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Mr_Blott ,

I asked a builder why this was, and he said that the lateral forces created by a slightly tilted window has just enough force to rip the entire side of a house clean off due to houses having the structural integrity of wet newspaper, which is the preferred construction method in the States

AnUnusualRelic ,
@AnUnusualRelic@lemmy.world avatar

US people, dry your newspapers before building your houses!

LeroyJenkins ,

can’t tell if this is a troll or not. youre telling me people outside the states think we live in wet newspaper?

Mr_Blott ,

Well not wet newspaper exactly but I heard you have walls so thin the neighbours can hear your cell division

anarchy79 ,
@anarchy79@lemmy.world avatar

That’s how we got classics like Shut up, little man!

LeroyJenkins , (edited )

I mean it exists for sure, but not something people expect when moving in places. usually correlates to the cost and age. decibels wise, it’s not too different than Europe imo. I lived in France and mother fuckers be yelling from their windows all day. I also lived in Germany and the walls are thick as shit, but mother fuckers have their windows open all day and yodelling. if you live near people, you’ll hear them some way or another. renting in the US is also much simpler. fuck Germany’s renting culture shit.

Mr_Blott , (edited )

You’ve… you’ve never been out of your state, have you? 😂

People don’t…shout at eachother out of windows! What sort of savage would do that?

Oh, the ones in the movies you watched about Yurp. 😂

AlexWIWA ,

Depends on where you live. The US is huge and has a wide variety of building codes. I personally never hear my neighbors

kilgore_trout ,

It’s an intentional exaggeration, but it’s true that houses in the US are usually built without a proper foundation and with thin walls.

Misconduct ,

They’re built differently depending on where you live in the states and your environment. I know y’all love staying ignorant to feel superior but this one is still pretty dumb. People in Japan practically have paper walls and I don’t see you guys all up your snobby butts about that. Xenophobic turds. It would take people 10 seconds to learn why some of our houses are built the way they are but they won’t bother if they haven’t by now because they prefer the ignorance.

AlexWIWA ,

You’re taking this a bit too seriously, man. It’s like when we joke about the British having fucked up teeth. Just ribbing each other.

M137 ,
@M137@lemmy.world avatar

Hitting a wall and having any chance of the wall breaking isn’t really a thing outside the US. Everyone elsewhere notices that a lot in movies and videos. It’s not uncommon for children outside America to ask adults why Americans have paper walls. People being mad and punching a wall and putting a fist-sized hole in it, falling and breaking the wall or throwing anything and the thing getting stuck in the wall. In most of the world it’s you or the thing hitting the wall that’ll break, not the wall itself.

Fal ,
@Fal@yiffit.net avatar

The wall isn’t the structural integrity part of the house. And that’s for interior walls. You’re getting your opinions from the questions that children ask in other countries?

Theharpyeagle ,

To clarify, the paper (and rock underneath it) are not the structural part of the house, they just cover the actual structural parts (the studs) and provide a pocket to fill with insulation.

pascal ,

You know that tool called stud finder that you use in America if you ever think about hanging a picture on the wall, or a TV, otherwise you risk your wall falling down with anything attached to it?

Never seen a stud finder in Europe.

TheSanSabaSongbird ,

Lol! Imagine thinking this is true.

Mr_Blott ,

Lol imagine reading this as a true statement. Fiction books must fuck you right up 😂

Daxtron2 ,

Bro read War of the Worlds and started prepping his bunker

TheSanSabaSongbird ,

Can you please explain to me exactly why and how it was objectively obvious that OP’s comment was meant to be taken as some kind of joke or satire?

Because if you can’t, I have to think that you are little more than an arbitrarily condescending piece of shit.

Mr_Blott ,

Ok, I’ll walk you through it. I am OP btw

I believe the basic structure is called a “bait and switch”, a fairly common writing trick

I asked a builder why this was, and he said that the lateral forces created by a slightly tilted window

This is the “bait” bit. It sounds like a real comment so far

has just enough force to rip the entire side of a house clean off

This is the part where, if you didn’t have the reading comprehension of a six month old duck, you’d start to realise that, perhaps this wasn’t a serious comment. There’s no way a slightly tilted window is ripping the entire side of a house off, surely? That’s the “switch”

due to houses having the structural integrity of wet newspaper,

This line is pretty much only there as a setup to the next line. Houses, I’m sorry to inform you, do not have the structural integrity of wet newspaper. That would be as dangerous as it is impractical

which is the preferred construction method in the States

This bit, unsurprisingly, isn’t exactly true either

I hope, now that I’ve broken the comment into its constituant parts, that you’re rolling on the floor, clutching your aching ribs and laughing tears of joy.

