Here in Lake Havasu City, AZ, we experience several months each year with temperatures in the triple digits. Trying to survive without air conditioning can be hazardous to your health at those temperatures. However, air conditioners, like all machines, can break down. When that happens, you’ll need to find ways to stay cool while you wait for repairs. Here are 10 tips for staying cool while you wait for our HVAC team from Air Control Home Services to arrive.
1. Shorten Your Repair Wait Time
Anything you can do to reduce your AC’s downtime is a good idea. You should consider enrolling in our maintenance plan as soon as possible. This plan comes with priority service, no overtime fees, and access to a dedicated concierge line. Being a member means you skip to the head of the line when your AC needs repair. There won’t be a need to depend on alternate means of keeping cool longer than necessary.
2. Keep the Sun Out
Closing your home’s blinds and curtains is essential to control the temperature inside your home during the summer months. While you wait for AC repairs, you should close them before sunrise and leave them closed until sunset. If you have medium-colored curtains with white plastic backing, they can cut solar heat gain by up to 33%. When you’re stuck with no air conditioning, that’s a significant improvement.
3. Remove Heat at Night
Keeping heat out of your home during the day will help keep you cool, but expelling heat at night can also be beneficial. Open your windows to maximize ventilation when the sun goes down. Use large fans to push hot air out of your open windows overnight. If you have a multi-story home, set your exhaust fans up on the second floor. Since heat rises, you’ll exhaust more heat while drawing cooler air in through your first-floor windows.
4. Avoid Using Major Appliances
Using your home’s major appliances will significantly increase the temperature inside your home. When you’re without AC, refrain from cooking for long periods of time using your oven. Doing laundry and running your dryer can also produce heat and should be avoided. This will minimize unnecessary heat gains and help your other cooling strategies work more effectively.
5. Stay Hydrated
Fortunately, our bodies have a built-in cooling mechanism that works exceptionally well. However, you need to stay hydrated if you want to support this process. When we sweat, the moisture evaporates off our skin, carrying heat with it. In dry climates like ours, the air readily absorbs your skin’s moisture, accelerating the cooling process. In extreme heat, your body can lose up to 1.5 liters of water per hour as sweat. