Staying Cool

[John Browning]

STAYING COOL

 

Any ideas? here are a few to start you off:

 

a) your body tries to lose about half of its excess heat through your face and head.

-A broad-brimmed canvas hat will give you a lot of relief outside. It will be cheaper (and a lot easier to look after) than an Akubra.

-A cotton kerchief soaked in water and tied loosely around your neck will also help to keep your carotid artery cool through evaporation

 

b) Curiously, however, evaporative air conditioners can often have the opposite effect. Humidity levels above 30% in a closed room make the perceived temperature higher not lower. As an example, as i write this, the temp outside is about 38C but because the humidity is low (-only 10%) it only feels like 35C

-Refrigerative ("Reverse-Cycle") Airconditioners work a lot better in this sort of Mediterranean Climate.

 

c) all Airconditioners need regular cleaning of the filters (about once a month).They are all much more effective used with ceiling / pedestal fans to keep the air moving briskly.

 

d) even if you are not sweating, you will will still be perspiring a lot more than you think, especially if you have spent the day in the pool.

 

So you'll need to drink a lot more than you might think.

 

- Most soft drinks are stacked with sugars or artificial sweeteners. Hardly any of the "Spring Water " you see in the shops comes from a natural spring.

Contrary to the tales you hear, Adelaide tap water today is a much safer drink in the long run. If you dislike the taste you can get a very simple Activated Carbon Filter fitted to the kitchen tap real cheap.

 

- Alcohol in general( -and anything with tannin in it, in particular) will make you more thirsty. So always order a glass of plain water with your tipple ( -and don't let them sell you a bottle of stuff, -it's a scam). If someone wants to give you a glass of "beautiful rainwater", think about the possums and the pigeons that crap on the roof it came off.

 

f) If it starts getting you down, remember: even the natives think this weather is too bloody hot.

 

-Take it easy.

 

JB :v_SPIN:

[Guest Deborah5]

Wine with truck loads of ice.

[Guest Aussie pat]

Hi John,

 

We have ducted evaporative air conditioning throughout our house and are finding it works really well. I'm not sure if this helps but we were told that you need to provide ventilation by keeping some doors or windows open for it to push the hot air out. We even leave our front door open. We used it last summer and our power bill wasn't awful. If we go into a room that feels muggy we just open a window or door a bit and it improves straight away. You are right they do struggle a bit when it gets really humid though but much of the SA heat is fairly dry.

 

Hope this helps cool you off. Obviously you may have a different system but it's worth a try.

 

Aussie Pat

[sueoc]

Soak a teatowel(or ten)in water and freeze in a long narrow formation.Take it out when frozen and bend it around your neck and shoulders,Also put them spray bottles full of water in the fridge,to refresh with cold water spray.

[Guest kangomik]

@ Mediterranean Climate.

[Rachiegarlo]

we have no aircon in car (died a few years ago and am too tight to fix it) or in house. Just refrigerate lots of water, stack the freezer with ice products, don't bother cooking anything in the oven. The beach is great at night After a few days you will

 

a) be so knackered you begin to sleep anyway

b) get used to it and quite enjoy the daytime heat.

c) ban the words ...It's too hot from entering your house.

d) finally wash all that stuff left over from winter cos it will be dry in 1/2 hour and wont hog the line space for the real necessities.

[Riponian]

we have no aircon in car (died a few years ago and am too tight to fix it) or in house. Just refrigerate lots of water, stack the freezer with ice products, don't bother cooking anything in the oven.

 

No air con in your car!!! are you mad!!!!

 

We even pull our car in and out of the garage so it does not get too hot. Our fridge only has loads of water in it there is no room for anything else!

What are you supposed to eat if your fridge is full of water and not food? We are really struggling with that. We keep eating out which is fine but not healthy really. Any suggetsions would be great or an aussie cook book.

 

Ta

Michelle

[Rachiegarlo]

Cook on the barbie and visit airconditioned supermarkets daily, hovering around the freezer ......

 

and as for the car it's only bad when you stop moving, plus you are not hopping in and out of aircon all the time. You become acclimatised and when the time comes that there is a power blackout or your aircon dies you cope a lot better and you don't use as much petrol.

[Guest Philip]

If you really want to feel the heat less, trim down, work out, get into shape. The slimmer and healthier you are, the less you feel the heat and the more able you are to cope.