Explaining jokes always makes them far funnier

Alk ,

In this case it’s true, I am laughing more at this than the actual joke (which I also laughed at). This back and forth was the setup and the explanation is the punchline.

AlexWIWA ,

It’s like when Americans say British people have fucked up teeth. I don’t actually believe that, I just say it to make British people mad.

Mocking our construction is a European joke that they love because it makes Americans mad. Simple as

MystikIncarnate ,

It’s preferred because it’s cheap.

Nobody wants to pay a stone mason to put brick on the exterior of their homes. They used timber for a long time, but now all the new houses I’ve seen use the metal studs, which sounds great on paper until you realize it’s basically sheet metal stamped into a U kind of shape that’s the same size as a 2x4. It’s enough to hold up the drywall and maybe some pictures/paintings on the wall plus the occasional wall-mounted TV, but give it a couple hundred pounds of weight and it’s going to crumple into itself like aluminum foil.

Honestly, most of the strength in the wall is now because of the drywall. The “studs” just keep them from falling over.

Not saying timber was all that much better, but it could at least support someone standing on the top plate of a wall without folding in on itself.

Can I get my house built from concrete board instead?

peopleproblems ,

I wish I could have a stone masonry building. My friend’s family used to own a hotel built by a stone mason. He invited us out to watch the company who bought it try to demolish it. Apparently they weren’t expecting proper brick and mortar to be so strong.

MystikIncarnate ,

Yep, and a lot of modern brickwork isn’t designed to be structural, so many of the components used are basically poor substitutes for the “real deal” so to speak.

Stonework can be the strongest part of the building, or just little more than a facade.

In a nearby town, the second story brickwork of a building came off of the structure and fell into the sidewalk and road. I don’t believe anyone was hurt, but the point is, sometimes, the brickwork is little more than just a wall. Other times, it’s basically keeping the building upright. In that case, the building didn’t go anywhere after losing the brickwork.

I’m sure in your example, the brickwork was providing the primary support structure for the building, and it was built far better than what fell off of the building in my example.

fl42v ,

Should’ve installed linux 🤷

SonnyVabitch ,

Should’ve installed velux

mryessir ,

Velux just gone through the roof!

LillyPip ,

I am referring to Linux as ‘tilted Windows’ from now on and you can’t stop me.

Octopus1348 ,
@Octopus1348@lemy.lol avatar

No, Mac is tilted Windows, and Linux is open Windows.

Aielman15 ,
@Aielman15@lemmy.world avatar

I work in a hotel.

One day, a family comes to the reception to tell me that their window is broken, asking me to change their room. I ask if I can take a look.

It turns out, they didn’t know the existence of tilt & turn windows and were scared that the window was going to fall down lol

Lon3star ,

I’d settle for socialized healthcare

anarchy79 ,
@anarchy79@lemmy.world avatar

Oh the windows came as part of the deal.

MystikIncarnate ,

No they didn’t. I’m in Canada and we have socialized healthcare and I didn’t get any damn tilting Windows.

I’ve been lied to!

dantheclamman ,
@dantheclamman@lemmy.world avatar

Canada is like Europe with a couple wildcard American features baked in

AlexWIWA ,

Damn, that’s a tough decision

Mog_fanatic ,

How dare you. Just for one second think of someone other than yourself. How do you think the pharmaceutical companies are gonna feel about that? Or their poor shareholders? Pfizer’s CEO only made $33 million last year. How the hell do you expect him to feed his kids when he’s not making that much because your precious healthcare system ate into his meager earnings. The medical corporations are barely scraping by!!

dantheclamman ,
@dantheclamman@lemmy.world avatar

CEO Chief Job Creator™

FTFY

ohlaph ,

It’s the breeze, isn’t it?

nublets ,

Jokes on you, my windows make a light breeze when shut!

Socsa ,

Imagine not having screens in your windows.

This post was made by the flying insects gang.

Marcbmann ,

I’m in the US and have these windows. They have screens. They’re also not that special. I prefer the regular windows

limelight79 ,

I was starting to wonder if Europe didn’t have insects, because the hotels I’ve stayed in (in Europe) that had them didn’t have screens for them.

