Room sensors in the BCV that control the A/C

[sweetp267]

Throughout the posts that have started coming in about the BCV I have noticed less that favorable comments about the A/C. I figure by the descriptions that when there is no movement in the room the air runs at a minimum and that some people have to actually wave their arms to get it to kick on. If that is the case I do not want to stay at the BCV. I like to have the room cool at all times or I sleep lousy. You can always put on another blanket but you can only sweat so much.

My question is this: Is the BCV the only DVC property that has the sensors installed or have they upgraded the other places as well? I will be arriving Oct 1 at the BWV and I would like to know what I am in for.

Thank you

Jon

 

[RobDoc]

BCV is currently the only DVC resort with the sensors.

We stayed there this month and did NOT find any problem with the room being uncomfortable. The sensor for our 1BR was located just inside the front door. It brought the room temp to the setting within minutes of our entering the room and as long as we were in the room, we found no problem with the temperature setting.

The room was always comfortable while we were there.

Enjoy!

 

[nydizfan]

I think it is only now at BCV....dave

 

[SamSam]

We just got back from BCV and it was a problem for me. I had read about it before and didn't think it would be a problem for me, but I think because I usually sleep in a very cool room (and I'm a light sleeper) it disturbed my sleep. I would wake up sweating several times a night, but as soon as I moved around I would hear the A/C kick in. I really don't think it would be a problem for people that are not light sleepers or who don't normally sleep in 'cold' conditions. I have read that it is possible to 'fool' the thermostat by tying a ballon somewhere near the sensor for motion.

 

[sasha98]

My family and I spent four nights at the BCV in a 2BR from Sept 1-5. During the day, the A/C cooled the room adequately. However, at night, we found it to be a problem. The Master Bedroom became warm and uncomfortable several times each night. I would have to get out of Bed and move around to get it to turn back on. What really disturbed me was that you could have the Temperature Setting on 71 degrees yet the temperture in the room was a "cool" 73 or 74 degrees and the A/C would be off until we moved around the room.

We did have a great time and the villas are beautiful --- however, I did not have a solid night sleep during the 4 night stay.

 

[BCVOwner in MA]

We were at BCV over Labor Day weekend, and like others I had read the posts regarding the AC sensor/control and was concerned that it would be difficult to sleep at night. We tend to keep our home on the cool side during the day, and at night I like it cold in my room and to bundle up under the covers. I always have trouble sleeping in a room that's even a little on the warm side.

I found the room to be a bit warm and uncomfortable when returning to the room in the afternoon. However, as others have said, the room cooled off and became comfortable rather quickly.

I also found the nighttime temperature to be comfortable and our sleep wasn't bothered by an uncomfortable room. Maybe we're just "active" sleepers and we kept setting off the sensor, but my concerns about difficult sleeping conditions didn't arise. I would think, however, that for light sleepers that darn clicking noise when the sensor does its sensing would be annoying.

 

[newarknut]

We were in a studio for a couple nights in August and didn't find it to be a problem.

We're headed back in December. I am hopeful it won't be an issue.

Newarknut

 

[paults]

Have not stayed at BCV yet but someone mentioned in another post about hanging a balloon in the room when your not there and while your asleep so it will hopefully keep the sensor busy.

I know I don't need in running when I'm not there but it is nice to come home from the parks to a cool room.

 

[MJS]

We had this same problem at the GF in May. A balloon does not work, and we tried it with several! The only thing that worked was to have engineering come to the room and override the system.

I hope Disney gets rid of these things!

