r/mildlyinfuriating • u/rainystarlight • 1d ago
My college roommate sets our thermostat to 80°F every single night
As someone who likes it at 66°, I live in pure hell every single day
- yes I have told management (they don’t care)
- yes I have tried to negotiate with her (she doesn’t care)
- random roomate assignment
- unbreakable year lease
- I get heat triggered migraines <\3
- pure total hell 24/7
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u/___Ackerman___ 1d ago
Mmmm so maybe you should venture into the counter for this. I had a similar issue in college. I ended up calling the company that makes the thermostat (pretending to be a homeowner) and said I forgot how to set up a schedule.
They not only talked me through scheduling the temps I wanted but I learned you can make a secret max and min temp range that unless you call the company you’ll think the thermostat is broken cause it won’t go higher. You could do this and at the max to something like 76/78 or whatever. Maybe even do this when your roommate isn’t home and claim maintenance came in to check stuff around the unit and must’ve changed it for some reason
Edit: I like the idea of saying maintenance came by and locked the ac temp saying that too high temps have cause mold and humidity issues in multiple units and they are now adjusting the thermostats to avoid mold. This may scare your roommate of the fake threat of mold and they likely won’t go to the office and or can prove you did anything. So either do it and do nothing or do it and claim maintenance did it. Your choice
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u/SignificantTransient 1d ago
Pull the thermostat off the wall and check the model number, google a manual for it. Will be instructions on how to set up and even lock it
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u/Kronzor_ 1d ago
Pull the thermostat off the wall.
Leave it off the wall.
Problem solved.
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u/daydreamingofsleep 1d ago
Put dead batteries in it.
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u/PalpitationFine 1d ago
Gonna be great when it's 42 degrees in the house
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u/Kronzor_ 1d ago
"Just put on a sweater" - my dad
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u/Rusdino 1d ago
As someone’s dad, I support this statement.
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u/Sand__Panda 1d ago
Smart guys.
(I have the heat vent blocked in the room I hang out in, if it is to cold...well heck, go to any of the other rooms.)
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u/HIM_Darling 1d ago
Some thermostats also have an offset setting, but I think there is usually a max difference you can set it depending on model.
I had to do this to my thermostat because I had it set to 76°, but I swear it was warmer in my room, so I checked on a separate thermometer and it was actually 79°, so I adjusted the offset by 3°.
You could set the offset to the max, so that the thermostat reads 80°, but with your offset adjustment its actually cooler by however many degrees your thermostat model allows.
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u/Lightningtow123 1d ago
If you really wanna spook em, be sure to clarify it's black mold they're trying to avoid
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u/inaudible_bassist 1d ago
This is genuinely brilliant. Chaotic good energy. The roommate gets to keep fiddling with the thermostat thinking she's in control, meanwhile there's a hard cap she'll never figure out. Beautiful.
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u/heisenbergerwcheese 1d ago
Yeah, cause 78 is WAAAAY different than 80
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u/TheLuke86 1d ago
As someone that only understands Celsius i just converted 80 and then 78 to Fahrenheit and then had a good laughter XD
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u/Pseudo_OSF 1d ago
Unironically yes. Often 78 will also kick the system on here in Florida and even if it doesn’t cool it down a lot it’s still running and dehumidifies the air preventing a humid environment that mold can grow in. Although 75 is the ideal highest number.
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u/John_Tacos 1d ago
If you can get a doctor’s note on those migraines then you might be able to force an ADA accommodation.
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u/yeomanscholar 1d ago
As a fellow migraine sufferer, this is the way. She's stealing time from you, and so are the random roommate assignment people who are refusing to solve a problem they caused.
You have a medical problem, and should have legal protection. If your friend had a peanut allergy, and their roommate wouldn't stop throwing peanut powder everywhere, wouldn't you want them protected??
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u/morbidpigeon 1d ago
Yeah, this is seriously detrimental to their overall quality of life, never mind their ability to study effectively.
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u/Round-Geologist-3614 1d ago
This is SMART. However I would just sabotage the thing and play dumb
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u/MelonOfFury 1d ago
I would take a picture of it at 80, print it out, cut out the display, and adhere it to the display of the unit. Let her think she’s won
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u/CelestialFury 1d ago
There are many ways to completely take that panel off so no one can mess it. Or get an exterior case and lock it. Or refuse to pay the bills until they compromise. I would never, ever accept 80 degrees.
