Chimney

[Old55]

If you guys will only be visiting perhaps a LPG window unit? Once the tank is empty it will no longer be used while you're gone.

[JJReyes]

Find out if someone can install a ceiling exhaust fan.  This would be cheaper than an air conditioner including the monthly cost for electricity.

Older homes in the Philippines took into account tropical weather by having high ceilings and tiled roofing for the rich and cogon grass roofing for the poor.  For the poor, the sidewalls were interlaced bamboo that allowed the air to penetrate.  Another feature are large windows that were kept shut during the day and opened at night for greater ventilation.  Concrete walls painted white repelled the sun and kept interiors cool.  In Hawaii, the bungalow style homes took advantage of blowing trade winds to keep homes cool.  I have seen residential homes in Subic Bay having a similar design.

After WWII, the roofing changed to that awful corrugated tin metal (American factories producing Quonset huts for the military were sold or given as aid to countries like the Philippines for their reconstruction).   Metal roofs for the tropics?  So now you have to purchase fans or install air conditioners.

[JJReyes]

Regarding chimneys, my childhood memories recall many summer vacation homes in Baguio with chimneys. Part of the fun was starting fires using pinewood logs to ward off the cold damp and make the living room toasty. We roasted marshmallows nearly every night. The indiscriminate cutting of pine trees for firewood led to the ban on fireplaces and the cutting of small pine trees for Christmas.

[sonjack2847]

11 hours ago, Kuya John said:

Well this might be a silly thought Steve, white repels heat ( clothing etc ) what if the roof presuming it's tin, was to be painted white to reflect the sun away as well as the vented roof space.......Just a thought

Very good suggestion I have a light coloured roof and a vent and my roof space is very cool. A chimney would not help in the slightest as inside most houses it is cooler inside than out. On my patio I will be building a frame to put some bamboo blinds on as between 230 and 5 pm it is too hot to sit on there. To keep a house cooler shade is the answer along with careful use of paint colours and vents. I am going by my training as a gas engineer who has carried out a lot of safety checks on chimneys. If you had a chimney and you opened a door and a window you might get a back draught which could bring warm air in.

Edited April 28, 2019 by sonjack2847

[graham59]

The coolest rooms in our house here are the ones which receive the most fresh air blowing through them ... regardless of the roof and ceiling type  . 

We don't have aircon of course.  

 

[hk blues]

5 hours ago, graham59 said:

The coolest rooms in our house here are the ones which receive the most fresh air blowing through them ... regardless of the roof and ceiling type  . 

We don't have aircon of course.  

 

With the benefit of hindsight, I'd make sure the house was built facing the right way i.e. the main rooms out of direct sunlight during the hottest times.  It is so obvious, but easily overlooked especially if you are looking around during the cooler season.  

[jimeve]

21 hours ago, OnMyWay said:

What part of Spain has chimneys? 

Andalucia homes have chimneys, I use to live there. Especially those up the mountain. Probably other regions too.    

[hk blues]

33 minutes ago, jimeve said:

Andalucia homes have chimneys, I use to live there. Especially those up the mountain. Probably other regions too.    

For the colder winters rather then as a cooling device I'd imagine? 

[Jack Peterson]

35 minutes ago, jimeve said:

Andalucia homes have chimneys, I use to live there. Especially those up the mountain. Probably other regions too.    

 Same here Jim and I can tell all that the Fire grate end of the Sala was as cool as ice in the summer, now i know why 

[GuyF]

On 4/28/2019 at 6:47 PM, Jack Peterson said:

Apparently it does; 

*****When your fireplace is in use, much of the heat that is generated is lost through the chimney. Fire needs fresh oxygen to burn, and waste gases must escapethrough the chimney for safety. ... This movement of air continues to contribute to heat loss up the chimney even when the fireplace is not in use.

Whilst I agree with this in principle, I think it relates to the fire burning in the fireplace.  As hot air rises, I think the room would be exceptionally hot before any hot air was low enough to enter said fireplace and escape up the chimney.

I would hazard a guess and say the main culprit would be radiant heat.  I would suggest over the long hot day the bricks/concrete would heat up and even though its cooler in evening its like an oven inside.  Obviously airflow is your best friend here in the form of cool breeze or fans.  Another solution might be trees or possibly a screen similar to a privacy screen to cast shade on your house to reduce the radiant heat to begin with.... well its a solution to Australias harsh sun, not sure about Philippines tropical heat, food for thought.