Cetkat Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 So, yeah... the single one qualification I wrote on my roommate matching card was: "Must be ok with thermostat set to 70 * F" I've lived here before and that's what it took to be comfortable. However, my unit has a new A/C unit.. so 70 became 72-73. So, that's already a compromise.. and (FYI) where it was already set when I moved in. NOW - very recently, a single certain roommate keeps turning it up. And not just a little bit - ALOT. Like, it'll be 72/73.. and she'll move it to 77. I get hot.. move it back down. If i'm hot and it's on 73, 9 times out of 10, I'll just leave it - just to be nice. Tonight. She just put it on 78 and turned it off. FUCK THAT SHIT!! Tomorrow morning I'm going to play electrician and figure out how to set it manually on the circuit board to where it cannot be adjusted by the digital reader. I'm pretty sure I can do that. It won't kick on and off.. but the controls should still look like they work. If maintenance catches it.. so what? Prove it. I can tolerate alot - but actually turning it OFF in FLORIDA!? That's simply spiteful. It's going to get hotter than 78, even with the lower temps we're having now. I know some of you may say, "well, I leave my A/C on 78 and it's comfortable." Alright, good for you. However, that was never where it was set when I moved in and it's definitely not the consensus of three people. The second person agrees with me. She turns it back down also. You want to piss me off - that's how you do it. I'm done playing nice. Game Over. So, yeah.. if any of you have electrical training and know how to do this, I would be quite happy to listen to any suggestions... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Obscuremachine Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 I'm not sure how to "fix" a thermostat like that. If it were me and people were fiddling with the A/C, I would certainly do something. My A/C stays between 70-72. I'm in New Orleans and even when it's not really hot, it's REALLY humid and you need the A/C to suck the moisture out of the air. I can't sleep when it's not cool. 74, 75 degrees and I can't sleep. Good luck and let me know how it goes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cetkat Posted October 16, 2011 Author Share Posted October 16, 2011 Thanks. Yeah, it reached 74 and I just got woken up - sweating. *frown* I did turn it back on though, and it appears to have gone unnoticed so far, a bit more than 5mins. That's a positive. But it's 2:30AM.. so that's you know, not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Obscuremachine Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 my friend installed a programmable thermostat where you have to enter a code to change the temp (because his kids kept playing with it) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cetkat Posted October 16, 2011 Author Share Posted October 16, 2011 It's strange, in that it actually does take a battery (that isn't in use), and one of the younger maintenance guys used the word programmable.. but it doesn't actually accept any programming. There are other models that do have the programming button that I saw online, but this one just has the up/down and middle (check where it's currently set) ones. I tried different combinations of pushing and holding, no dice. That would be great though.. it was one of my first thoughts. I get where she's coming from, the new apartment complex management now advertise "all-inclusive" rates.. with the fine print that, you're actually going to be charged when you (inevitably) go over their unwritten "quota." However, they just leave the utility bills on a clip outside the main door somewhat sealed with a staple, but not really. They run behind, and the first set included one for someone who no longer lived here.. so I felt no qualms about glancing at that one to get an idea of the cost.. it was $56 I believe. I just got mine (slid under my door the same night I posted this - I'd call that a hint, lol) and it was $41. With that being for Aug-Sept (the hottest time of year). So, really??!! I think she's trying to take advantage of the fact that I'm new to push an old, failed agenda. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 Um... is this a student apartment? You might get student housing services involved, and have them mediate the dispute. If you wrote that on your form and it is not being respected, they can sometimes step in and indicate "this condition was agreed to" and threaten to move rommie somewhere else/some other punishment. Sorry about the heat.... I live in AZ and we have to keep the thermostat down especially at night or I CANNOT sleep. It costs, but damnit, sleep is necessary. Anna Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gearhead Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 Just be sure you hit the right breaker in the basement (ask the maintenance guys), and that you buy one with a code. http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/video/0,,20053916,00.html http://www.lowes.com/cd_Install+a+Programmable+Thermostat_128977285_ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enlightened_plutonian Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 I wouldn't have a clue how to resolve the dispute, but you did state that you wanted the thermostat on cold. So any roommate should accept this as you were upfront about it. All I can say is that I am exactly the same. I need mine cold or I will just fall asleep and not get anything done. This was one reason why I could not cope with living with family, because they always preferred the thermostat on hot and I could not cope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cetkat Posted October 16, 2011 Author Share Posted October 16, 2011 Um... is this a student apartment? You might get student housing services involved, and have them mediate the