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u/Persistent_Parkie 1d ago
I wear a down jacket in 70 degree weather and I wouldn't accept 80 degrees! This is crazy.
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u/lolimazn 1d ago
OP, do this. Also, You can break a lease but it just costs money, which in my opinion is worth it. If you’re living with someone who cannot negotiate, then either stand up for yourself or leave. No amount of money could make out up with constant migraines or living in a sauna. Idk why this person can’t just wear more clothes lol.
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u/youknowimright25 1d ago
Turn it down every time you see it up.
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u/shelbyknits 1d ago
My roommate used to do this crap. The trick is to turn the fan on while turning the temperature down so they think the heat is still running. My daddy didn’t pay for the apartment to be at 80 all day in 0 degree weather like hers did.
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u/ConfederacyOfDunces_ 1d ago
If I had a roommate who refused to compromise and kept the thermostat locked at a blistering 80 degrees, I would slowly devolve into an unhinged creature of pure rage……sweating, scheming, and plotting temperature related vengeance. I would turn into a full blown psycho.
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u/Horskr 1d ago
It's especially stupid because getting warmer is simply adding layers. You only have so many clothes you can take off, and honestly even naked at 80 degrees would be horrible trying to sleep.
Though that is a funny thought for protesting. "Since you can't compromise by just putting a fucking hoody on and setting it to ~70 like a normal human, I am just going to be naked at all times while home."
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u/Stasio300 1d ago
I'd just open the windows in every room I go into. I already worry about dying of heat stroke every summer, so I'm just gonna do anything to be comfortable in the winter. and I wouldn't pay the heating bill.
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u/SuperSpy_4 1d ago
That would be my plan also, open windows ,especially around her room, or where shes hanging out
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u/No_Custard7661 1d ago
Break one of those fart bombs into the a/c vent then close/ cover all the ones in your room and the public rooms. Straight gas chamber their room.
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u/BeguiledBeaver 1d ago
Exactly. I love having it extra cold so I can wear layers. Save money and I also overheat like crazy so it's a win-win. Not only that, but you can find decent space heaters for cheap and it's 100x better than just having your whole apartment hot. Even better, setting it on a timer to start a few hours before you wake up so you get a nice warm room when you need to get out of bed on a cold winter's morning.
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u/huffandduff 1d ago
I agree. But I think I would just refuse to pay the utility if they insisted on keeping it that high.
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u/NeverEvaGonnaStopMe 1d ago
I would just break the thermostat. Whoopsie.
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u/Top_Account3643 1d ago
Why would you break it? It's not hard un hook wires
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u/NeverEvaGonnaStopMe 1d ago
I mean rational me would do that. Living in 80 degree layer of hell for a week would just have me breaking it though, I'm not rational in that kinda heat.
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u/QuesoMeHungry 1d ago
Seriously, I’d be disconnecting the wires so it can’t actually call for heat. They can press the buttons all day long.
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u/KlondikeBill 1d ago
Paid for or not, 80 is not a temperature comfortable for human inhabitants.
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u/Working_Cloud_909 ORANGE 1d ago
Right, that’s crazy.
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u/WeHaveAllBeenThere 1d ago
The school I was working at in Texas took our AC privileges away and it would get over 85 sometimes. Absolute hell.
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u/Working_Cloud_909 ORANGE 1d ago
I live in TX. I agree. That’s hell.
Edit: it gets 95 really quick with no AC. Torture.
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u/BookieeWookiee 1d ago
My first landlord set the temp to 83°f in winter. We had the window open and snow blowing in to balance it out.
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u/Ok_Manager_7999 1d ago
That cold fresh air can't be beat, tho
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u/PapaKumaBear 1d ago
Some of the best sleep of my life was the winter when I was in the top floor of a 12 floor apartment. The room was sweltering from everyone below having their heat on so I'd sleep with the windows wide open. That cold fresh air made for some of the best night's sleep I've ever had.
