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Does Anyone Leave Aircon On For Their Dogs?


Guest donatella
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It's a wall aircon, what's evap?

Just noticed you're in QLD, you probably don't get much evaporative aircon there because of the humidity - it cools the internal air and blows the hot air out the window. Works well in dry climates and is really cheap to leave on all day.

Does the wall unit work on a thermostat? Can you set it to come on if it gets over 28? Some units have settings to "regulate heat" or do "cooling only". If it's set to regulate heat it goes through a cooling then heating cycle which is much less efficient and costs more, so always set it to cooling only... if you have it. Depends on the unit (I'm not an aircon expert).

How hot does it get in the apartment? Might be better fitting black out blinds etc to keep it cool in the day?

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My aircon runs 24/7 across summer. It's an evap aircon and my bill is around $500 a quarter. No way would I leave my dogs without aircon on a hot day.

In winter I run the gas heater all night and turn it off as I leave for work. House is insulated and stays warm all day. Turn it back on when I get home and run it til next morning. Gas bill is $35 a fortnight

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Guest donatella

It's a wall aircon, what's evap?

Just noticed you're in QLD, you probably don't get much evaporative aircon there because of the humidity - it cools the internal air and blows the hot air out the window. Works well in dry climates and is really cheap to leave on all day.

Does the wall unit work on a thermostat? Can you set it to come on if it gets over 28? Some units have settings to "regulate heat" or do "cooling only". If it's set to regulate heat it goes through a cooling then heating cycle which is much less efficient and costs more, so always set it to cooling only... if you have it. Depends on the unit (I'm not an aircon expert).

How hot does it get in the apartment? Might be better fitting black out blinds etc to keep it cool in the day?

I might get a temp monitor to see the temp but so far we've had some disgusting humid days up to 39 degrees last week. I will have to read the aircon brochure, it's brand new I know it has aircon not sure about thermostat. I just worry I can't open windows to get a cool breeze, it has good blinds to block out the sun

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Same here, I am super paranoid about house fires starting when I am not home. All the talk of CO2 poisoning is worrying me too. My RE agent is refusing to get the aircon serviced even tho it hasn't been serviced in over 2 years, so there's no way I'd leave it on with nobody home. All power switches are turned off when I leave home too.

Sorry but how does aircon cause CO2 poisoning?

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All the talk of CO2 poisoning is worrying me too.

Are you sure you don't mean carbon monoxide poisoning?

Air cons don't produce CO. I don't think they produce CO2 either.

No I wasn't talking about aircons producing either, I was asking if they meant carbon monoxide not carbon dioxide has they were talking about all sorts of electrical devices not just aircon!

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Guest hankodie

I leave the aircon on for my 2 (who are usually inside during the summer when I'm out) almost all day when temperatures get high, I had no idea that it could be dangerous. I'd rather leave the aircon on and know that they are comfortable and cool for the couple of hours that I'm out than worry too much about the aircon bill (which strangely enough is always higher during winter anyway)

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If the door doesn't have a lockable bolt can you leave it open enough for a breeze or for them to come in and out and chock the door with wood between wall and door?

Ours luckily has a lockable bolt into the floorso we drilled an extra hole to have it open just enough for the dogs to squeeze out.

I hope that makes sense?

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All the talk of CO2 poisoning is worrying me too.

Are you sure you don't mean carbon monoxide poisoning?

Sorry, yes, that's the one - my brain wasn't working this morning. :o I got a letter warning about it from my aircon people.

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I don't, Luna is outside during the day and there's shade and some lovely cool breezy spots. I'm in Tassie though... Haha.

We have reverse cycle aircon, and that's on pretty much 24/7 in winter as its less energy to maintain the temp than to bring it up from freezing. Also don't notice too much of a difference with the bill, but our aircon is on the same tariff as the hot water :)

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Guest donatella

If the door doesn't have a lockable bolt can you leave it open enough for a breeze or for them to come in and out and chock the door with wood between wall and door?

Ours luckily has a lockable bolt into the floorso we drilled an extra hole to have it open just enough for the dogs to squeeze out.

I hope that makes sense?

The problem I'm against is I'm inner city on 2nd floor so easy for someone to jump up and steal them or my stuff especially with so many people around. So stupid not putting security screens in a pet friendly building

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In all my years living in QLD we've always managed without having to leave the dogs inside and the air cond on. My house and yard are generally pretty cool. But this year is such a shocker already that it just seems too steamy some days to even risk it. My air cond is set at 24 and I have a split system in one bedroom and the lounge/dining area. I leave both on low and it keeps the entire house cool. The dogs generally all sleep in my room with the air cond blowing over them. We are careful to keep lights and appliances off so I haven't even noticed a big jump in my bills.

My main fear is a power outage while no-one is home so I do leave windows in the wet areas open so the dogs could go there and be safe before one of us got home. If Summer is much worse than this Spring them I'm moving to Tassie!

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I might get a temp monitor to see the temp but so far we've had some disgusting humid days up to 39 degrees last week. I will have to read the aircon brochure, it's brand new I know it has aircon not sure about thermostat. I just worry I can't open windows to get a cool breeze, it has good blinds to block out the sun

Check with your company what rate you are on. There are discounted rates that might be of benefit for you too.

:)

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My understanding that it is better anyway to leave it on if it is going to be a hot day, as the AC uses more power to cool down a super hot room (as opposed to putting it on in the morning where it is just 'maintaining' the existing room temp). At least that is what the Aircon people have told me!

That's what I've been told as well. So far our summer bills haven't been too bad at all, at least compared to the winter ones!

Yep this is correct :)

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All the talk of CO2 poisoning is worrying me too.

Are you sure you don't mean carbon monoxide poisoning?

Sorry, yes, that's the one - my brain wasn't working this morning. :o I got a letter warning about it from my aircon people.

No problems LOL

On a serious note though, do you have a gas heater? There is no such thing as carbon monoxide coming from air conditioners.

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I'll only turn it on if we have a run of very hot days (40 degrees+) or if it is hot and humid for a few days.

My dogs are young, healthy and non-brachy. I have lots of windows but they are double insulated and the house is floorboards, so it actually stays pretty cool. They just sleep more in the heat.

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