Heat wave coming, no A/C

Kiwibird

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Found the local forecast for Portland this weekend:smile005::smile023::smile050:

4611472278_f0689aa41d1-300x160.jpg


In all seriousness, it'll be over 100 this weekend. We're in a top unit (heat rises) and no A/C. Predicting several cool baths for a certain :green: and a trip to the local mall where there is A/C to people watch during the heat of the day.
 

jenphilly

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A couple tricks you can do to cool off a single room or small area - I grew up without everything being air conditioned... I'm not that old, but 40something :)

Wet and freeze multiple hand towels. When frozen stiff clip to front of a box fan so the fan blows thru the towel. Replace the towels regularly, but it's kinda like a swamp cooler ;) There is also the videos for using a 5 gallon bucket that is much more involved, but same kinda logic ;) http://www.thegoodsurvivalist.com/h...-this-is-totally-awesome-and-so-easy-to-make/

The towels and fan works great for a bedroom or room where you can close blinds and curtains, so it is darker (shade)!

Welcome to my childhood!
 
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Kiwibird

Kiwibird

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Grew up in AZ with no A/C. Despite growing up in ungodly heat and never living anywhere that had A/C, I hate the heat, just hate it and have little tolerance for it once it gets much above 80. Above 90? Forget about it, I just lay there like a braindead slug. Feel so bad for Kiwi too, about all I can do for him is keep him saturated, but I can't turn a fan on him:( Good excuse to snag the little green guy and head for cooler temps elsewhere:p I actually am going to get some styrofoam coolers today to rig up some pseudo "A/C" units with frozen water jugs inside to minimize adding moisture to the air (don't want mold to form), but from experience, those only cool a small area, but better than nothing if I dare attempt to get any sleep whatsoever this weekend!
 

SailBoat

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No surprise for you, its going to be a very hot weekend. That said, it looks like the night time temperatures will be tolerable. As you know, as soon as the outside temperatures and inside temperatures equal, its time to open everything up and draw outside air into the home!

Heat like that kills in the Northern regions as it combines with humidity. Be safe!
 
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Kiwibird

Kiwibird

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No surprise for you, its going to be a very hot weekend. That said, it looks like the night time temperatures will be tolerable. As you know, as soon as the outside temperatures and inside temperatures equal, its time to open everything up and draw outside air into the home!

Heat like that kills in the Northern regions as it combines with humidity. Be safe!

Yup, fans are at the ready for when the inside becomes hotter (yes, hotter) than the outside. It just doesn't cool off up here, especially in our bedroom in the upstairs loft. We have a dehumidifier that keeps indoor humidity at around 45%. It doesn't help a bit with heat though and does not seem to have any kind of swamp cooler effect (I guess it wouldn't, as what it does is exact opposite of a swamp cooler).
 

Kentuckienne

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I used to cat-sit for a friend in Seattle who finally broke down and picked up a portable room a/c unit that he could move from room to room. It sat on the floor with a big hose, like a dryer hose, that ran to the outside. He said it was life changing! It was nice for me, that's for sure. I'd just keep the one room cool, for the cat.
 

Scott

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Sounds absolutely miserable, April. I too detest the heat and find it a personal energy-suck. Public places with a/c are a natural refuge. Hang in there, Fall is just a few months away!
 

RavensGryf

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Oh no April :( I feel so bad for you guys and Kiwi! Your plan sounds good though. Another tip for the people not Kiwi obviously, is to spray your exposed skin with a water bottle and step in front of the fan. Or get out of the shower without drying off and let the fan dry you. Or spray the water at the fan and let the mist hit you. Do this repeatedly and it does work pretty well to cool off core temperature.

I grew up with a/c and I always thought it was why I don't tolerate heat well. I can't stand it over 80! I get anxiety about the a/c breaking down when it's super hot. I'm so not looking forward to triple digits this summer. The a/c can't even keep up when it's that hot out and I'm still sweating while racking up a tremendous electric bill.

Your forecast there looks like Southern Cali summer!! :eek:
 

plumsmum2005

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Thoughts are with you all this weekend. Make sure you drink plenty of water based liquids as this is how your body cools you down. Dehydration is not good! Take care.

Is it just my imagination or do people get mean and grumpy in a hot spell? We have just had our hottest day for over 40 years, no laughing please! Did hear that folk in the hotter european countries hang wet towels out/across the windows??

https://www.thesun.co.uk/living/3787300/hot-weather-tips-summer-cool-heatwave/

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/keep-house-cool-23-tips.html
 
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Kiwibird

Kiwibird

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Sounds absolutely miserable, April. I too detest the heat and find it a personal energy-suck. Public places with a/c are a natural refuge. Hang in there, Fall is just a few months away!

Fall... my favorite time of year! I am one of those weirdos who finds summer to be my least favorite season. Bring back tolerable temperatures and rain!

Oh no April :( I feel so bad for you guys and Kiwi! Your plan sounds good though. Another tip for the people not Kiwi obviously, is to spray your exposed skin with a water bottle and step in front of the fan. Or get out of the shower without drying off and let the fan dry you. Or spray the water at the fan and let the mist hit you. Do this repeatedly and it does work pretty well to cool off core temperature.