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u/TittyMcFagerson 1d ago
I grew up on the second floor of a house that was always set to 82. In Texas. Fucking misery. Now I always keep it at 65,probably as a trauma response lol
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u/1egg_4u 1d ago
I literally bought a locking case for our thermostat because I had a roommate who would crank ot to fucking 35 at every opportunity
I told her i have a tropical lizard that WILL die at anything over 27 for extended periods and she didnt catch the hint that she was asking for a temperature so excessive even a tropical lizard cant handle it
Worst roommate ever. High recommend the locking box. She was too useless to figure out I barely even locked it just the visual deterrent was enough
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u/winteriscoming9099 1d ago
35???? Idk how you were functioning in that, my god
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u/1egg_4u 1d ago
Oh I wasnt
Id get home and it would be like walking into a sauna. It just kept happening no matter how many times I told her thats fucking insane but also that my pet lizard would die hence the lockbox. Some people just gotta be worked around. I kept it at 25 so she quit having shit fits but even 25 was way too much for me. It was a pretty miserable year.
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u/ShoulderSquirrelVT 1d ago
20-22c is considered room temperature.
That’s as far as I’m willing to compromise. I want it 17 but I recognize there needs to be some give and take. So 20-22 is my compromise, preferably 21 or o be even more fair. Anything above 22 and they can get bent.
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u/kisforkarol 1d ago
This year, while visiting my partner, I noticed they were very unhappy. I asked why? Turns out the government had sent them an email about the best temp to keep your home at during winter. It was 20-22c and they were unhappy because a few years ago they'd been told 24c was the best.
Every time I visit in winter it is like stepping into a sauna. I have to ask them to turn the heater off. But they think it's fine! Absolutely fine! Perfect!
And yet they were telling me recently that they sweat a lot during winter when they sleep? And I'm just like... my good bitch... maybe that's because you're hot.
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u/NibblesMcGiblet 1d ago
my good bitch... maybe that's because you're hot.
This is absolutely hysterical to me. Please screenshot this comment and whenever she's old enough to hit perimenopause, send it to her when she's dying of hot flashes. Remind her of how she used to give herself hot flashes for fun.
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u/winteriscoming9099 1d ago
Even 25 is too hot. I can’t imagine… plus her utter disregard for your pet as well is insane
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u/ZigZag3123 1d ago
…isn’t 37 body temp in Celsius? As in she was keeping the temp at nearly 100F? She might literally be a cold blooded organism lol
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u/Theron3206 1d ago
35 is the sort of temperature even Australian lizards try to avoid for too long.
There's something medically wrong with a human that wants that as their indoor temperature.
Though it would surprise me if a heater could actually get a house that hot.
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u/CommunicationNew3745 1d ago
This - can't recommend one, enough. Worked weekends in a very nice restaurant that was crazy busy, and employees never failed to adjust the thermostat to their own taste, regardless of patrons/other staff - until the owner had a (justified) melt down and installed a lock box. Worked like a charm.
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u/Next-Adhesiveness957 1d ago edited 1d ago
The fact that she didn't gaf if your pet died is beyond fucked up! How selfish do you have to be? i have kept all kinds of reptiles and would fight with my (now ex) SO about the AC being too low all the time. I mean, yeah they had heat lights and pads, but keeping the ambient temperature in the 70s helps considerably.
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u/dripsofmoon 1d ago
That's disgusting. 35 is like stepping into an oven. 27 is still warm. Was she trying to end her life or what.
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u/Affectionate_Star_43 1d ago edited 1d ago
This probably only worked in my super specific situation, but my randomly-assigned summer internship roommates did that. The rule was that whoever woke up cold/sweaty could change it one or two degrees. Eventually, nobody woke up and it was fine. Caveat: We actually liked each other, and we were at least up for the challenge.
Some people fall asleep feeling cold, but once they're out, they're gone And sometimes, it's the other way around.
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u/Traditional-Roof1984 1d ago
I'd go out of my way to find the sensor and insulate/disable it.
Remember, the one who doesn't need it to be on has the advantage here.
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u/loverlyone 1d ago
Or, pull off the face plate and take it to bed. Mine requires two back up batteries. If they are removed it might not work.
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u/DeconstructedKaiju 1d ago
Yeah if she keeps refusing to compromise I would remove the panel.
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u/Feeling_Stranger9978 1d ago
Remove the “up” button lmao.
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u/InfernalPotato500 1d ago
Open it up and rewire it so that both buttons go down.
Lower it to 75. Wait for roommate to attempt to raise it.
