $100 a month during summer when usually in a condo with the heat off you pay practically nothing for power. But it kept us not just comfortable but cool.

Guys, try to keep the stereotypes out of this....I believe the issue we're dealing with is craftsmanship and yes, that has seemingly deteriorated in some trades. But you can find shoddy workmanship from various sources and it's racism to present that all _____________ do poor work. As it is offensive to paint all people of any race with the same brush, please refrain from doing so. Thanks.

[RottenCanuck22]

To find the heat source, I would first cut off the outside world. Keep windows, blinds, doors closed, turn off all TVs, computers, lights, etc, do this early in the morning (before it gets hot outside) and then leave the house all day. Return after the sun sets and outside becomes cool. If the heat is still there, there must be a heat source in the suite somewhere and you can rule out the heat coming from outside, appliances, lights, etc.

If it is fairly cool when you come back, then it is a problem with an appliance, light fixtures, you keeping the windows open during daytime (try to avoid this), or something of that nature. Make a list of all the things you did the day you left the house and came back to it being cool, something on that list is likely the culprit.

Still baffled? I would get a reliable thermometer (personally I like IR thermometers) and test out various places in your house, try to figure out which areas are hottest and that might give you a clue as to what is causing the heat. Or I suppose throwing an ice cube in a cup and timing how long it takes to melt would work too, test various places and see where they melt fastest, try the floor, walls, ceiling, near appliances/lights, near an open window, check every room, etc (I imagine sitting in the heat would give you motivation to spend the afternoon doing such a thing, might as well keep yourself busy somehow).

Remember that small rooms can heat up awfully fast, the crappy Dynex LCD TV I have in my bedroom will heat up the whole room in no time if the window is closed. Also, people generate lots of heat. Do you often have lots of people over? Do you exercise inside? Have lots of sex? We rent our basement, before renting I used to spend a lot of time down there in the summer as it was so much cooler than upstairs, now the renters and their living habits have completely changed the climate in that basement. They have a constant peoplefest going on and largely due to this the basement is now always hotter than upstairs.

Anyways, if you have a fridge with an automatic ice maker you are at a supreme advantage over the heat. Put a bowl full of ice cubes in front of your fan and you are laughing.