How are you staying cool?

[mrdc]

Not sure where you are located but we are baking down in South GA. The temps are higher than normal, no wind, no rain but the dew point is high so the humidity is bad. When it does rain it is short lived and then outside feels like a sauna. I got dehydrated last week playing golf and my heart got out of rhythm for 5 hours. Doc says I am ok though. Not sure if the last few summers have been mild and I have forgotten how hot it can get here or the more I work indoors, my body is becoming too accustomed to the ac. Anyway, how to stay cool. My pool feels like warm bath water so that’s out. Sitting on the covered back porch with two fans on doesn’t work. I guess I will just have to drink cold liquids and stay indoors with the fans and ac blasting away. I guess there will be no groceries this month since I don’t even want to know how much the electric bill will be. So what are you doing to stay cool?
I think this fella has the right idea …

 

[reefraff]

My swamp cooler's electronic control just went out. Company is sending out a new one for free but that doesn't help so I took the control apart and hot wired it. Cool Calm and collected at the moment, at least until the thing catches fire

My hot tub is under a tree so that stays nice. I have the temp down around 88 because I use it to work out in but it's pretty pleasant.

 

[meowzer]

Thank God for air conditioning!!!!!!!!
I have no clue how people work outside in heat like this.....it has been upper 90's here in S.E. OK...with a heat index of close to 110
feels like 120 to me

And let me tell you this.....window shield or not.....get into an all black Mustang...you want to know hot.....I have one of them battery operated time and temp thingys......I think it said 180....it may be dead now

 

[fishtaco]

Same as every summer, swimming in the creek by my house with my dogs or sitting under the big big-leaf maple in my backyard and enjoying an ice-cold beverage.
Fishtaco

 

[reefraff]

So far the window swamp cooler keeps this house plenty cool enough. Our other place had AC and didn't stay any cooler. I am seriously thinking about just buying a relay and hooking this cooler to a thermostat. Then it would be perfect.

 

[mrdc]

My grass needs cutting really bad but I just don't want to get out and do it. I might for once pay someone to cut it. I keep the ac in the house at 75 and I don't think the unit ever shuts off. Heck it only gets down to mid to high 70s at night. I got my car windows tinited a few weeks ago but that really hasn't helped much either.

 

[reefraff]

Originally Posted by Fishtaco
http:///forum/post/3281202
Same as every summer, swimming in the creek by my house with my dogs or sitting under the big big-leaf maple in my backyard and enjoying an ice-cold beverage.
Fishtaco
We have lots of trees around here. Big maple, Austrian Pine and a Aspen in the back yard and the peope right behind us which is due west have a few big trees so our back yard is shaded most of the day which is a good thing. No grass. 35x40 patio and the rest is rock. The pond with the big stream and falls helps cool things down too.

 

[reefraff]

Originally Posted by mrdc
http:///forum/post/3281204
My grass needs cutting really bad but I just don't want to get out and do it. I might for once pay someone to cut it. I keep the ac in the house at 75 and I don't think the unit ever shuts off. Heck it only gets down to mid to high 70s at night. I got my car windows tinited a few weeks ago but that really hasn't helped much either.
It's only 70 here right now. I had to turn off the cooler, I was getting cold

 

[mrdc]

Hush your mouth! 93 with a feel like of 95 and is supposed to be getting to 99.
Just looked at the weather map and I think it might be raining at my house. That means the grass will jump another inch or two.

 

[reefraff]

Originally Posted by mrdc
http:///forum/post/3281210
Hush your mouth! 93 with a feel like of 95 and is supposed to be getting to 99.
Just looked at the weather map and I think it might be raining at my house. That means the grass will jump another inch or two.

My son was stationed in Fort Steward and he offered to go back to Iraq or Afghannistan early just to get out of Georgia.

 

[mrdc]

Originally Posted by reefraff
http:///forum/post/3281218
My son was stationed in Fort Steward and he offered to go back to Iraq or Afghannistan early just to get out of Georgia.
There are always heat related episodes down at Fort Benning every year. It so common that they have a quick method of getting the privates body temp down when they fall. There was a news article on it last year. I don't see how they do it. All that PT in full fatigues and sometimes with the back pack on.