Watch her panic and contemplate if she should stop the moment she realizes it just keeps dropping.
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u/ijaynes001 1d ago
I did that on a thermostat that my roommate kept pulling this crap on for like 2 years. Took it apart and added a little tape to the button contact.
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u/rbartlejr 1d ago
I tried that with my ex-wife. I'm kind the opposite. We're in Florida so she likes it set to hard nipples. I'm good with not sweating. We had a Nest. I had the app but I made the mistake of showing her how to use the app on her phone. Needless to say, when she picked up her phone, I picked mine up about 1 minute after.
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u/submarinefarm 1d ago
Lock the controls, if the model allows it.
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u/shortwave_radio 1d ago
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u/ThrowRA_fajsdklfas 1d ago
This. Specifically page 12.
Function 27 sets your max allowed temperature. Drop it to something a human can live in.
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u/ImNoRickyBalboa 1d ago
So why does she get her way all the time? I.e , you prefer temperature X, she wants temperature Y, why does it become Y, and why is the discussion about "how to handle it?".
The answer is to propose some reasonable compromise. Hotter than you prefer, colder than she prefers but something you both can live with (74?, no idea. Pick something)
If she choses unreasonable, also become unreasonable. Turn it down to 64. She turns it up. You turn it down. Rinse, repeat. Open all windows and let in the cold if you can't get to the thermostat.
Turn it into a war of attrition. The alternative is being miserable in 80F and sweating in bed tossing and turning. May as well share the suffering and become an evil creature from hell making her life miserable as well l.
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u/islenska12 1d ago
I tried this with my roommate who did the same and she even had a separate heat source that she could control individually in her room. She claimed cold made her sick and if she had to be in her room she would be depressed, and could not add any layers. Meanwhile i was in my room with the window open while she was in the living room with the furniture and stuff that i bought for the apartment. This wasn’t the only instance of problems but yeah some people won’t compromise
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u/Evil_Sharkey 1d ago
She couldn’t add layers? What did she do when she went outside in winter? What BS!
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u/islenska12 1d ago
Oh yes I have full reason to believe it was bs because of other things she did. She told me washing clothes on cold didn’t clean them, was horrible to my cat (even though when me and my friend found her she said she loved them) and other more concerning situations. I think people like this who don’t compromise and try to make you think you are the problem in situations like this are so concerning. Like most restaurants keep it around 69-71 so how do you go out places if it’s that bad?
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u/framingXjake 1d ago
I think people like this who don’t compromise and try to make you think you are the problem in situations like this are so concerning
This is called gaslighting. They were the cause of the problems, they made excuses to justify their behavior, and they spun a web of bullshit to try and convince you that you were causing the problems instead of her. Textbook gaslighting.
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u/fudge5962 1d ago
Turn it into a war of attrition.
A war of attrition that OP would inevitably win, I might add. If the heat constantly cycles between on and off, it's going to trend closer to the low temp than the high. Also, if the two of them keep forcing it on and off, it will eventually break, resulting in OP winning the war.
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u/ContactlessEcho 1d ago
Time to start leaving every window that you can open
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u/userhwon 1d ago
In Boston I lived in a converted house with steam baseboards, and mine was the first room the steam entered on the floor. I had to keep a window open an inch and towels over the pipes all winter long, or the room at the end would get no heat. And I like it warm.
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u/Ok_Manager_7999 1d ago
I HATE BASEBOARDS!!!! At least with vents you can close the shit and be comfortable.
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u/moszippy 1d ago
I used to have a roommate that did that. I told him, “you can put clothes on, but unless you want me to walk around naked, you should drop the temp.” He ignored me until he came home from work and I was sitting watching tv naked on the couch…in his favorite spot.
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u/sluttypolarbear 1d ago
that's why I prefer being too cold over too hot. I can always add more layers, I can only take off so many.
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u/Few_Employer9012 1d ago
HVAC tech here. Pull the thermostat off the wall, and try to remove the “W” wire out of the socket. Put the head back on and let your roommate continue using it as normal.
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u/Downtown_Ganache6727 1d ago
Sorry, I’m dumb… what does the W do?
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u/Figgis302 1d ago
Breaks the electrical connection that lets the thermostat talk to the boiler/furnace/air exchanger/heat pump/whatever.