GoodEye8 ,

We have civilized insects, they respect our privacy and don’t enter unless they must.

Obi ,
@Obi@sopuli.xyz avatar

You’re joking but that’s basically it, it’s just not an issue in most places.

rottingleaf , (edited )

I have these windows in Moscow, Russia since recently (had old windows with separate wooden frames with thick glass made somewhere about 70s, they looked nice though) and like that I can use the sill as a table with laptop and tea and some stuff now, and tilt it instead of moving the laptop aside.

Aganim , (edited )

Ah yes, the good old Russian defenestration windows. I assume you have the FSB-mandated variant that is capable of both tilting and swinging, for… ease of access?

rottingleaf ,

My brain had a segfault reading your comment, because the approved ones would obviously not be “anti-defenestration”, but yeah, swinging is nice

Aganim ,

Yeah, sorry, my dark sense of humour didn’t combine very well with typing it out before my first cup of coffee.

RagingRobot ,

I don’t use windows. I prefer linux

sebsch ,

In a world without borders and walls there is no need for windows and gates.

Ethab83 ,

I wonder if you can tilt windows in Linux

bluewing ,

Probably Compiz could do that…

NegativeInf ,

23.9 degrees is optimal.

squidspinachfootball ,

Do I have an article for you: Linux is the only OS to support diagonal PC monitor mode — dev champions the case for 22-degree-rotation computing

Chadus_Maximus ,

Try not to talk about Linux on Lemmy challenge (impossible): failed.

RememberTheApollo_ ,

Put a screen in that fancy window and then we’ll talk.

ThirdWorldOrder ,

Yeah who the hell wants moths and mosquitoes in their house

Retrograde ,
@Retrograde@lemmy.world avatar

It is truly bizarre how Europeans never use screens, make it make sense!!

HopFlop ,

Its not like the few mosquitoes we have would be smart enough to enter my room through the sides of a lightly tilted window.

Ataraxia ,

We had them in Italy. But we also didn’t have these weird windows. Also stop acting like Europe is a small town on an island.

Retrograde , (edited )
@Retrograde@lemmy.world avatar

I honestly don’t think of Europe as a small town, I promise- I’m just saying I’ve been in many brilliant countries across Europe and I swear to you that I’ve never seen a screen. Where is the spider protection, I ask you?!

This should be particularly important, I think, in the Scottish Highlands, land of midges, who want nothing more than to feast on your flesh. Still, not a screen in sight, although I must admit you certifiably need a very fine screen to prohibit those pesky wee bastards. There seems to be a sort of gentlemen’s alliance though because it seems that the midge rarely enters a human dwelling, maybe out of fear of pure Scottish fury, but mark my words … they sit and wait.

I will digress also that in our defense, Scots do use midge nets when camping unless we’re on our 10th Tennant’s, in which case it’s really no bother

Aux ,

There are no mosquitoes in the UK. And moths are rare. Would be lucky to see a fly.

ThirdWorldOrder , (edited )

No wonder your country is a superpower. We have the other windows in the USA because we do get these flying bastards.

PurplebeanZ ,

There are definitely mosquitos in the UK. They piss me off every summer.

Aux ,

Well, compared to my home country mosquitos in the UK don’t really exist…

Marcbmann ,

American with these windows. I have screens. I also don’t like them very much.

Throwdownyourgrandma ,

There are screens for tilt windows. You put them on the outside instead of the inside.

samus12345 ,
@samus12345@lemmy.world avatar

Yeah, but most places in Europe don’t have screens regardless.

Throwdownyourgrandma ,

True that!

RealFknNito ,
@RealFknNito@lemmy.world avatar

Yeah pretty fucking unthinkable

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/f43bc43e-1c4e-417f-be45-44bd6da0f9a9.png

EdibleFriend ,
@EdibleFriend@lemmy.world avatar

One European downvoted you for speaking the truth

anarchy79 ,
@anarchy79@lemmy.world avatar

I downvoted because I’m French.