 

[fishtaco]

Originally Posted by reefraff
http:///forum/post/3281206
We have lots of trees around here. Big maple, Austrian Pine and a Aspen in the back yard and the peope right behind us which is due west have a few big trees so our back yard is shaded most of the day which is a good thing. No grass. 35x40 patio and the rest is rock. The pond with the big stream and falls helps cool things down too.
Sounds like my old backyard, I did not own a single power tool and would do yardwork usually while the BBQ was going. Things have really changed, now yesterday and today I am using every power tool known to man and yesterday had to use my 3-wheeler to pull my lawn tractor out of the mud.........twice. On the plus side I am completely surrounded by trees and pastor land with no pavement in sight and combined with being up in the hills a little really makes a A.C. unit not worth having since we stay about 10 degrees cooler than the valley floor, plus the creek is so much better than sitting around in the house trying to stay cool.
Fishtaco

 

[mrdc]

I need a basement. My parent's basement isn't heated or cooled and seems to stay the same cool temp all year around.

 

[nw2salt08]

I don't know if I've adjusted to the heat because of welding or what the deal is but even with the temps we're getting here in Oklahoma it still doesn't bother me. I'm used to working in a welding shop all throughout the summer with no A/C and coming outside to cool off!

You'd think since I'm 8 months pregnant I'd be less apt to spend time outside but I just keep drinking plenty of cold water and working away in my garden. When I get done I go take a shower and go on with my day.

 

[reefraff]

I've got the front off my swamp cooler so I could hot wire it until the new control panel shows up. Going to have to think about leaving the front off. Even on low it is freezing us out with temps in the 80's and it runs a lot quieter. I think this is a job for eggcrate!!!

 

[flower]

Wisconsin and the Illinois boarder:
AAHHH....Warm weather above 80...we have had three whole days of it this year so far. Last week it got down to 57...Last night 63, it's 74 now and it's supposed to get to 82.
We complain because it's too cold, we complain because it's too hot. That is what AC and the furnace are for, to control our environment. For those who work outside…they deserve our respect and pity.
I don’t know how the poor critters of the wild survive, poor things.

 

[socal57che]

Originally Posted by mrdc
http:///forum/post/3281193
How are you staying cool?
Open the garage door and windows. Nice breeze and pleasant weather with no humidity. It was about 70 degrees inside all day yesterday. Gets down in the 60s at night so we close all but one window. We have not used A/C yet this year. Sorry for all you folks toasting in the heat.

 

[mrdc]

I have very thick blinds and curtains on most of my windows. I also went around every window and door last year to seal them from drafts. I did this because my ac bill was getting too high. It’s actually better today temp wise (90 degrees) but the dew point is still in the 70s which makes the humidity bad. My wife got her new car yesterday which is all black so it should heat up nicely.

 

[socal57che]

Originally Posted by mrdc
http:///forum/post/3281601
I have very thick blinds and curtains on most of my windows. I also went around every window and door last year to seal them from drafts. I did this because my ac bill was getting too high. It’s actually better today temp wise (90 degrees) but the dew point is still in the 70s which makes the humidity bad. My wife got her new car yesterday which is all black so it should heat up nicely.
I tinted the windows that see a lot of sunlight. I measured the temperature of the blinds with a laser thermometer. The before tint temp was 26 degrees higher than the after temp. It made a huge difference on the temp inside the house.
Lowes and Home Depot sell household window tint.

 

[mrdc]

I thought about tinting the back windows but haven’t done it. I was also thinking about adding some screens which should help diffuse the sunlight. I just hope the ac doesn’t go out anytime soon because the fish tank would heat up in no time. I’ve also thought about adding more insulation in the attic but won’t do it right now since it’s like 150 degrees up there right now. I need to be more proactive during the cooler times of the year in making the house more energy efficient. I will be cutting the front yard tonight so that will be a challenge. Hopefully the rain that is currently in the area will cool it down some more so the job will be easier.