[Guest angiestaff]

Wine with truck loads of ice.

 

 

i like your way of thinking!!! someone who thinks the same as me lol

 

ange

[Guest cornish Busdriver]

This isnt that hot yet, wait till summer when the temp realy rises. Drink plenty of water or freze bottles of water and take out with you everywhere you go.

[jomark]

If you really want to feel the heat less, trim down, work out, get into shape. The slimmer and healthier you are, the less you feel the heat and the more able you are to cope.

 

Ive recently lost 16kilos (still got a few more to go) and i only said to my OH yesterday that im finding it easier to cope in the heat...on the flipside after a day down the beach you dont fancy cooking so its off down the chip shop

 

Stay cool

 

Jo:wubclub:

[John Browning]

THANKS... BUT YO'LL NEED TO RUN "C" PAST ME AGAIN

 

jb

[John Browning]

A COUPLE MORE IDEAS

 

if youve just moved into a place, here are some things you might want to check:

 

1) most ceiling fans in Oz are Reversible. Check that they really are sending the air downwards ("Summer" mode)

 

2) if you have gas space heaters- even if they are not being used, the pilot lights will still be runnning.These give out a surprising amouint of heat over a 24 hour period...well worth turning them off oveer summer

 

3) you may still be eligible for free ceiling insulation from the Government. While you are up there, installing a"Whirly- Bird" vent will get rid of a lot of the excess heat in the loft ("Ceiling-Cavity")

 

JB :v_SPIN:

[John Browning]

A COUPLE MORE IDEAS

 

if youve just moved into a place, here are some things you might want to check:

 

1) most ceiling fans in Oz are Reversible. Check that they really are sending the air downwards

("Summer" mode)

 

2) if you have gas space heaters- even if they are not being used, the pilot lights will still be

runnning.These give out a surprising amouint of heat over a 24 hour period...well worth turning

them off over summer

 

3) you may still be eligible for free ceiling insulation from the Government. While you are up there

installing a"Whirly- Bird" vent will get rid of a lot of the excess heat in the loft ("Ceiling-Cavity")

 

JB

[John Browning]

thanks, Pat

 

yep ducted Evap A/C does need an open window usually

 

JB

[Guest fit like min?]

I am up in Moomba right now and it's currently 48C. Hard to keep cool up here unless you are indoors,which unfortunately I am not. Keeping cool is important but so is keeping hydrated. The best thing to do is check the clour of your pee. The darker it is the more dehydrated you are. A good sign is a pale yellow colour. Try and avoid drinking fluids with sugar. Water is always the best.

[adelaidenow]

They are all much more effective used with ceiling / pedestal fans to keep the air moving briskly.

 

Since when? Maybe older ones. Ours has a thermostat and it get sthe romm to the temp we want. Its effective.

 

 

We don't use air con at night (when in bed) the ceiling fans do a job then, but we never have both on. It's one or the other.

 

Mik, remember the Middle East and Greece are on the Med, it gets well into the 40s there too....

[Guest Aussie pat]

I am up in Moomba right now and it's currently 48C. Hard to keep cool up here unless you are indoors,which unfortunately I am not. Keeping cool is important but so is keeping hydrated. The best thing to do is check the clour of your pee. The darker it is the more dehydrated you are. A good sign is a pale yellow colour. Try and avoid drinking fluids with sugar. Water is always the best.

 

and....don't eat too much beetroot in your summer salads if you're using this method as it makes your urine turn pink!

[Diane]

43 forecast for tomorrow - and our air con still not fixed - I'm off to work, but if anyone can offer somewhere for my folks in their late 70's, and the dog and cat to spend the day, feel free!!!

[Guest Deborah5]

Library! Not sure about the cat and dog though.

[Guest rachinadelaide]

A water spritzer!! The office I work in has no air con so we have water spritzer duties. Just have to try not to spray it on the elctrical equipment....

[John Browning]

Med. Climate: " hot dry summers / cool wet winters"

[John Browning]

blimey...youll be telling us there's no OH & S Rep next.

[John Browning]

yep-it surprised me too, till I tried using the ceiling fan at the same time as the A/C...it turns out I can run the airconditioner thermostat at least 2C higher and still stay cool...saves me a packet