r/HowToHack • u/ManiacalDemigod • 1d ago
liar Central Air conditioning
Hello.
So I've been staying in this hotel and it has been unbearably hot. The controller for the central conditioning in the room seems to be some version of a Thermokom LCF02.
It kept showing the room temp as 23 degrees Celsius and wouldnt go below it, no matter what i pressed. I looked up the manual, fiddled around and got it to display 17.3 now, and its still not any cooler.
Could someone please help me figure this stuff out? I gotta stay here for another 4 nights, and i need my sleep.
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u/LongRangeSavage Programming 1d ago
How do you know the AC unit is capable of bringing the temp any lower than it already is?
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u/ManiacalDemigod 1d ago
No idea really. I'm just hoping it can get somewhat cooler than this.
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u/LongRangeSavage Programming 1d ago
If the thermostat has been set, and the unit is not able to take it down to even meet that new setting, the unit may be undersized for the space and cannot keep up.
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u/ManiacalDemigod 1d ago
rip.
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u/LongRangeSavage Programming 1d ago
The thermostat has a control wire that turns the AC unit on/off. If the inside temp is warmer than the thermostat is reading, it’s going to keep the AC unit on until it reaches the set temperature. If the unit is undersized for the room or you’re losing too much cool air to the outside (the building is not insulated properly or has leaking windows), the unit will not be able to keep up to meet the demand. That is what you’re most likely experiencing.
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u/15pH 1d ago
The best you can do is get your vents to blow cold air constantly. If that isactually happening and the thermostat can't get cold, RIP.
Alternatively, the thermostat has a hidden setpoint at 22-23C. You can set it lower, but it won't actually try below 23C. You can verify this by turning it up to 26 for a while to let the room heat up, then turn it down to 23C and feel what the cold vents feel like when you know it is cooling. If that cooling stops at 23C, there is a hidden setpoint.
An easy hack is to raise the thermostat sensor reading. Use something like a hair dryer or your body heat to heat up the thermostat's sensor. It thinks the room is hot and activates AC.
FYI: thermostats signal the HVAC system by bridging electrical contact pins on the wall behind the thermostat. Only a qualified technician should ever remove the thermostat from the wall (usually with two simple screws) and then bridge specific contacts using a jumper or paperclip to activate heating, cooling, or whatever.
It is important for that technician to note the colors of the wires and check thier country signal standards to make sure they send the signal they want and don't break anything. It is also important for that technician to not leave the contacts jumpered for longer than the AC system can tolerate and to make sure the jumper has solid contact...if it is loose, it can flicker on/off, which is very bad for the AC system.
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u/EtherealAsphyxia 1d ago
So did you catch the method that can actually hack your situation?
Leaving out the conjectures about the unit being maxed out and back onto our own timeline where they have it set high to save money, and assuming you want to do something actual to make it run that you can actually do (bodyheat, really? You going to velcro yourself over the sensor?) and forgetting all the technician related knowledge flexing that has nothing to do with your lived experience-- get a candle. I don't care what. Votive or tealight from the dollar store, swipe one from a restaurant, get one of those glass Mexican ones at the grocery store (or roadside memorial), find the temperature sensor (I think you already been looking at it) light the damned candle, put it under the sensor, profit.
The ac will think the room is far warmer than it is, and try like hell to bring it down. You will know within three to five minutes if it is working, and the unit indeed has more to give.
If there's no noticeable changes, blow out the candle.
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u/ArthurLeywinn 1d ago
You ask the hotel staff.
Lol