Living without AC. Any ideas?

RadishRose

RadishRose

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Location
Connecticut, USA
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I grew up in a house w/o AC. Only my sister had a window unit in her room.

Downstairs was a fan made of the finest, heaviest iron that easily weighed at least 10 lbs and sounded like an airplane propeller when it ran. Probably made in the 1920s. One of the durable goods they blame for the Great Depression. It sat on the mantle way up high where it provided very little relief and made it so you couldn't hear the TV.
 

OldFeller said:
I grew up in a house w/o AC. Only my sister had a window unit in her room.

Downstairs was a fan made of the finest, heaviest iron that easily weighed at least 10 lbs and sounded like an airplane propeller when it ran. Probably made in the 1920s. One of the durable goods they blame for the Great Depression. It sat on the mantle way up high where it provided very little relief and made it so you couldn't hear the TV.
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I guess most of us grew up without AC. Weekend relief was going to the movies .

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OldFeller said:
I grew up in a house w/o AC. Only my sister had a window unit in her room.

Downstairs was a fan made of the finest, heaviest iron that easily weighed at least 10 lbs and sounded like an airplane propeller when it ran. Probably made in the 1920s. One of the durable goods they blame for the Great Depression. It sat on the mantle way up high where it provided very little relief and made it so you couldn't hear the TV.
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I Googled 1920s fan made of iron and damn if this isn't the fan...

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Central air in homes didn't become common until the 1970s in the US. That was the same decade that we got our first window AC. Just think of all those centuries before the 1970s when people actually lived without AC. I wouldn't want to now but Rose has some really good ideas for staying cool in her first post.

When I was a child we lived in an adobe house. Those years were hot and dry but as soon as you walked in the door you were in a cool space, cooler than outside in the summer and warmer in the winter. Thick adobe walls are good insulation.
 
So I made this once, and it worked quite well. I called it my Hillbilly Air Conditioner. I picked up a fan at a garage sale for 5 bucks, picked up a tote at Walmart for 5 bucks, cut a hole in the top for the fan to rest in (Not big enough to fall through), then cut a hole in the side about 5 inches up from the bottom. Put ice in the tote (Block or cubed) and turned it on. Out comes cold air.
(You have to cut the holes with a jig saw with a fine-tooth scroll cutting blade slowly so the plastic doesn't break)
*** Sorry the picture is blurry - It's a video I made of it, and it was too large to upload here, but you get the idea.

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bobcat48 said:
So I made this once, and it worked quite well. I called it my Hillbilly Air Conditioner. I picked up a fan at a garage sale for 5 bucks, picked up a tote at Walmart for 5 bucks, cut a hole in the top for the fan to rest in (Not big enough to fall through), then cut a hole in the side about 5 inches up from the bottom. Put ice in the tote (Block or cubed) and turned it on. Out comes cold air.
(You have to cut the holes with a jig saw with a fine-tooth scroll cutting blade slowly so the plastic doesn't break)
*** Sorry the picture is blurry - It's a video I made of it, and it was too large to upload here, but you get the idea.

View attachment 295552
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That's awesome!
 
bobcat48 said:
So I made this once, and it worked quite well. I called it my Hillbilly Air Conditioner. I picked up a fan at a garage sale for 5 bucks, picked up a tote at Walmart for 5 bucks, cut a hole in the top for the fan to rest in (Not big enough to fall through), then cut a hole in the side about 5 inches up from the bottom. Put ice in the tote (Block or cubed) and turned it on. Out comes cold air.
(You have to cut the holes with a jig saw with a fine-tooth scroll cutting blade slowly so the plastic doesn't break)
*** Sorry the picture is blurry - It's a video I made of it, and it was too large to upload here, but you get the idea.

View attachment 295552
Click to expand...
This or just put a big bowl of ice behind a fan.
 
bobcat48 said:
So I made this once, and it worked quite well. I called it my Hillbilly Air Conditioner. I picked up a fan at a garage sale for 5 bucks, picked up a tote at Walmart for 5 bucks, cut a hole in the top for the fan to rest in (Not big enough to fall through), then cut a hole in the side about 5 inches up from the bottom. Put ice in the tote (Block or cubed) and turned it on. Out comes cold air.
(You have to cut the holes with a jig saw with a fine-tooth scroll cutting blade slowly so the plastic doesn't break)
*** Sorry the picture is blurry - It's a video I made of it, and it was too large to upload here, but you get the idea.

View attachment 295552
Click to expand...
Did something similar for my motor home.
Saw it on you tube..... actually worked great.


diy ac.jpg
 
I lived in VN, Libya and Indonesia for around twelve years or so, which are known to be hot climates, and never had a/c (or running hot water either for that matter) and relied on fans to keep comfortable but I was a whole lot younger back then and could tolerate the heat better and I think that after awhile my body became acclimated to the heat to some degree.

I wouldn't care for it much but if a/c units were to suddenly disappear from the face of the earth I suppose I'd have no other choice than to go back to using fans.
 
1/. Cool showers a few times a day
2/. Wear loose lightweight clothing / a light nightie even
3/. A FAN is a must and love Ladybugs idea of having a big bowl of ice behind it.
4/. Add a towel or nightshirt to freezer until cool and wear in between showers
5/. Drink hot tea so you sweat
6/. Close all windows so you don’t add heat and humidity in
7/. Have a spritzer or mist spray bottle beside you so you can lightly spray yourself
7/. Put on a good movie to distract yourself
8/. Put hair up in claw clip
 
IKE said:
I lived in VN, Libya and Indonesia for around twelve years or so, which are known to be hot climates, and never had a/c (or running hot water either for that matter) and relied on fans to keep comfortable but I was a whole lot younger back then and could tolerate the heat better and I think that after awhile my body became acclimated to the heat to some degree.

I wouldn't care for it much but if a/c units were to suddenly disappear from the face of the earth I suppose I'd have no other choice than to go back to using fans.
Click to expand...
I feel the same way but without having spent time in those foreign places. My father was stationed in India during WW2 and got used to sleeping in hot, insecticide riddled tents (to keep out the scorpions) at night. So our hot house in the city must've been a step up.
 
Life w/o A/C would be a death sentence around here this summer! .... I have Central A/C, ceiling fans in three rooms, oscillating floor fan, and an extra box fan.
.... also a large dehumidifier, that runs in tandem with the A/C unit. (All this in a 790 sq. ft. apartment)



Has anyone tried the cooling mattress toppers or electric chill blankets?


For cooling options, there are many, and they even make wonderful cooling pads for pets too.
They work very well. Bear sleeps on his some nights, and then goes to his regular bed when it feels too cold.
 
Something for staying hydrated .... get packets of Liquid IV, and put them in your drinking water ...... got that information from some Medical people.
 
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