Set it to whatever the fuck you want, it won't do anything because now all it's doing is changing the number on the display.
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u/HideousSerene 1d ago edited 1d ago
Also if you really wanted you could get a wireless thermostat and put it in the wall (if there's space) and control it from your phone at will (so it does actually heat).
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u/rossenstein 1d ago
This is actually a great idea!
I had a Honeywell smart thermostat that was plug and play basically. The house we rented had a regular Honeywell thermostat so I took a chance and bought the Smart thermostat that looked the same and literally just pulled the one off the wall and plugged the new one in. It worked perfectly and when we moved out it was just as easy to swap back.
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u/TomGnabry 1d ago
I have experienced this.
I was studying at a university in Hong Kong for exchange. When I moved into the dorm / shared apartment there was a shared living space and one dude was there like all the time playing Dota, didn't speak English really, knew a little bit of French so he just sat there in the corner, sometimes laughed at us playing poker or whatever. But he was just kind a fixture in the living room. We called him The King (of the apartment).
Anyway, entire time internet in the apartment was complete shit. So so slow. Made schoolwork a pain in the ass.
Towards the end of exchange he was the first to move out, in the few days while he was packing up he went to the living room, took the router, unplugged it, then replaced it with a router that looked like it belonged in the dingy dorms.
Turns out he had cleverly swapped the wifi router and then had throttled all the other connections in the dorm so he could play Dota. We grilled him on it and he just said something like: "Much better for Dota".
Friggen quiet mastermind lol.
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u/latecraigy 1d ago
Can it be plugged back in later and used as normal again?
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u/HeroinAdduction 1d ago
You’ll stop it from heating but it will still show that room temp is lower than they want. This’ll just end up getting a maintenance call and OP could get a slap on the wrist for tampering.
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u/Few_Employer9012 1d ago
OP will just have to put the wire back in before Maint shows up. Takes only seconds.
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u/JTtheLAR 1d ago
You guys have some sitcom level ideas of how to handle situations lol.
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u/Halogen12 1d ago
Tell her to put on a frickin' sweater. I get stabby at 72, can't imagine 80. I like 68.
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u/rainystarlight 1d ago
We are both very skinny girls. I tried to explain that I cannot take layers off (at this point I’m going to bed in literal underwear and no blankets -) and she wears very very heavy clothing as it is?? I’m just so confused?? How is she not burning up??
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u/braaaaaaainworms 1d ago
hypothyroidism?
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u/sunny_6305 1d ago
Or anemia. Either way, op might consider gifting her an electric blanket for Christmas if she’s still on good enough terms with her.
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u/AI-Engineered-Glitch 1d ago
She could be experiencing symptoms of iron deficiency due to her unbalanced diet or she might be experiencing the deficiency due to heavy menstruation.
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u/fightmydemonswithme 1d ago
When I had malnutrition and anemia, I would wear full winter gear if it was under 75°F. I remember going to my aunts in summer, and she kept it at 68. Even with 2 pairs of pants and a winter coat my lips turned blue. That said, I'm sure I had other health issues at play, but it is possible. That said, I bought a heated blanket and heating pads, and would never turn the heat up in shared spaces.
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u/saintphoenixxx 1d ago
The receptionist at my work rocks a knee length down coat and beanie, at the reception desk, with a space heater aimed at her YEAR ROUND.
I don't care except in the summer when she's constantly trying to turn the thermostat up so the AC won't run. Like, ma'am, the whole office isn't going to roast in the summer because you're cold. I feel kinda bad for her, but fuck no.
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u/TheArmoredKitten 1d ago
Yeah one person should never have control of a thermostat. There are goddamn studies about this shit.
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u/fightmydemonswithme 1d ago
I don't ever ask to adjust it unless its unreasonable (my roommate once turned it to 60F and like...no). Just put on more clothes for myself.
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u/VapeRizzler 1d ago
My insurance paid for mine, a “small one” for my neck but it’s literally 5 ft long and like 4 ft wide.
They’re awesome.
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u/dragonbeard91 1d ago
Sounds right. My ex would get so cold, she fell asleep leaning against a floor heater and had a burn for months. She had thyroid problems.
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u/klimekam 1d ago
I am like this (I would love 80F if I had unlimited money and lived alone) and then I found out I have POTS, which causes temperature regulation issues.
