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Thread: Prepping for heat?

  1. #1
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    Prepping for heat?

    Hello Ants,

    Yes, I'm alive, just not very active here as distracted with other things. =) My company had me run my 'emergency preparedness: evacuation basics' presentation a couple months ago ahead of forest fire season, so I feel I've done my annual community service sharing of perspective. I was blocked from doing so during last summer's fire season as mgt was concerned about alarmism (we can skip cutting up that one, pretty sure we're all on the same page!)

    A new angle to preparedness it hitting my radar with 'climate change': heat! While my area tends to get only a week or two of hot weather per summer, this is clearly changing. It has been 30C or greater for 4 days in a row this week alone, and today is to hit 35C which is highly unusual. After work the wife & I are driving to another city...forecast to hit 39C/102F. I've only a couple times been in 35C much less 39!

    I thought to post here today as it occurs to me on our 4 hour drive I can expect to see drivers unprepared for this, identified by overheated engines & blown tires. Checked my wife's tires the other day and they were at 40psi vs. desired 34. Will be checking mine before driving and during to ensure they stay 5psi short of maximum pressure. However, I doubt everyone is mindful of how much their tire pressure changes with the air/road temp..!

    Other than keeping on top of general maintenance, coolant, tire pressure, gas, coolant levels (& backups in prep bin in back) and keeping water in vehicle for the drive, what might you advise to be covered in overly hot situations? Will also be dressed for sweating + Tilly hat and have AC in vehicle.

    Tangent to this is apartment temp control of course; last summer my wife cancelled her veto of my building the unfashionable Evictor fan setup in our living room: https://imgur.com/gallery/H1W3CGV Using this and selecting the 'replacement' air source makes a huge difference for our space. Our building has banned window-shaker AC units, though our (less efficient, arg) portable unit cools the bedroom effectively (too loud to sleep with).

    As suitable I'll wear a gel water-soaked headband to use the conductive & evaporative principles (low humidity here), wet my shins in front of a fan, and keep a level mood to not generate extra body heat. Eating frozen fruit helps as well, and eating certain foods that require less effort to digest.

    I'm curious to all of your heat-fighting tactics! Please share!

  2. #2
    looking at their tools while posting pictures of mine.
    Domeguy's Avatar
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    Well, I just turn up the AC! Just kidding. Wow, that’s some heat for our Northern neighbor. I’m guessing most everyone here knows I built my own home, a 50’ geodesic dome. It’s main construction is from 2x6 lumber. I then had 5 1/2 inches of sprayed open cell foam through out the entire structure. It cost a small fortune, but it has already paid for itself. For the 3300 sq ft home, our electric bill was $111. That’s with electric hot water heater also. It’s comfortable at 72 deg. Unless the humidity gets to high. The garage does not have any insulation (26’ dome), and will get up to 135 deg. In hot summer sun. The new 20x40 metal building has 1 inch of sprayed closed cell foam. Haven’t tried to heat or cool it yet, but it’s definitely cooler in there before the foam.
    For the vehicles, her SUV is black, my Ranger is dark blue, so they absorb the UV rays and heat up quickly. AC is always on.
    I personally try not to go out in the hot part of the day, but if I have to, I do it is shifts. Biggest thing is hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.
    Stay cool my friend
    "Teach the children quietly
    For someday sons and daughters
    Will rise up and fight while we stood still"

    I stayed up all night to see where the sun went. Then it dawned on me.

  3. #3
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    Alas, a new residence isn't in the budget. =)

    Aside from being prohibited from using a more efficient window-shaker AC unit (vs. any portable of same power), I expect I'd be limited on other green improvements, like any manner of window shutters to prevent the sunlight from coming through the windows. Blackout curtains might reflect back out, but the sunlight still heats the air twice.

    I do have a reflective sunshade for my windshield, but it isn't likely to have much effect given the size of a 1st gen. Highlander. I suppose I could look into a full-vehicle cover if things got really nuts.

  4. #4
    Dont worry about shitting yourself
    Gunfixr's Avatar
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    Here, it's hot, not as hot as real down south, but hot, and very humid. So humid, the air feels to have "thickness".
    If you are going out, or do not have a means of cooling/drying inside air, about all you can do is embrace the suck.
    And drink water by the gallon.

    Sent from my SGP612 using Tapatalk
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    Liberty is a Man-Of-War, and we are all crew.

  5. #5
    CC Gray Panther
    eagle326's Avatar
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    The Goddess and I bought an 1800's brick school house. We knew the owners. All of the exterior walls inside are around 3" mortar. Yep fun hanging things on walls. We keep blinds drawn on the sun side of house. Couple window A.C.'s and we be cool on days of very high temps. Very high 80's and 90's. Other than that the house stays cool without air. One heated 1st. time in cooler temps. and she holds the heat all winter long.
    But then I measured all the windows and ordered thermo pane 2 to 4 at a time . Installed w/ help from younger brother along with spray foam so no air leaks and new doors I installed for total wind flow barrier ( caulking is your friend )

    And the damn thing is pretty sound proof also because of the exterior walls I believe. Damn above ground bunker ! Oh it's a 2 story w/ over 1700 sq. ft.
    Last edited by eagle326; 08-13-2018 at 01:31 AM.

  6. #6
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    I guess I'm really on the lookout for better redneck cooling methods. I've not met anyone else that has built an Evictor to remove warm air as I have, nor wet their shins in front of a fan. There must be other applications of physics one can apply..!

    If the warming pattern continues through the years, we're going to need improved ways of coping vs. just more efficient AC machines!

  7. #7
    looking at their tools while posting pictures of mine.
    Domeguy's Avatar
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    I should have looked at the pictures you had, my bad. I also use something like your Evictor unit. I have 10 windows up in the cupola of the dome, 5 on each of the walls of the pentagon roof. I also have a ceiling fan running 24/7 upstairs hanging from the cupola. I can open the windows and the heat will naturally rise up, and with the fans help, push out the hot air at the top of the dome, and pull cooler air in from the lower windows.
    "Teach the children quietly
    For someday sons and daughters
    Will rise up and fight while we stood still"

    I stayed up all night to see where the sun went. Then it dawned on me.

  8. #8
    Wants you to "look at what he's holding tonight".


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    I live in Texas and the heat I can handle. As long as I have access to water I am fine, but the damn cold kills me.
    "When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes DUTY!" - Thomas Jefferson

  9. #9
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    Indeed Domeguy, that's the most efficient way. Would be great to have something like an attic hatch that would let the hot air naturally rise to for easy removal, but I'm good so long as the power is on.

    Helomech, I must confess that part of my being able to handle the cold is the humidity is very low here in winter; without moisture the cold just doesn't penetrate clothes and it is radically easier to dress for vs. a humid area. Visited Houston months ago and knew to expect the effect, but still got chilled at 15C/59F; here that is ideal hiking weather! At 15% humidity you can deal with -40C provided there isn't a wind (rare to have wind at this temp here). After living in this climate for my life to this point my body is adapted to cold, but that also means I suffer in the heat.

  10. #10
    Dont worry about shitting yourself
    Gunfixr's Avatar
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    Yeah, here is humid a substantial part of the time. So, you get hot and humid, and cold and humid.
    Today, for instance, was not that hot, pushing 90, but the humidity was high enough to just sweat real good standing in shade doing nothing.

    Sent from my SGP612 using Tapatalk
    Liberty is not a cruise ship full of pampered passengers.
    Liberty is a Man-Of-War, and we are all crew.

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