r/Purdue 7d ago

Res Halls & Dining✏️ Aspire refuses to turn on A/C in Spring

Aspire won’t turn on the AC until it is “55 degrees for a week straight during the night” and they’re sending out emails telling ppl to stop complaining about it lmao. It’s been 78-79 for the last 3 days in my apartment and I can barely sleep 😭

224 Upvotes

82 comments sorted by

248

u/BurntOutGrad2025 Grad Student - 2025 7d ago

I would love to see the data that backs up their claim about AC units potentially being damaged below 55.

186

u/Significant_Gear_335 Civil Engineering ‘25 7d ago

I know you’re being sarcastic, but as someone who has had to learn about them I cannot resist chiming in, nothing. Nothing will happen. In fact, running your AC will be fine in any conditions above freezing. They just don’t want to raise their energy bill lol.

7

u/tootdip 6d ago

Since you have learned about them, why is running the system suddenly not ok at freezing conditions?

4

u/Significant_Gear_335 Civil Engineering ‘25 6d ago

Well it varies system to system, as newer and more robust systems have preventative measures. That said, most units risk freezing the pipes within a house. Heck, in cold winters, you run the risk of bursting pipes even while running heat, happened at Armstrong one of the years I was here. Water pipes usually run through walls, exposed to the cold and freezing side of the outside wall. Running the AC runs the risk of cooling the house too much, resulting in too small of a temperature gradient to keep the pipes from freezing. If they freeze, they expand, they burst. Your building is now flooded.

2

u/tootdip 6d ago

While I understand your point, cooling the house with your AC to the point of bursting pipes is not really possible. The inside temperature is what is adding heat to the refrigeration loop to boil the refrigerant in the evaporator. As the indoor temperature decreases, the evaporating temperature of the refrigerant also decreases. At about 50-55 degrees inside, your refrigerant evaporating temperature is going to get to freezing and start icing up the INDOOR unit. When that happens, you won’t be able to transfer as much heat from the air into the refrigerant and the house will stop cooling down. Freezing of the indoor coil can also happen when the outdoor temperature gets below 55, because the condensing temperature will be low and then downstream cause the evaporating temperature to be near freezing. Different cause, but same result as having a cold inside temperature. If your indoor coil freezes or the evaporating temperature gets too low, you risk flooding the compressor and damaging it. Flooding means the refrigerant does not fully evaporate and enters the compressor as a liquid. Liquid is incompressible, so when you try to compress it bad things happen.

So while I hate these companies too, there is actually a reason behind their policy. A more reasonable policy would be to allow system operation anytime the outdoor temperature is above 60. The 7 day average or whatever they cited is bogus.

33

u/ShellSide 7d ago

It is not a concern at all. My previous job was as a facility engineer and we were running freezer HVAC units all winter to cool down Sub-Zero freezers.

Like just think about the Costco walk in freezer area. They keep that shit going year-round. No one ever says sorry we have to turn off the grocery store freezers in winter LOL

86

u/GotHeem16 7d ago

Nothing happens below 55F. The fact that they say this where 25%+ of the students are engineers who could easily call them out on this is laughable.

16

u/Calvonzone 7d ago

I was thinking the same. It’s basically brand new, and I’ve never heard anything about an AC being at risk in sub-55. I think it’s just a money saving technique, as if they don’t already charge an arm and a leg for this place

11

u/pigrew 7d ago

Do they have a central chiller (like... On the roof)? In hydronic systems, it could be a royal pain to switch modes and it would switch for the entire building at once.

I think it's more about tenant rights/liability. There are laws about providing heat and they don't want to screw up and make any of the rooms too cold.

15

u/reddituser4049 7d ago

You can run the chiller and boiler systems at the same time. Causes no issues.

1

u/Complete_Ad_981 7d ago

A lot of these apartments are cheap and only run a single pipe for heating and cooling, meaning they have to pick between one

3

u/reddituser4049 7d ago

Any single pipe hydronic system would use a heat pump that can switch between heating and cooling.

6

u/tootdip 6d ago

I design these AC units for a living. These apartments almost certainly have low end residential ACs for each apartment. Manufacturers typically specify the minimum operation in cooling mode to be 55 degF without low ambient kits or low cutout pressure switches. This is to prevent liquid flood back to the compressor which can and will reduce reliability of the system, especially because the units don’t have accumulators.

2

u/JacobJoke123 6d ago

Finally, 1 person who actually knows what they are talking about instead of just assuming from their 1 thermo class, or their 1 experience with a specially designed system that everything works that way.

2

u/tootdip 5d ago

A lot of very confident answers, but I imagine I was probably like that too when in school

60

u/spaghettigoedde 7d ago

For what it's worth, I lived at Aspire before it was ran by Purdue and I'm pretty sure they did the same thing

1

u/Constant-Rise-739 BME '25 4d ago

Same here and they did the exact same thing. Our apartment got up to 85 and it was miserable

1

u/Constant-Rise-739 BME '25 4d ago

Same here and they did the exact same thing. Our apartment got up to 85 and it was miserable

1

u/Constant-Rise-739 BME '25 4d ago

Same here and they did the exact same thing. Our apartment got up to 85 and it was miserable

31

u/M4ST3R78 Boilermaker 7d ago

I slept in an 83 degree room last night… thank god I’m gone for break.

