As we mentioned previously, we have sensors on the doors to detect if they are being opened, and the thermostat will then turn off the air conditioning in order to avoid wasting electricity. Unfortunately one of the sensors was damaged recently, and we have disabled the automatic turn-off of the air conditioning. So we ask our guests to make sure you close all doors as quickly as possible and don’t leave them (or any windows) open while it is warmer outside than inside.

We have also added an additional air vent in the upstairs TV room. This should cool down that room faster. If you keep the door to the bathroom open it will help cool that room as well.

As mentioned in an earlier post, we have several systems in place to handle the cooling. In the past we have had renters who left the doors open with the air conditioning running full blast. Not only does that use (and waste) enormous amounts of electricity, it can also cause the air conditioning unit to work so hard that it will actually freeze up.

Open/Closed sensor similar to the ones installed at Sunny Mornings

To prevent this we have installed sensors on the doors that will detect if they are opened. After a pre-determined time period (currently 1 minute) the thermostat is automatically turning off the cooling until the doors are closed again. However if the doors are left open for an extended time the air conditioner have to work really hard trying to cool down the house again, and it can take some time, or even cause the system to freeze up.

It is important to note that setting the thermostat to a lower temperature will not cool down the house faster. The system will cool down the air at a fixed speed, the only thing the thermostat is doing is to stop the cooling process when the target temperature has been reached. If you set the temperature too low, the air conditioner will never reach the target temperature and the system will continue to attempt to cool. So please set the target temperature to a reasonable level. Take in consideration that this is an older house with less insulation as well as big windows facing the lake.

Most air conditioners are not designed/able to lower the temperature more than about 20 degrees. So don’t expect to be able to keep the temperature inside at 70 degrees when it is 100 degrees outside, especially if the doors are being opened and closed constantly.

If the detectors at the door are ripped off, damaged or removed, the computerized system will think the door is open, and the thermostat will keep the air conditioner turned off. If this happens, contact the us at once.

There are also several fans, including a powerful vortex fan in the living room. It will help circulate the air and help cool down the living room area.

So to keep the house as cool as possible:

• keep the doors open only short times to keep cold air inside
• try to reduce the times doors are opened as much as you can
• make sure the doors are fully closed and sensors not damaged
• use the fans to circulate the air to help cool air reach warm areas
• don’t over-extend the air conditioning to avoid it freezing up

By following these tips, you will have a nice and comfortable stay at Sunny Mornings!

We all know that Texas can get hot, especially in the summer. While we love all the light that streams in and the amazing water view from the two story wall of windows facing the lake, there is a downside to having so many windows. Heat accumulates and rises in the vaulted area above the living and dining room due to the large windows there.

In 2015 we had all the windows tinted in the living room to decrease that burden and the extra heat there. For that reason we can not use regular cleaning supplies on the windows in the living room, so please don’t clean the windows. Our cleaning crew has special stuff for that.

To make your stay as comfortable as possible, we have added several window units in bedrooms to supplement the central air conditioning. This also allows you to cool the space that you are using. The larger ones are energy hogs by their nature. We ask that you only have them on when someone is in the room.

The central A/C automatically turns off if the doors or windows are left open. As is pretty typical for ac units in Texas if it is asked to run too long at too low a temperature or with doors open, the A/C unit will freeze up. That makes it very uncomfortable in the house. It seems like it is running but it does not cool. You’ll know if you keep dropping the a/c lower but the temperature still rises that the compressor has probably frozen.

If this happens it needs to be turned completely off for at least 30 minutes in order to unfreeze. (At our home in Dallas we have had our AC freeze into a solid block of ice that took 24 hours to thaw out because we kept it running after it froze. This was even in the heat of the Texas summer, which we wouldn’t have believed possible until the a/c technician brought us photos to prove it). You find the A/C controller in the hallway on the main floor, next to the breakfast area.

To keep the a/c condenser from freezing we have put a cooling limit on the thermostat. It can not be set to lower than 72 degrees in the hallway. If the hallway thermostat is at 72 degrees the back bedrooms are likely to reach 3-5 degrees lower than that, as they are generally much cooler than the living room. The downstairs spaces are usually cooler than the rest of the house.

We like to leave the window units all off and the central a/c at 85 degrees between stays in the home. This helps air to continue to circulate and keeps the temperature reasonable without running the electricity bill up too high when the home is vacant.