I grew up with a/c and I always thought it was why I don't tolerate heat well. I can't stand it over 80! I get anxiety about the a/c breaking down when it's super hot. I'm so not looking forward to triple digits this summer. The a/c can't even keep up when it's that hot out and I'm still sweating while racking up a tremendous electric bill.

Your forecast there looks like Southern Cali summer!! :eek:

In Arizona, we were just the insane people who didn't have it. A/C isn't really necessary or worthwhile up here in OR though, save a couple days out of the summer when it is just exceptionally hot. I always noticed at friends houses growing up when it started pushing 100, home A/C units didn't really take too much of an edge off but probably did eat up huge amounts of energy trying.

Thoughts are with you all this weekend. Make sure you drink plenty of water based liquids as this is how your body cools you down. Dehydration is not good! Take care.

Is it just my imagination or do people get mean and grumpy in a hot spell? We have just had our hottest day for over 40 years, no laughing please! Did hear that folk in the hotter european countries hand wet towels out/across the windows??

https://www.thesun.co.uk/living/3787300/hot-weather-tips-summer-cool-heatwave/

23 Tips For Keeping The House Cool | Care2 Healthy Living

Yes, I do indeed feel much grumpier when it's hot out, until my brain begins to sizzle and then I feel very little of anything because it's just too hot to think anymore.
 

OutlawedSpirit

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Don't worry, April, you have company here disliking summer. Sometimes I think I spend more time outside in the winter than I do in the summer, and I live where it gets COLD.

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ToMang07

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You can get an AC big enough for a room at Walmart for just over $100. IMO it's very worth it. Of course I live in the north and have very little tolerance for high temps.
 

Allee

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Our expected high temp in Central Texas today is 103. I can't speak for the rest of the nation but the locals here get mean when summer heats up. Drivers get stupid, it's not safe to go out in the afternoon, public employees take it personally if you request anything of them. Everyone seems to be looking for a fight.

Every summer I see new and creative ways locals have found to beat the heat. Swamp coolers are popular, the older the better, "they don't make 'em like that anymore. For some reason when it gets really hot a lot of native Texans find they have an undeniable urge to build a fire, I know, you'd think they'd save the campfires for cooler months but no. The cloying smell of slow smoked brisket hanging in the overheated air is almost overwhelming. And fireworks, they love fireworks, it's almost like they're trying to set the state ablaze. One great idea my neighbors had was a bounce house water slide, taller than the two story house behind it and large enough for four adults to stand at the top. Ahhh, summer, watermelon, homemade ice cream on the patio, kids out of school for three months, chiggers, mosquitos, flies, heat stroke, sunburn, tiki torches, live music.....
 
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Kiwibird

Kiwibird

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I know they have those small A/Cs but I don't think they'd do much good with how our condo is designed and we really only need (or would be more comfortable with) A/C a couple times a year up here. The only 'real' bedroom is just the office/gym so not much point of cooling it off in there, especially over the weekend. I wish there was an effective way to run one up in the loft where we sleep but theres no where to vent it. I'm debating sleeping out on the patio TBH. We're 3 stories up and I'm not too picky about needing special mattresses or anything. I did a few times last year and didn't seem to be eaten alive by insects too much.
 
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Kiwibird

Kiwibird

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We're in business now!
DSC_9829_zpsmfddfpc7.jpg

(It's a fan-cooled nest box with a tunnel to crawl in and out of, of course:D)

Hopefully this can aim some cooler than ambient temperature air in our direction for the next few days. Got the freezer packed with Tupperware full of water (ice now) to fill it with to try and keep a handle on humidity instead of just dumping ice straight in. BTW, since when did tiny desk fans get so expensive?! The only one that felt any kind of sturdy/like it wouldn't crap out after a couple hours was $25!!! The cheapest window A/C unit was $179!!!
 
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Kiwibird

Kiwibird

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We don't have a very efficient space to run an window A/C in and it doesn't get this hot here that often anyways (100+ maybe once or twice a year). We'd need to cool about 750 sq ft to cool the main living area due to the modern/open layout. Units rated with high enough BTUs for that much space are $700+:eek: Not worth that much money for a couple days a year we'd need to run it! Our bedroom is in an open "floating" loft over the living room, there is no where in our bedroom to vent an A/C unit (except maybe through the shared wall into our neighbors unit:p)
 

plumsmum2005

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We don't have a very efficient space to run an window A/C in and it doesn't get this hot here that often anyways (100+ maybe once or twice a year). We'd need to cool about 750 sq ft to cool the main living area due to the modern/open layout. Units rated with high enough BTUs for that much space are $700+:eek: Not worth that much money for a couple days a year we'd need to run it! Our bedroom is in an open "floating" loft over the living room, there is no where in our bedroom to vent an A/C unit (except maybe through the shared wall into our neighbors unit:p)

They won't notice I am sure ;) Stay cool :)
 

SailBoat

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So, someplace between the West Coast of North American and England, a large dip in the Jet Stream is building, which means the Eastern Part of North America will be getting cooler weather than normal. Its arrival was punctuated by heavy rain storms, which are currently rolling though the East Coast at this moment! Life on a globe!

Be safe if you're in the heat, be mindful that this to shall pass for everyone!
 

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