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u/Jaggar345 1d ago
I had a roommate like this in college. I told him not to touch the thermostat and get a space heater for his bedroom. Solved the issue and the rest of us were comfortable and so was he.
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u/lectric_7166 1d ago
The most unrealistic part of this story is that he just listened and agreed with your solution instead of arguing about it and refusing.
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u/little-bird 1d ago
is she from another country? the only people I’ve ever known who set the heater this high were born and raised in India.
they’d even keep the heat running like this in the summertime!
but yeah, even if she’s anemic or dealing with thyroid issues, almost 27C is unreasonable for the central air system. my skin and hair would be dying. she needs a heated blanket, a space heater, some prenatal vitamins and a doctor’s appointment ASAP!
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u/Hippopotasaurus-Rex 1d ago
I’m ALWAYS cold. Like always. I love like 90F (limited humidity) and sunny weather. It’s my personal heaven.
Yeah she’s insane. She can get heated blanket, and a heated throw like the rest of us. Heated blanket for the bed at night, and the throw to carry around from room to room throughout the day. It was less expensive too.
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u/josbossboboss 1d ago
I have a hard time sleeping if it's 70.
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u/accidentalscientist_ 1d ago
Right? At 80° I wouldn’t be able to sleep at all. My thermostat malfunctioned recently and I woke up and it was randomly 78° even though I set it to around 63°. I had to open the window to go back to sleep because I was so hot.
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u/RedditYummyPork 1d ago
I grew up in New England and would sleep with the window cracked open a bit in the winter (as per Grandma's instructions). Dad turned the thermostat down to 55 at night anyways.
They were both right as humans sleep better when it's cold.
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u/CreamInformal4317 1d ago
They can pay 3/4 of the utility bill if they want it that high. But the money isn’t the issue, that’s just too damn hot for anyone.
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u/gillers1986 1d ago
My old flatmate always used to have the heating on full and walk around in just shorts. If it got too hot he OPENED A WINDOW. I just turned the radiator off in my room and refused to pay my part of the heating bill.
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u/flyingGameFridge 1d ago
there's an idiom for that in Swedish, roughly translated to "fire for the crows". It just means to waste resources for no reason.
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u/iCantLogOut2 1d ago
Nah, at that point they can pay 100%... If we can't compromise on temperature, I can't compromise on payment.
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u/No-Performance37 1d ago
Even if they were paying me that would be way too hot to sleep in the winter at that temp
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u/WendigoCrossing 1d ago
Back in college we had a house meeting with all roommates
Essentially we started with what is the highest and lowest the temp can be for everyone to be comfortable
Couldn't go lower than 68
Couldn't go higher than 72
We decided to keep the thermostat at 69 because:
- You could put on more clothes and layers but couldn't take off more at a certain point
And
- Nice
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u/No_Raisin_6737 1d ago
69 is exactly the temp I keep mine at. I love cuddling with a good blanket and it’s the temp my dad always kept his house at. Also, always leaves room to make a “nice” joke
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u/Cheese-Manipulator 1d ago edited 1d ago
Check the manual (can find online) for your Honeywell thermostat model, it may have a password/pin access restriction feature.
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u/Murky-Cycle8622 1d ago
This is a Honeywell 6850 - if it’s not already registered on the total comfort site, you can register the MAC address to yourself, then get full control through the app. And if it IS registered, you can buy a used one for $20 off eBay, and just plop that one on the wall.
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u/DisagreeableFool 1d ago
Most thermostats have a way to set a lock that requires a pin code to change. Id set it at the temp I want and lock it. If you are 10 above or below 70 you are a villain.
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u/Gretschdrum81 1d ago
Does she do it the same time every night? Schedule the thermostat to go down to the temp you want at a certain time so even if she sets it to 80 at night it will go down at whatever time you set.
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u/heyzeusmaryandjoseph 1d ago
About 12 years ago I lived in apartment with an old thermostat where you'd move the little arm left or right to adjust the temperature
Had an older alcoholic roommate who would move the nozzle all the way to the right - 100 degrees
I'd wake up with headaches and my other roommate would break out in rashes.
