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Originally Posted by Mull
Is there something I should be doing to avoid this issue (i.e. ensuring it gets a nighttime break), or just wear and tear that is bad luck?
Stupid question given many homes don't have AC, but if you're going out of town, and you have NEST to cool it down when you get home, would you just turn off your AC 100%?
We have some old big directly south facing windows that just heat up a room. I can imagine it being like a car in the hot sun. I guess I am not really risking damage to anything if no one is home however??? Fancy hardwood should be ok?
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There's best practices to reduce the risk of running into issues, but it's not always preferable. Things like yearly maintenance, tune up, aiming to decrease the temp only around 1-2C per hour (vs 5-10 degrees in an hour or something) and not going below 22C are best practices to generally maintain units for over 10 years, but not guaranteed to keep the unit from having issues.
When I had AC, with the Nest I had it on eco mode if away on vacation, it would kick in if indoor temps went over like 32-35C or something like that. 22C on the thermostat was not the same as 22C on the temperature sensor in my bedroom upstairs (temp differential was around 1-4C main floor to upstairs bed room and up to 6-8 degree difference for basement). Other things like humidity and sunlight also affect comfort beyond raw temperature.
For indoor heat damage, I think UV rays might be a bit more of concern for damage vs heat. If you have a south facing window, I'd think curtains/blinds that filter/block light are more likely to protect the hardwood vs making sure the temps don't go over 32-35C indoors.
For instance, I believe an oil based varnish on hardwood floors will yellow quicker if exposed to the sun. A water based varnish/laminate/engineered wood might be more resistant to UV rays though. Furniture and fabrics don't do great in UV light and the heat combinations and may fade faster.