EdibleFriend ,
@EdibleFriend@lemmy.world avatar

I downvoted you because you’re French.

anarchy79 ,
@anarchy79@lemmy.world avatar

Touché.

gmtom ,

Opening from the bottom is inherently worse

Swedneck ,
@Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de avatar

it’s inherently superior because you can have the window slam onto the fingers of a person trying to crawl in through the window

FooBarrington ,

In Europe we use roller shutters for that

lud ,

You can have them on residential buildings‽

I live in Europe and I have only seen them in commercial settings to protect store and stuff.

moitoi ,
@moitoi@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

You can have them where you want. They makes some nice things nowadays.

www.maisondustore.ch/uploads/…/Sans CFVGGF.png

FooBarrington ,

It’s pretty normal to have them on every window, at least in Germany

lud ,

Here, integrated window blinders are very common. But if you don’t have them you will probably use some sort of curtains (either normal or roll down).

https://www.albanywindows.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/aluminium-integrated-blinds.jpg

anarchy79 , (edited )
@anarchy79@lemmy.world avatar

Those metal shutters, that black out the whole room? They have those in Portugal, Spain, most of the mid-southwest Mediterranean. France also. But they’re basically ubiquitous in Portugal. Pretty nifty actually.

Edit: This was driving me nuts, sorry, but I couldn’t find a single good image of what I mean. Here’s the best I could make the robot monkey do (YMMV):

It sounds like you’re describing “Persianas” – a term used in Portugal (and other Spanish or Portuguese-speaking countries) for a specific type of heavy-duty indoor blinds or shutters. These are not the thin metal or fabric blinds but rather thick, often horizontal slats that can be rolled down to cover windows or doors completely, providing excellent light blockage and insulation.

Why? Because they’re amazing.

lud , (edited )

Funnily enough we call the small thin ones in the picture I posted “Persienner”.

They don’t provide any significant insulation but they can also cover the whole window and block light pretty well. Not perfectly, but good enough for most applications.

If they aren’t enough for you, you can have specific black out curtains that either roll down or slide in front of the window. I suspect black out curtains exist literally everywhere. I am just mentioning it for completeness sake.

I suspect black out curtains are especially common where they get sun 24/7 during the summer.

FartsWithAnAccent ,
@FartsWithAnAccent@kbin.social avatar

Ok, our windows can open from the sides or tops as well :D

AA5B ,

The worse part is now they’re built cheaply so the screen is only the bottom half. You can still open the top, or from both top and bottom for convection, but now you get bugs

Boop2133 ,

It entirely depends on who installed the windows and what brand. Our windows are amazing and high quality.

oatscoop ,

If you get windows one step above “cheapest available” you get a moveable screen.

SpaceCowboy ,
@SpaceCowboy@lemmy.ca avatar

Windows are the kind of thing that are generally built locally for multiple reasons. So your experience will vary greatly based on what the window factory in your area is doing.

Where I live, single hung windows (only one sash) are most common, so only one screen is needed. Double hung windows are less common because people don’t want to pay for the expense of the additional sash (a lot of springs and mechanisms needed for a sash). A screen is an expense too, but nowhere near the expense of an additional shaft. Possibly the intent was to allow for opening the top to making cleaning easier, but that’s usually accomplished by having the top “fixed” portion of the single hung window be able to tilt out because putting all the springs and mechanisms for an additional sash for a feature to make it easier to clean isn’t necessary.

Yeah… I worked at a window factory before. The calculations needed to figure out the tension needed on the springs so that it will counter the weight of the sash was fun.

lud ,

At least you get screens. Where I live mosquitoes are common and yet screens are very rare.

TheSanSabaSongbird ,

They open from the top as well.

anarchy79 ,
@anarchy79@lemmy.world avatar

At that point why do you even need windows?

Loki ,

Correct me if I’m wrong, but that style of window doesn’t allow you to open it fully, right?

RememberTheApollo_ ,

They open fully. The tilt feature is 10-15 degrees, but they swing open fully like a casement window in the US. At least the ones I used did.

ThirdWorldOrder ,

deleted_by_author

    •
    Marcbmann ,

    You can have screens. I don’t understand why everyone thinks these windows don’t have screens

    ThirdWorldOrder ,

    Not if they rotate 90 degrees like others are saying unless it’s some sort of magic screen

    The_one_and_only ,

    The screen just stays in the “hole” of the window. Doesn’t matter if the window is tilted or fully swung open. Very simple.

    Loki ,

    I was talking about the window in the picture in the comment I replied to.

    noobnarski ,

    That window design looks like it would never seal properly. Here in Germany any window from the last 30 years or more will not let any air in when its fully closed.

    CaptnNMorgan ,

    Why wouldn’t it seal?

    noobnarski ,

    Because its not possible to pull the window into the seal when the window also needs to move up and down.

