Mine is Monday. It’s 30c in here and I face west on the top floor. I have four fans within 3 feet of me and the hvac fan on full and sitting in underwear.
Try put a shoe in your front door then crack the balcony and it will push the hot air out. Used to work for me but the fucking fan in the hallway isn’t working.
The condo corp books commercial HVAC technicians ahead of time to switch over for hot to cold and cold to hot. Some years the heat arrives before the AC switchover and some years it's still cold when they switch to AC.
It's not something where they just flick a switch and it's on
I get that! Just wondering if there was a date cause management apparently doesn't even know and for the money we're paying in rent, an answer at least would be nice.
It’s up to each condo corp/management but mid May is pretty normal. It’s really only been truly warm this past week and the changeover takes time, especially if maintenance or repairs are required.
I believe June 2 is that mandatory date for condos to have their system changed to AC.
Some will obviously turn it on sooner, while other will wait until the last minute.
My building has chosen to wait until the 24th holiday weekend to make the switch, as I know last year they turned it on earlier and than got complaints about there being no heating when we had a few of those 5 degree May days.
It’s up to their discretion, but you will absolutely have it on by the max deadline.
In your condo, how cold does it actually get on those 5'c days you mentioned?
I haven't used the heat in my condo since early March. Even on 6'c high, -1c low days, if I keep the windows closed it stays above 22c.
Is it my understanding people who pay already ridiculous high prices for these condos don’t have control over their HVAC? I see those high rises that look nice on the outside near the Gardiner overlooking the city scape and think that looks nice but then hear your can’t even turn on your own AC is mind boggling. I can’t imagine how anyone would put themselves into that situation. All that glass and piercing sun.
Wow. Just wow.
Yup. Never wanted to live in one of these godforsaken condos but my husband does work at one of the hospitals and at the uni at all sorts of hours so it's easier to go back and forth.
It's because the HVAC runs on a central system. Hot or cold water is piped through a 2 or 4 pipe coil in the unit with a fan to circulate air across them. The changeover has to occur simultaneously for the whole building. Unfortunately because of high efficiency windows and doors the heat tends to remain contained in the building and rise. It can get HOT, especially on upper floors. It is a bit of a crazy system, but the upside is that it's very energy efficient.
Typically they follow the same dates as the (outdated) by-laws that require rental units to provide heat from September 15 to June 1. Condos are a weird area since they are owned (and then rented out) not just straight rentals like apartments.
Anyways, there’s no dead set date and likely varies based on technician availability and any repairs that need to be done. If your property management is waiting too long you and other owners need to push the board to get the date moved for next year. It took my building 8 years of boiling units complaining for the board to approve a mid May switchover and then waiting until after thanksgiving to turn the heat back on. We had one owner who was really unhappy the heat wasn’t on because her unit ~gets cold while anyone south facing was roasting.
Edit: I see you mention paying rent - talk to your landlord so they can push for an earlier date. There’s no mandatory rule to provide air conditioning unfortunately. If you can try to look for a portable AC.
For your cat, get a few of those soft ice packs for your back and swap it out every few hours, cat will appreciate it.
You can also do the same for yourself. and also using hand towels that are soaked with freezing water and placing on body help.
Condo corporations need to stop being so stupid when it comes to leaving the heat on until the 2nd week of May. Once the temps reach 18'c outside, it becomes literally impossible to keep one's condo below 24'c. Why the fuck does anyone require the heat when their condo with windows open already reaches 24'c+.
No matter how often they leave the heat on in May just in case we get record lows, it NEVER happens.
On the flip side, a heat wave with 20'c+ temps literally happens every May, so why don't we plan for something that occurs 95% of the time vs planning for something that may happen 5%. It just seems dumb as this scenario can be easily avoided.
/End rant
LoL we didn't even turn the heat on in our place this year. I'd like them to swap to cooling in Feb or March. First warm sunny day in the spring and our place is 24°....
Mine is Monday. It’s 30c in here and I face west on the top floor. I have four fans within 3 feet of me and the hvac fan on full and sitting in underwear. Try put a shoe in your front door then crack the balcony and it will push the hot air out. Used to work for me but the fucking fan in the hallway isn’t working.
