Heat, Go Away From My House!

[Dustoff]

~

Just installed one of those chromed, spinning vents on the roof of our house and WE LOVE IT and would highly recommend!! You would not believe how much hot air it vents from the attic and from the rest of the house! 2700B installed... Let me know if you need a number for the company...

Now what I need is vents that I can install in my ceilings;

Quality ones, about a foot square, no fan, that can be opened and closed as needed.

Been searching Chiangmai - HomePro, HomeMart, etc. to no avail.

I am reluctant to go with locally manufactured sheetmetal ones as I want the open/close feature to actually work...

Any suggestions?

On a related note, is it just me, or?

Been hiring local builders to do major renovations and experiencing some (MANY) frustrations. The latest is extensive tile work with a crew that came highly recommended even from my local expat friends.

"Slope" I insisted over and over;

"Slope the the tile so that the water runs away from the house is my primary concern!"

Three days of work,

job finiished,

it rains,

I now have a 3x5 foot POOL of water right in the middle of my tiled porch...!

"Nope, ain't gonna work" says I to da Thai wife. "Bring em back to correct"...

Half a day of repeated work,

(perhaps because I gave them a HUGE tip?),

sad eyes that say "we have already been paid",

and I now have a pool that has grown from 3x5 to 4x7 feet...

Anybody want to come over for a swim?

Recommendations, please! To have people that have NO idea that water actually runs downhill keep coming over to make the situation even worse seems ridiculous.

Even though I have the knowledge and experience to do it right myself, at age 65 I was kinda hoping I would not have to do it myself on these tired old knees.

Especially since I can now afford quality labor...

Any suggestions?

Aarrgghh!!

Edited October 28, 2005 by Dustoff

[Thetyim]

Ohh yes, I've been there.

When they tiled the kitchen floor I said 'don't forget the run off" and I got a run off you wouldn't believe. I could ski down it.

[lopburi3]

If your home is newer construction you probably have steel roof supports but those with wood should be careful as with a cool attic the termites can survive.

[talatnat]

I'll join this club.

The only request I had when they cemented my courtyard was for the runoff to drain away from the house... It came out exactly the opposite, and the contractor said he'd put in a second cement layer and fix it. Doubtful though I was, I agreed -- and in two weeks the second layer peeled off in sections, and I now have the runoff direction still wrong, together with little pools all over the peeled sections. Twice bitten, but maybe I'll have to try again. Oh,well.

[frankafey]

Look into a whole house fan.

[chownah]

If your home is newer construction you probably have steel roof supports but those with wood should be careful as with a cool attic the termites can survive.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Interesting...where did you hear this?

[Dustoff]

Look into a whole house fan.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No fan needed - the roof vent draws like a major chimney and our home is already many degrees cooler.

The problem is that the only opening I have into the attic is the access hole in one of the bathrooms and that the tops of the doorways are at least a meter below the ceiling - therefore, the heat hangs in (and radiates infrared from) the top third of every room. I do use floor fans to equalize the temp (self-defeating, duh) but why not just allow it to escape upward and save electricity...?

I love the responses here! No real help as yet but the range from like experiences to bugs in my attic (surely bats in my belfry is next) is fascinating and fun.

I am thinking of starting a thread about crabs - now THAT will be interesting...

Edited October 29, 2005 by Dustoff

[Ricardo]

We put access-hatches, with a fly-screen covering (removable .. doh !) in each of our bathrooms - which helps vent into the loft-space.

[JXXXL]

~

Just installed one of those chromed, spinning vents on the roof of our house and WE LOVE IT and would highly recommend!!  You would not believe how much hot air it vents from the attic and from the rest of the house!  2700B installed...  Let me know if you need a number for the company...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Dustoff, would you please post the name of the shop that did the install. Also, did you only install one vent or more? And, have you verified that the install is water tight?

[lopburi3]

If your home is newer construction you probably have steel roof supports but those with wood should be careful as with a cool attic the termites can survive.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Interesting...where did you hear this?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Pest control companies. They do not need to treat attic areas in most homes because of the heat being high enough to prevent termites. In the US they have used heat for many years in places that it can be used to kill termites without damage. Our home is 31 years old and has had massive termite problems but not higher than overhang area of roof - no problem in roof timbers.

[jaideeguy]

another way to cool down your house is to install that fiberglass insulation that is sandwiched by two layers of aluminium foil. i did that on an addition and could feel the difference of the radiant heat by just taking a 1 mtr step under it. home pro carries it and sometimes on sale. forget how much, but it was worth it........

and don't forget to take into account that it's almost winter and weather is cooling. now time to think about heaters!!

[Dustoff]

Dustoff, would you please post the name of the shop that did the install.  Also, did you only install one vent or more?  And, have you verified that the install is water tight?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The name translates as "The Vent Shop" and is apparently across from the Lotus on Hangdong Rd.

Phone 01-716-4090 or 01-510-0670. No English.

We got the 24" model (that's the mounting hole size) and these guys make the collar that compensates for the slope of the roof. The other shops we contacted wanted to just stick it on there hanging off at a ridiculus angle. Make sure you put it as close to the peak of the roof as possible but these guys have worked for falangs in this community and know all about our exacting demands for quality work.

One seems to be enough and it draws heat like an industrial vacuum. Still seeking closable ceiling vents tho with no success. Oh, and we have been through many hard rains since and no leaks whatsoever.

Stay cool, folks!

[scottie]

The builders I've used for my resort sound just the same. Leave them unsupervised & they bodge big time.

They need total direction, unfortunately without leaving them.

Exterior lights I requested, I showed them exactly where they were to go.

Left them to it, Bloody annoyingly somewhere totally different.

Painting....well they just don't seem to realise that they're are God knows how many different shades of white.

Wood staining, looks like they put on with a roller, all over the aforementioned walls.

Drips all over the place.

When we arrived nearly 3 weeks ago, we thought we'd be able to open easily for Nov 1. But I just couldn't believe how many finishing off jobs to get up to standard.

They do 1 job & create another!

Lay new turf..... few days later one of them drives on it! Niggling away at me, so I lift said sunk areas, add more soil & re lay turf.......Yes a job well done! Until the next day one of them goes over with a motorbike!!!

ON & ON!

We've now opened but still numerous niggly jobs need doing.

The compensation, I've just enjoyed a superb sunset this evening.

Oh & one of them put a shower in yesterday.great if you're a dwarf (oh & a thin one at that!)

[Ned]

Replaced the ceiling in the living room(60cmx60cm plaster tiles known as kiwbaa) with a gypsum one insulated with the fibreglass in foil stuff previously mentioned and the difference is remarkable. Cost was 400 baht a square metre for everything.