    CaptnNMorgan ,

    The seal is on the bottom so it just falls into it using gravity

    noobnarski ,

    And how is it sealed on the sides and the top? European casement windows actually get pulled into the frame (and seals) all around the frame by rollers which move sideways along sloped ridges when you move the hinge to the closed position.

    CaptnNMorgan ,

    The window stays sealed on all other sides. It just slides up and down. Windows in Europe sound needlessly complicated

    noobnarski ,

    But will there still be air coming through when there is wind pushing on that side of the house?

    I guess they are kind of complicated, but energy efficient windows make it possible to increase the window area and size without losing too much heat. Energy is also more expensive over here, which probably helps in that decision, as the cost of these windows can be easily recouped in a few years just by needing less energy to heat the house.

    CaptnNMorgan ,

    Americans houses aren’t windy inside, no.

    RealFknNito ,
    @RealFknNito@lemmy.world avatar

    It seals. There’s a small recess underneath the window lined with weather stripping that when pressure is applied from closing the window and even locking it, it becomes air tight.

    AlexWIWA ,

    We actually have the opposite issue. Windows here seal so well that indoor air quality slowly drops if you don’t run the central fan all day.

    Gumbyyy ,

    Double hung windows don’t seal quite as well as casement windows, but honestly, unless you’re going to the absolute best energy efficiency possible, like a net-zero house, then it’s really not a big difference. Any halfway decent quality, properly installed window won’t have any noticeable drafts. Plus, as others have mentioned, double hung windows are far cheaper than casement.

    anarchy79 ,
    @anarchy79@lemmy.world avatar

    Yeah I mean of course not in a prison. Which cell block is that?

    GluWu ,

    In America we have to keep our windows closed to keep out the fent smoke and bullets.

    pkill , (edited )

    your walls won’t save you from the latter tho

    Prandom_returns ,

    Bullets are not ghosts, they can’t go through walls, stupid

    greenteadrinker ,

    I think it’s a joke that American houses (in the eyes of Europeans) are made out of sticks (stud framing in the house) and paper (drywall is made from gypsum and has a paper backing)

    In European countries, their houses are made of tougher materials like stone, concrete, or some other material I’m forgetting about

    It’s a known thing in America that stray bullets end up in people’s houses (and sometimes their residents) when it’s an American holiday like 4th of July or Memorial Day

    psud ,

    America tends to build with the cheapest materials. So wood framed houses are clad in wood or plastic

    Australia copied a lot from America. Our houses also are wood framed, but we use brick cladding and concrete tile roofs

    New tech is more available now. If I were to build today it would be out of foamed plastic and reinforced concrete (as insulated concrete forms). And I’d use tilt/swing windows

    pkill ,

    yeah in some states like the Tornado Alley or California (earthquakes) ig that might actually make more sense since sometimes such materials might withstand more force than brick

    psud ,

    Not an issue in Australia, but I bet brick stops or slows bullets more than wood

    Our brick construction doesn’t do well in earthquakes. If a roof is going to fall on you, you don’t want it made of tiles

    irmoz , (edited )

    They can go through shitty American drywall

    post brought to you by brick wall gang

    captainlezbian ,

    If bullets can go through drywall then why am I allowed to shoot anyone who enters my home? That would clearly be dangerous /s

    AlexWIWA ,

    Rifle rounds will go right through brick too unless they’re as wide as cinder blocks and filled. Shit’s scary.

    pkill ,

    another brutalism W :hoxha:

    AlexWIWA ,

    I want all my architecture to look like the Forerunners built it

    RobertOwnageJunior ,

    I get it’s all memes and fun, but I am so tired of this constant ‘Europe does this better’, ‘USA is supreme for that’.

    yeather ,

    Irrelevant, Canada is clearly better than all of you.

    hemko ,

    Canada is like USA but with French and you worship Britsh monarchs… Like you tried to get worst of both worlds

    spicytuna62 ,
    @spicytuna62@lemmy.world avatar

    But at least the Canadians have healthcare and weed.

    hemko ,

    Okay I wish we had legal weed

    Mr_Blott ,

    The only people that tire of it are the ones who lose the most 🙃

    MrJameGumb ,
    @MrJameGumb@lemmy.world avatar

    Yes, you’ve clearly won at… uh… tilty windows? Good job 👍

    Mr_Blott ,

    Sounds like something a person lacking in tilty windows would say

    GBU_28 ,

    Who needs tilty windows when you have ac

    Mr_Blott ,

    It’s like you died halfway through that sentence because of the lack of light breeze and we will never know what word you were trying to type that begins “ac…”

    GBU_28 ,

    Ac is a common shortening of air conditioner/conditioning

    Mr_Blott ,

    “AC” is. “ac” isn’t.

