The summer heat waves seem to be getting more extreme and hotter every year. When the weather is at its hottest and you do not have AC, waiting for repairs can make you wish you had your own personal snow-cloud. Keeping cool can be a challenge while waiting for air conditioner repairs, so here are a few tips to help get you through the heat without melting:
1. Fans, Fans, and More Fans to Keep You Cool
If you have a ceiling fan in the living room, turn it on to circulate the air in your home. Floor fans are a great solution to help circulate air and create currents to suck heat out of your home. Box fans in windows can also help; put one box fan in a window in the front of your home facing the interior and another in the back blowing hot air out. The use of box fans to create air currents works best during the cooler hours of the day. During the midday hours, shut all windows and only use fans inside.
2. Crack the Door and Open the Highest Window in Your Home
Cracking a door and opening the highest window in your home will also help to create natural heat convection currents. If you have an attic fan, this is a great way to suck the heat out of your home. Turn the fan on during the coolest hours of the evening to allow fresh cool air in before shutting everything when you go to bed. If you can leave a couple of windows cracked, this will help keep things cool until the next morning.
3. Soak A Towel and Cover the Window with It to Cool and Prevent Heat Gain
Evaporative cooling is used in many areas with dry climates, but it can also be used when your AC is out. Soak a towel in water at room temperature and hang it over an open window. As air flows through the towel, heat exchange occurs and cools the air coming into your home by a few degrees. This works great when the weather is dry, but it is less efficient when the humidity outside is high.
4. Shut Shades, Shutters, Curtains, and Blinds to Keep The Sunshine at Bay
Sunshine is great on the beach or relaxing by the pool, but it should be your worst enemy when the AC is out. Shut all shutters, shades, curtains or other window treatments where your home gets direct sunlight. If you have window treatments that still allow sunlight through, hang a thick beach towel or blanket behind them to block as much direct sunlight as possible.
Getting through a heatwave without AC can be tough, but these tips will help keep you cool while waiting on repairs. Contact an HVAC contractor like D & R Service Inc to schedule repairs to ensure you keep cool for the remainder of summer.
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