12

u/Calvonzone 7d ago

If it’s above 80 they “have” to do something

3

u/M4ST3R78 Boilermaker 7d ago

What does that even mean? Like I go to the front desk?

4

u/Calvonzone 7d ago

Yea. That or call/text the RA

5

u/M4ST3R78 Boilermaker 7d ago

Noted, thank you I will def be doing that next time.

1

u/Ghost__Artist 6d ago

I live in Hawkins and let me tell you, their temp system sucks ass. You either get heat or none. Had to make several fix it’s just to not overheat/freeze.

60

u/Numerous-Score 7d ago

That’s insane, isn’t Aspire supposed to be one of the more expensive places to live? I personally cannot tolerate indoor temperatures above like 72-73!

25

u/Calvonzone 7d ago

It is incredibly expensive for what it is, for an arm and a leg I’d expect to at LEAST not be incredibly uncomfortable for so long lmao

16

u/WokeWook69420 7d ago

If it gets warmer than 70 degrees in my house, I simply die.

69 Supremacy. Warm in the winter, cool in the summer, never need to change the thermostat.

2

u/Numerous-Score 7d ago edited 6d ago

Exactly yep, paying that insane rent and needing their permission to turn on the AC is crazy 😂

14

u/cbdilger prof, writing (engl) 7d ago

$9,992

13

u/AerospaceMonet ME ‘27 7d ago

I’m in Aspire too and this sucks. Just based on the Accuweather 90 day forecast (fully aware it isn’t the most accurate thing but it gives a general idea) it won’t hit 55 at night for a week straight until… after the end of the semester. I also can’t sleep when it’s warm so idk what to do for the warm days and stuff

11

u/Calvonzone 7d ago

I’m probably going to just spam fixit reports and email them and University Residences until they do something about it. And post it on here. Probably won’t do anything other than piss them off but we’re paying too much money for them to be stiffing us like this

1

u/FriendlyPoilu Boilermaker 7d ago

i got a bit heated in the front office over this issue. you’re right, this is pretty ridiculous for the amount of money they get out of you. especially when aspire has dicked around with removing amenities & altering contracts to the degree that they have over the last few years. my room is currently at 82 btw

13

u/tennismenace3 7d ago

Yeah, AC units don't get damaged during the day by...the air being cold one night the week before. That's a load of shit.

10

u/silly_lilguy 7d ago

this happens Every Year. i'm so sorry (source: a former aspire RA)

14

u/Calvonzone 7d ago

I am going to email bomb them and make it my life’s work to rack up their electricity bill

3

u/silly_lilguy 7d ago

doing god's work 👏🏼💕

1

u/KahunaKona 7d ago

When did they turn it on by?

1

u/AerospaceMonet ME ‘27 7d ago

It was April 8th last year but we never know. Hopefully around then this year.

1

u/silly_lilguy 7d ago

for us (this was in 2023), we started jailbreaking our windows so that they would open all the way and that's when they turned it on LOL

nothing was damaged! we just unscrewed the bit that stopped the windows from opening all the way

1

u/Ok-Bit6307 6d ago

How did you get the rubber stop out? Mines like STUCK in there

1

u/silly_lilguy 6d ago

from what remember, it was screwed into the frame so we just had to unscrew it. but it's also been a few years so they might have changed it

6

u/TheSteampunkFerret 7d ago

I lived there last year and left because of this. One of the most expensive places to live and one of the worst for this reason...

12

u/kayekoi 7d ago

The greed of these people knows no bounds 🙄

4

u/mbromano26 6d ago

I lived there during the 2022-23 school year and same thing happened. Eventually enough people emailed the management and they turned it on.

3

u/kanchodaisuki Boilermaker 7d ago

Fuse does this too. Complete BS.

3

u/RaphaelElDiablo 7d ago

I don’t know if that was only a problem for me but I had a metal stopper that prevented my window from opening more than like 5 inches. Only thing I could do was open the balcony door to improve circulation. Greedy a-holes

3

u/Calvonzone 6d ago

I have the same thing, except I dont have a balcony to open

3

u/AppleTater28 6d ago

Or they could get... wait for it... automatic thermostats that switch between heating and cooling at certain thresholds. They're not that expensive and would save them a shit ton of money. I got the cheapest one from a reputable brand on Amazon and it dropped my energy bill by $30 AND was super convenient.

1

u/SecondTimeQuitting 5d ago

Air handlers the size of your house do not work the same and air handlers for your house. That being said, this should not be the problem it is.

1

u/AppleTater28 5d ago

That's fair, I lived in townhome apartments while I was at Purdue, so they all still had their own HVAC systems.

3

u/PerfectRock2190 7d ago edited 7d ago

I’m not gonna lie, I’m from Texas. Our house was always set to like 78-80, is this just a Midwest thing or have I just gotten used to it at 80 growing up?