dispute. If you wrote that on your form and it is not being respected, they can sometimes step in and indicate "this condition was agreed to" and threaten to move rommie somewhere else/some other punishment. It's a regular apartment complex next to the college that just uses dorm-type incentives to get tenants. The problem is, the form was a request to the leasing office.. there's no condition that they honor it. They could have easily looked at relative electricity usage and made an educated guess.. and maybe they did, with the difference in the bill.. but they can't threaten the other roommate to leave it alone. I could choose to switch units without penalty because of it.. but I actually get along with both people here - especially the one not messing with the thermostat. (Somewhat strange that the one messing with the A/C is cool otherwise and doesn't bring that into any other living arrangement aspect.) I also like the building I got & have no desire to move my things down three flights of stairs over the temperature. Sorry about the heat.... I live in AZ and we have to keep the thermostat down especially at night or I CANNOT sleep. It costs, but damnit, sleep is necessary. Thanks. Exactly! And it's actually an amount that is less extreme than normal. I was moving every year before my break from college and had a separate electric bill. There were huge differences in the A/C units, square area, and insulation - this is comparatively quite cheap. Just be sure you hit the right breaker in the basement (ask the maintenance guys), and that you buy one with a code. Yeah, except I doubt I'd be allowed to do that. I'd spend the money.. but I could definitely see her complain and make the leasing office require that it be removed. Technically the thermostat is still their property - we are just allowed to modify it. I just want to "modify" it more directly.. and secretly. It's not my intent to start a non-resolvable fight if I can help it. She's not going to agree to leave it alone, and I'm not willing to go above 73. Stalemate. The circuit board is also attached to the back of the front panel. If push came to shove, removing it would turn off the A/C and I would have no easy way to turn it back on. If she were to take it off and put it in her room behind the deadbolt - I'd be screwed. I'm sure the leasing office would side with me on that.. but that's just not a good scenario. Plus, I've noticed that if you don't get it put back on just right, the circuit won't complete and it'll look fine, but not work. I have the disadvantage there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cetkat Posted October 16, 2011 Author Share Posted October 16, 2011 I wouldn't have a clue how to resolve the dispute, but you did state that you wanted the thermostat on cold. So any roommate should accept this as you were upfront about it. Yeah.. there really isn't a resolution. Ironically, I put it on the form to avoid the same problem I had before when I lived here under the old management. In that case, I wanted 70, she wanted 75. I spoke to her and said that we could just put it in the middle, be a bit uncomfortable, and let it be. She stared at me and walked away.. then raised it right back to where she wanted it. So we had thermostat wars. She got pissed and tried to get me in trouble with management. I met with the office and they looked at our bill in comparison to other's and said that it actually wasn't as bad as they would have thought, and, although they pretty much agreed with me.. and especially my approach to try and resolve the situation.. they decided not to get involved. Later, we each resisted turning on the heat to prove a point. She wanted me to be the first one to turn it on.. and I'm stubborn enough not to. It stayed off until the leasing office sent out a note to all the units telling them to prepare for the freeze that was coming. She turned it on and tried to use that as a "reason". I took it as winning and used the heat normally from then on. Later on - I found out that she had went out and bought a big room heater.. leaving the other 3 of us to freeze. That was.. *pleasant* to discover. I now know not to get stuck in heating wars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
december_brigette Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 That really sucks. I lived in florida for 8 years and always kept the ac at 70-73. One just has to. If roomie is cold she can get a blanket. xoxo, db Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cetkat Posted October 21, 2011 Author Share Posted October 21, 2011 Crapity, crap, crap.. Thought I had an answer.. I took a peek and decided to contact the company and simply ask. They gave me a "solution," but it didn't do what it needed to do. So then the guy apparently looked into it a lot and came up empty. So unless I can work magic - yeah, probably not.. no dice. That sucks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gearhead Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 Can you put a floor lamp in front of the thermostat? A nice, hot floor lamp, that will fool the thermostat into thinking it's a couple of degrees hotter than it really is in the apartment, and therefore turning on the a/c? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cetkat Posted October 21, 2011 Author Share Posted October 21, 2011 No, it's situated between a the laundry room door that opens onto in and a corner that sticks out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saveyoursanity Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 Ugh, Cet, nothing makes me more irritable faster than bad temperatures. You have my sincere condolences. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 We're in Texas and my wife and I both need the A/C set on 73 or lower to sleep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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