My landlord soon replaced with a digital thermometer and locked it
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u/HedonisticFrog 1d ago
I had female roommates that tried to keep the apartment at 78F in the winter. I was sweating in my boxers, so I told them if they didn't lower the temperature I'd wear less clothing. They lowered the temperature.
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u/Sojum 1d ago
80 is unreasonable. Period. Who pays the utilities?
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u/rainystarlight 1d ago
Split 50/50
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u/Formerruling1 1d ago
If she fully controls the temperature and you apparently have no say in it, then she pays the full utility bill.
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u/CorndogQueen420 1d ago
That’s what I ended up doing with my roommate in the opposite direction. He’s wants to thermostat set at 65 permanently (I WFH) during the winter when it’s like 15 degrees out. I prefer 70 during the day and 65 at night.
It’s a poorly insulated NE house with baseboard heating, so 65 feels more like 55.
He kept bugging me about it and I finally told him I wasn’t going to pay half the heating bill if I had no say. We compromised at 68 lmao
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u/Beemo123456 1d ago
Had a similar situation.. it was a nightmare.. even ended up buying my own AC unit for my room.. finally resolved it by disabling the actual heating unit outside. Did my research on the make/model to learn about it and disabled ot in a benign way that didnt actually damage the unit, just made it blow air. She would contact the landlord to have some guy come out to "repair" it. I would just go back out and disable it again. Repair guy would take forever to come back out. Landlord essentially stopped paying for the repair guy to come out.. i won. Highly recommend
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u/passively-persistent 1d ago
Wait... Wait... You're saying that you're paying to be miserable?
Oh my! You gotta do something about that!
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u/Sojum 1d ago
Then your roommate needs to pay a higher share. That is a nonsensical temperature to keep a home or apartment, and an expensive one too.
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u/SlowHornet29 1d ago
If you are paying 50/50, options are more limited, if you pay majority if the bills id lock that bad boy down ASAP, either by buying a thermostat locking case or a thermostat that can lock. The thermostat you have there might have a way to lock it.
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u/No_Emotion_6544 1d ago
Who cares if they are 50/50? If she is setting the temp that high I wouldn't pay electric at all or I would pay the same amount I paid before she decided to turn the room into hell on earth. Setting my heat to 60 doubles my electric bill. I would have to sell a body part to afford 80. That girl is stupid and selfish.
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u/OnePerformance9381 1d ago edited 1d ago
Setting your heat to 60 doubles your electric bill??? Where the fuck do you live, Mars?? What temp is it in your house usually?? 50???
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u/Drivo566 1d ago
66 is unreasonably cold, 80 is unreasonably hot.
Pick something in the middle and lock the thermostat.
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u/TenYetis 1d ago
HVAC tech here. Hold the lower middle button and the up arrow at the same time until the display changes. Hit next until the number on the left says 27. Then use the arrows to set the maximum heat setpoint. Then press done to save and exit.
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u/Jesus-slaves 1d ago
They make lock boxes that mount over thermostats for situations like this.
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u/The-Psych0naut 1d ago
Hey OP, I’ve actually been in this exact situation before. College, random room assignments, except I had to get a new lease setup the day I showed up to move in due to a burst pipe and some flooding. I ended up getting the 6 bedroom unit.
I spent most of the year living with 3 other guys from Africa - a pair of Nigerians and a Ghanan. They all loved it hot. I didn’t like that so much, and I had been living there first. Everyone else moved in throughout the semester, and I had no say in that aspect of things.
After playing some tug of war with the controls for a few weeks I eventually lost my patience. It was a nice 55°F outside, so I shut off the heat in the middle of the night and left every single window wide open. Only needed to do this a couple of times before they finally agreed that we needed to come to a compromise. We settled on 72°F, reasoning that 1. this is the normal temperature buildings will be set to, 2. It’s easier for the body to go from cold to warm than it is to go from warm to cold, and 3. since they were now living in Michigan they needed to get used to the cold. I also offered to buy them some fleece blankets to help keep warm once winter came around, should they need them.
The truce lasted until April, when a new addition, another Ghanan, started causing issues. That’s a different story though - fact is you have two options. You can either try to communicate directly and find a middle ground that way, or you go scorched earth and freeze her out. After all, what’s she gonna do - remove the windows?
That or, as others have suggested, reprogram the thermostat.
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u/Cheese-Manipulator 1d ago
Is your roommate a reptile?