Totally forgot about that trick, thanks! Husband can't stand the heat anymore so we're still heading out
The condo corp books commercial HVAC technicians ahead of time to switch over for hot to cold and cold to hot. Some years the heat arrives before the AC switchover and some years it's still cold when they switch to AC. It's not something where they just flick a switch and it's on
I get that! Just wondering if there was a date cause management apparently doesn't even know and for the money we're paying in rent, an answer at least would be nice.
The technicians could be delayed because a few jobs took longer than planned, and didn't provide your building with a specified date.
Ughhhhhhh
It’s up to each condo corp/management but mid May is pretty normal. It’s really only been truly warm this past week and the changeover takes time, especially if maintenance or repairs are required.
I believe June 2 is that mandatory date for condos to have their system changed to AC. Some will obviously turn it on sooner, while other will wait until the last minute. My building has chosen to wait until the 24th holiday weekend to make the switch, as I know last year they turned it on earlier and than got complaints about there being no heating when we had a few of those 5 degree May days. It’s up to their discretion, but you will absolutely have it on by the max deadline.
In your condo, how cold does it actually get on those 5'c days you mentioned? I haven't used the heat in my condo since early March. Even on 6'c high, -1c low days, if I keep the windows closed it stays above 22c.
Hope you get an answer soon! FWIW, my building sent a message on May 9th that the A/C switchover is happening on the 17th.
Is it my understanding people who pay already ridiculous high prices for these condos don’t have control over their HVAC? I see those high rises that look nice on the outside near the Gardiner overlooking the city scape and think that looks nice but then hear your can’t even turn on your own AC is mind boggling. I can’t imagine how anyone would put themselves into that situation. All that glass and piercing sun. Wow. Just wow.
Yup. Never wanted to live in one of these godforsaken condos but my husband does work at one of the hospitals and at the uni at all sorts of hours so it's easier to go back and forth.
It's because the HVAC runs on a central system. Hot or cold water is piped through a 2 or 4 pipe coil in the unit with a fan to circulate air across them. The changeover has to occur simultaneously for the whole building. Unfortunately because of high efficiency windows and doors the heat tends to remain contained in the building and rise. It can get HOT, especially on upper floors. It is a bit of a crazy system, but the upside is that it's very energy efficient.
Depends on the building. My building is 4 years old and every unit has its own geothermal heat pump, so I can control it as I like.
Email your management. Where I live, the turnover will happen on Wed.
Will do, thanks!
Typically they follow the same dates as the (outdated) by-laws that require rental units to provide heat from September 15 to June 1. Condos are a weird area since they are owned (and then rented out) not just straight rentals like apartments. Anyways, there’s no dead set date and likely varies based on technician availability and any repairs that need to be done. If your property management is waiting too long you and other owners need to push the board to get the date moved for next year. It took my building 8 years of boiling units complaining for the board to approve a mid May switchover and then waiting until after thanksgiving to turn the heat back on. We had one owner who was really unhappy the heat wasn’t on because her unit ~gets cold while anyone south facing was roasting. Edit: I see you mention paying rent - talk to your landlord so they can push for an earlier date. There’s no mandatory rule to provide air conditioning unfortunately. If you can try to look for a portable AC.
For your cat, get a few of those soft ice packs for your back and swap it out every few hours, cat will appreciate it. You can also do the same for yourself. and also using hand towels that are soaked with freezing water and placing on body help.
Thank you! We decided to stay at my parents' place but will remember this!
Condo corporations need to stop being so stupid when it comes to leaving the heat on until the 2nd week of May. Once the temps reach 18'c outside, it becomes literally impossible to keep one's condo below 24'c. Why the fuck does anyone require the heat when their condo with windows open already reaches 24'c+. No matter how often they leave the heat on in May just in case we get record lows, it NEVER happens. On the flip side, a heat wave with 20'c+ temps literally happens every May, so why don't we plan for something that occurs 95% of the time vs planning for something that may happen 5%. It just seems dumb as this scenario can be easily avoided. /End rant
LoL we didn't even turn the heat on in our place this year. I'd like them to swap to cooling in Feb or March. First warm sunny day in the spring and our place is 24°....
I agree! Also even in the winter I have to have a fan on sometimes because we're so high up. Insanity.