    GBU_28 ,

    Lol sure thing bud.

    hemko ,

    We also have affordable medical support but it’s getting old bashing USA about that

    crazyCat ,

    You know what’s not getting old? Americans as much as Europeans!

    Mr_Blott ,

    10/10 pun.

    For the Americans that’s 12 out of half a football field

    brbposting ,

    Please keep it up. We can get on y’all if you ever jail somebody for a Tweet again.

    Here’s hoping the school shooting & medical debt memes are in the back of our minds come election time!

    hemko ,

    The sad thing is that this time we can’t really have fun on you for voting dumb orange man because he’ll probably have negative effects to us too :(

    brbposting ,

    Sorry :(

    Lightor ,

    “Hey guys, constantly bashing each other is getting old”

    “That’s because we’re better than you!”

    You’re acting way more 'merican than you realize.

    CaptainSpaceman ,

    Masses divided are easier to control

    brbposting ,

    They don’t have that problem in Australia.

    GissaMittJobb ,

    While I agree that our windows are generally superior from a functional perspective, the Americans have us beat in the fact that you can’t install a window AC unit in our windows.

    Hence we get to just die in the increasingly common heat waves. Not great - we’ve got to figure this one out.

    Before portable ACs are mentioned - I’ll point out that they have terrible efficiency, and connecting the tube to blow out the hot air is still terrible with European windows.

    9point6 ,

    Mini split heat pumps.

    All you need is a 3cm hole in the wall to run a refrigerant line from the outside heat pump unit to the wall unit.

    Window AC units are pretty poor efficiency too, IIRC

    GissaMittJobb ,

    This is likely going to be the answer, yeah, but I believe we need to see some improvements in installability for the average person - a window AC unit does afaik not require a specialist to install, while a mini split, while possible to tackle for a handy person, is a lot harder, leaving the average person to have to pay for someone to install the unit.

    Window ACs are not the best from an efficiency perspective, but they do beat portable units by a large margin.

    EDIT: looks like it might actually not even be legal in the EU to install a mini split yourself - you need to be certified to handle the refrigerants.

    Installation is also more than 50% of the total cost of acquisition, so we’re hitting upon an affordability issue here as well.

    9point6 ,

    Yeah that’s a good point about affordability. I guess I’d hope for government subsidies or at least supply & demand market forces to address that before it becomes an essential thing, especially if they replace gas boilers too as a move to reduce carbon emissions.

    GissaMittJobb ,

    In the world of theoretical wild policies, there’s a really good argument for subsidizing heat pump installation for places heating with fossil fuels or direct electricity at more than 100% of the cost of installation. I’d love to see that kind of project. One can mostly just dream, though.

    GreatAlbatross ,
    @GreatAlbatross@feddit.uk avatar

    I’ve just been looking into this in the UK (so Europe, but not EU).

    You can now get split units that come pre-filled with a safer refrigerants that a DIYer is allowed to do themselves.

    I would still get an electrician to do the electrical side though. 1KW constant load should definitely be on its own circuit.

    Nika03 ,

    What if I can’t make a 3cm hole cuz I’m a rentoid?

    kindenough ,
    @kindenough@kbin.social avatar

    I rent and could install AC because it is a home improvement. You could ask if it is allowed.

    frunch ,

    Make a temporary 3cm hole

    realitista ,
    @realitista@lemmy.world avatar

    There are the freestanding air conditioners. They have a hose you put in the window. There are plastic seals you can buy that fit in the windows to seal off the exhaust. They aren’t perfect but they are better than nothing.

    Hexarei ,
    @Hexarei@programming.dev avatar

    And this is a thread about how those won’t work with European windows

    realitista ,
    @realitista@lemmy.world avatar

    I live in Europe, have one, and they work just fine thank you. They just don’t put the whole unit in the window. See here

    GBU_28 ,

    That looks like shit

    brbposting ,

    https://sh.itjust.works/pictrs/image/de565482-3b3e-4871-bf82-59798ec71acc.jpeg

    GBU_28 ,

    Wut

    brbposting ,

    https://sh.itjust.works/pictrs/image/9103a2ac-7a07-4277-8aff-bf26aff47a41.webp

    It’s the portable air conditioner window hose!