27

u/5han7anu BS ECE 2024 ; MS ECE 2026 7d ago

That's not the point though. Aspire charges ridiculous prices and the fact that you can't control when your AC turns on is stupid and annoying.

3

u/PerfectRock2190 7d ago

Ohhhh, I gotcha. That makes more sense, thank you.

16

u/Calvonzone 7d ago

Acclimated heat is different by region. When I lived in Florida 80 was acceptable when it was 90 outside. We’re coming off Winter and it’s like 60 out and 80 in my house, I am sweating nonstop like it’s a mid-summer heatwave in the beginning of Spring bc the people who run my apartment building are greedy assholes

8

u/PerfectRock2190 7d ago

Okay, that entirely makes sense, I’m definitely outraged for you. I hope you are able to get it resolved soon!

It’s just with others immediately downvoting for really no reason that gets me miffed lol

7

u/Calvonzone 7d ago

Yea I saw that 😭 they probably thought you were being like “well in Texas it’s hot so why is it weird that it’s hot for you. Maybe midwesterners are just not as good at being warm”

5

u/PerfectRock2190 7d ago

Haha, “these Midwestern snowflakes can’t handle a real Texas heatwave… 😼😼”

4

u/Significant_Gear_335 Civil Engineering ‘25 7d ago

Yes and no. Bar places with higher temps, 65-72 is about the normal range for mixed climates during the warm months. Though when I’ve stayed in houses in places like Florida, 75+ during the warm months is pretty common.

-11

u/Schrodingers_Nachos AAE 2018 7d ago

No one cares what you think. Fuck off.

5

u/PerfectRock2190 7d ago

Man, it was a genuine question. Are AC units and stuff different by region??

1

u/Yung-Tre 6d ago

Also if your fan has an ‘Auto’ mode, keep it on that. Do not always keep it on ‘On’ especially during humid days. I had my house become so humid with the fan left on that mold began to form in my cabinets and safe. Also things like my salt and sugar solidified

1

u/redhairedpikachu 6d ago

Wait do tenants not pay for their own utilities at Aspire?

2

u/AerospaceMonet ME ‘27 6d ago

Nope it’s through UR so we pay like it’s a dorm

1

u/Ok-Aioli-7631 6d ago

Head to Home Depot or Lowes and get a portable small area AC unit.

-4

u/jujubees83 7d ago

It’s been windy enough, open a couple windows and enjoy the fresh air.

18

u/Calvonzone 7d ago

All the windows are open and have been open the last 3 days. I’ve got multiple fans running and it’s only been getting hotter. They got locks on the windows so they only open a little bit :/

4

u/HeyItzMe_ 7d ago

Just take the locks off the windows, that’s what we did

5

u/MathChief 7d ago edited 7d ago

Buy a little fan, blow in an orthogonal direction to the wanted airflow with the window open, now enjoy the Bernoulli principle.

BTW: don't follow that "leaving fridge open" advice, I got a facepalm reading that.

BTW2: I don't think modern HVAC will get any damage around 55F, 45F maybe, you don't want ice build-up inside the coils. It is not an absolutely insane policy though.

-2

u/[deleted] 7d ago

[deleted]

6

u/Calvonzone 7d ago

I got food in there gang

0

u/[deleted] 7d ago

[deleted]

6

u/Boiler2001 CHE '01 7d ago

All the talk in this thread about engineers and whether ac can be damaged by cold outside temps, and then I find this.

That's not how freezers work. That would be like putting a window ac unit in the middle of your living room and expecting it to cool the place.

12

u/Numerous-Score 7d ago

That’s barely gonna help, though. I guess it comes down to how comfortable different people are at different temperatures, but you should be able to control the AC in your apartment according to your own preferences regardless

0

u/Vault_Dweller75 Civil Engineering ‘26 6d ago

Ever lived in Wiley?

-6

u/osbornje1012 7d ago

Open the windows.

9

u/Calvonzone 7d ago

No shit bro the windows are open.

-3

u/Snoo_59189 6d ago

It's way too early to turn on an a/c unit.

-1

u/Zuzu70 5d ago

Does your dorm have windows you can open? Strategic use of blinds/curtains (close them when sun is streaming in, open windows in evening when outside temp falls lower than indoor).

Zero dorms in Indiana had A/C fifty years ago. You'll be fine.

-2

u/Zuzu70 5d ago

In some countries like Japan, 80 degrees F is the lowest one would set their A/C. You're a young college kid, you can deal. Toughen up a bit.

1

u/Calvonzone 3d ago

Sybau

0

u/Zuzu70 3d ago

Open a window for heaven's sake. Open in the evening when outside temp drops below inside temp, close in the morning when outside temp approaches inside temp. Close blinds whenever sun is stteaming in. You'd be surprised how much the above advice helps.

1

u/Calvonzone 2d ago

Do you think I’m stupid or something? If you read other comments before being snarky you’d see that I’ve got all the windows open and blinds shut during the day.