 

[Mooobooks]

Am at the Beach Club Villas right now! And it's lovely. Close as all getout to Epcot!
As far as the air conditioning, you can't set it below 68 degrees and the room doesn't get as cool as I'd like. But, the ceiling fan definitely helps!
We're on the fifth floor, in 531, with a great view of the fireworks each night. Rained like hell yesterday afternoon and evening. Looks like it's going rain now, too.
EPCOT is empty--like a ghost town.
Had a great dinner at the Cape May Cafe last night--how much peel and eat shrimp can a person consume? PLENTY

 

[SamSam]

Hi Moooobooks, we just left yesterday from room 527. Isn't it great to be able to see the fireworks right from your balcony!
The thermostat did bother me at night, but I think it's perhaps because I'm a light sleeper. I woke up on a regular basis from being to warm. Still had a wonderful time!

 

[CaptainMidnight]

It seems like one might be able to rig up a contraption or gaget that would keep the sensor busy all night so that the air conditioning would stay on. Any ideas as what that would have to look like?

I'm one who doesn't sleep well when it's too hot, I hope this isn't a problem.

 

[GrammieMame]

I really don't care how hot it gets during the day, but I can't sleep well unless the room is COLD (run my AC summer & winter at night). I really think that if I had known about this before hand, I would have thought twice about buying BCV. Although we never go during the dead-heat summer months so I'm hoping it won't be too bad. I'm thinking about taking a small plug-in fan to circulate the air in the room. Do you think it might keep the sensor activated?

 

[Ilovedisney]

We were there in a 1 Bdrm during the week of Labor Day, and did not find a problem with the temperature at night. In fact my daughter slept on the pull out sofa and felt as though I was freezing her at night. The room would get warm during the day if we were out, but cooled off very quickly once we entered the room. I read somewhere that Disney is replacing all current thermostats with the sensor type, so I am not sure your problem buying into BCV will stay just there.

 

[Firefighter Mickey]

Whether or not fans or balloons will keep the sensor active is going to depend on the sensor.

If the sensor is a passive infrared type, then it's body heat that alerts it to your being in the room (well, movement of a heat source). So, balllons, moving fans, etc. will all be ignored. It seems possible as well that being under a blanket on the bed may difuse enough of the I/R being given off by a body, that the sensor would think the room is empty.

If the sensor is active, then it probably uses radar in some fashion - either low intensity microwaves or sound bouncing off objects in the room. The sensor compare the time change between when it sends the pulse and when it comes back, if the amount of time changes, then there's been movement in the room. Balloons or a moving fan should fool this type of sensor as long as their noise threshold is not set too high (that is, they might ignore small movements).

Since it's reported that balloons didn't work, the sensors are probably passive infrared, so the fan probably won't work either. if you can come up with something that stays around 93 degrees and moves, you might be able to fool the sensor (93 degrees is the usual skin temp of the human body).

 

[RweTHEREyet]

that the lowest we could turn the thermostat was to 68 deg. It never once got too cold and many times it was not cool enough.
I did not sleep well the entire time there, and each time I woke up I was warm.

I would think that if the balloon thing would work then having the ceiling fan running all night would work, too, and it didn't.

We found it to be warmer in our room than it was out in the hallway.

 

[wdeversole]

Some aspiring entrepreneur in the Orlando area should start a "rent-a-hamster" franchise for all of us DVC owners.

Just put the cage in front of the sensor, and voila! ... no more problems.




(or some other small, warm-blooded nocturnal animal)

 

[Firefighter Mickey]

Whether using an animal would be successful or not would probably depend on how wide the temp range for the sensor was (assuming a PIR sensor). But you still have the problem of the No Pet policy.

Considering the energy savings this is probably resulting in by not cooling an empty room (how many of you leave the room and don't turn the thermostat up before you leave?) and how this savings will eventually be passed on to us in terms of lower operating costs... I don't know....

 

[Synonymous]

Will they deactivate this sensor if you ask them? I know it will drive my DW crazy. She likes to run the AC even in the winter.

 

[GrammieMame]

I'd like to know that too. It sounds like one person was successful in getting them to manually override. I know that this saves money on AC bills, but I feel like I paid dearly for my points, and don't want to feel that I have to be uncomfortable when I am there. IMHO any money spent on AC is money well spent.