    GBU_28 ,

    10/10 clarification

    realitista ,
    @realitista@lemmy.world avatar

    Okay but still beats having useless us style windows everywhere.

    TCB13 ,
    @TCB13@lemmy.world avatar

    I’m sure if you pay the AC unit yourself nobody will oppose lol

    psud ,

    Rent a place with air con installed?

    Steve ,

    Not true, modern window units are very efficient

    ExLisper ,

    Window mounted units are still terrible for comfort. External AC unit is like 300 euro + 300 euro for installation. It’s not a big investment and you get totally silent unit. In Europe people will use portable units if it’s short term and install external one if it’s permanent.

    GissaMittJobb ,

    The quoted prices I saw for installation were a lot higher, more like 700 euro, but that probably depends on the cost of labour where you are.

    There are also non-monetary aspects to this issue - I’m not allowed to make any modifications to my facade on account of it being made out of asbestos, for example. I’d have to get a specialist to cut the hole to make that work. It’s also a bit tricky to fit in an outside unit - or inside unit for that matter - on my walls.

    I’m in complete agreement that mini splits are superior, but the downsides do exist and need to be acknowledged.

    ExLisper ,

    Yep, I’m just saying that 90% of people in Europe will simply go with external AC. Where I live most new apartments simply come with central AC installed and roof top units. But that’s in southern Spain, AC is a must.

    GissaMittJobb ,

    Absolutely. I’m speaking mostly from a Swedish apartment-perspective, where ACs have been optional basically forever, but the climate crisis is quickly making them more and more mandatory each year.

    Andrzej ,

    Integrated AC ftw bebeh

    FlyingSquid ,
    @FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

    I admit I’m an American and my windows don’t open that way, but I’m not sure why whoever made that meme thinks that means a light breeze can’t come through them. Because… a light breeze can come through them.

    JDubbleu , (edited )

    Yeah while the European windows are interesting I don’t really get why having a window open 50 different ways is useful. It seems like an over-engineered solution to just cracking the window. I also can’t imagine it’s more reliable than the good ole vertical/horizontal sliding windows which are just a window in a track.

    Many houses in the northeast have the old school vertical sliding windows with an extra glass pane that can be dropped in front of the screen. This creates an air insulated barrier between the internal and external glass panes and even on the 100+ year old windows I’ve seen they insulate very well.

    PeroBasta ,

    The main purpose in my opinion is that when the window is tilted open, it’s still almost as safe as when it’s closed, while still giving you a breeze inside the house. Keep in mind that this windows are sturdy and quite heavy with often triple glass so is not something you easily brake or force.

    Newer model have crazy good insulation.

    JDubbleu ,

    It still seems incredibly over engineered. Every window I’ve used in the US has a latch you flip out that prevents the window from opening more than a couple inches so that it’s still effectively locked. Newer windows here are also all double or triple panes with inert glass in between the panels for insulation.

    AlexWIWA ,

    Keep in mind, they usually don’t have central HVAC, so opening the window 50 ways is their temperature control. They’re not necessary in the US, but I still think euro windows are neat.

    Surp ,
    @Surp@lemmy.world avatar

    Imagine not having AC like much of Europe

    Siegfried ,

    Sometimes you just don’t need it

    RoseRose56 ,
    @RoseRose56@lemmy.world avatar

    Especially if the house is old, made with stones!

    flathead ,

    Yes, temperature difference inside to out is amazing with solid masonry and ceiling insulation. No AC required.

    AlexWIWA ,

    Disagree. I’ve found stone brick houses to be unbearably hot in the southern US. They turn into an oven.

    Obi ,
    @Obi@sopuli.xyz avatar

    I’ve never seen actual stone houses in north America, only those fake panels on the outside. Bricks are different and require additional insulation, usually you get 2 layers with insulation in between.

    AlexWIWA ,

    There are plenty here in the south west

    Obi ,
    @Obi@sopuli.xyz avatar

    Looked it up, didn’t find much but did find this, these look like made of stone indeed but maybe it’s because they’re thinner? When I think of stone houses I think of things like this with very thick walls, we have these in all the really hot countries like Italy, Spain, southern France etc and I can confirm they stay cool inside even when it’s 40°c outside.

    AlexWIWA ,

    Our brick is usually brick, then some wood frame bolted to that, then insulation in the gaps, and dry wall. The insulation is pretty good, but the issue is usually the roof, and the windows being older than double pane tech. So they let the heat in and then cook, badly.

    But yeah we don’t have much stone like that picture. Usually we use concrete if we want walls that thick. Concrete + HVAC works very well here because there’s not a lot of humidity.

    We mostly stopped using brick though because earthquakes annihilate brick buildings even after reinforcement. The only thing timber seems to be good at is resisting those.

    Obi ,
    @Obi@sopuli.xyz avatar

    Yep earthquakes are basically non-existent in these parts so it’s not a factor, I think the Japanese have a bunch of techniques for concrete buildings that survive earthquakes and special building codes so the structure can move etc. Older roofs are definitely a problem here as well but if it’s less than like 10/20 years old then it’ll also have all the good insulation stuff.

    AlexWIWA ,

    Yeah concrete holds up very well with modern construction thankfully. But our building codes don’t have shit on the Japanese. Their earthquake resistance is magic to me

    flathead ,

    You’re describing “brick veneer” construction - with one skin of bricks and an internal timber frame - which, as you’ve apparently experienced, is not very effective at keeping the space cool (although probably better than timber/stucco cladding). Solid masonry is usually two skins of brick with a cavity or equivalent thickness of concrete / stone block exterior walls.

    AlexWIWA ,

    No they’re old houses made from brick that later had a timber frame retrofitted internally to run electrical and HVAC. The frame just holds up false walls. I’m mainly talking about old houses here

    flathead ,

    If it was solid stone (thickness of two brick skins) with additional insulating material behind the tacked on plasterboard then I’m surprised to hear that it didn’t stay reasonably comfortable in hot weather and would suspect other factors, such as metal roofing and/or inadequate ceiling insulation may be the reason for that.

    AlexWIWA ,

    I think that was indeed the issue. There’s always a leak somewhere in those old houses and they become brutal when there is

    peopleproblems ,

    Or you live in Minnesota, where half the year it used to be unbearably cold so you needed central heat. Then half the year it was so goddamn humid and hot we needed central AC, or at least a window unit.

    We do get the benefit of having homes with a basement implied to protect both the pipes from freezing and our necks from tornadoes in December now

    elephantium ,
    @elephantium@lemmy.world avatar

    I live in Minnesota. It’s not quite as bad as you say. Opening windows overnight and closing them in the morning works pretty well to keep the house comfortable for most of the summer…well, except when we’re inundated with smoke from the wildfires.

    moitoi ,
    @moitoi@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

    Imagine not having enough insulation to need an AC.

    Surp ,
    @Surp@lemmy.world avatar

    Lol have fun cooking with global warming bro

    SaltyIceteaMaker ,
    @SaltyIceteaMaker@iusearchlinux.fyi avatar

    opens 2 windows each on seperate sides of the house/apartment

    AlexWIWA ,

    Doesn’t work as well when it’s 115° outside like much of the US

    gentooer ,

    It would be quite scary to see our lakes boiling

    AlexWIWA ,

    115° in moron units, not Celsius.

    Nalivai ,

    Maybe isolate your house and turn off the AC and delay global warming for a bit then

    Obi ,
    @Obi@sopuli.xyz avatar

    He says, while being the cause of global warming with 24/7 AC.

    Surp ,
    @Surp@lemmy.world avatar

    Lol what a tool. If I have 100% renewable energy at my house how’s that contributing?

    Obi ,
    @Obi@sopuli.xyz avatar

    Energy is only a part of the equation.

    “Much of the existing cooling equipment uses hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants, which are potent greenhouse gases, and use a lot of energy, making them a double burden for climate change. Even with the phasedown of hydrofluorocarbons required by the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, business as usual means emissions from refrigeration and air conditioning are expected to double by 2030 and triple by 2050, rising from 7 per cent of global GHG emissions today. Right now, the more we cool, the more we heat the planet. If we are serious about reversing current trends, we cannot go about cooling our planet with a business-as-usual approach.”

    unep.org/…/air-conditioners-fuel-climate-crisis-c…

    pascal ,

    The amount of energy wasted in America for all the houses with AC they have, could have propelled an entire society to Mars.

    joel_feila ,
    @joel_feila@lemmy.world avatar

    I can just slide my window up a bit.

    ohlaph ,

    What quantifies a bit in this particular case?

    tpihkal ,

    Just a tad. Hope that helps, thanks!

    ohlaph ,

    Thank you.

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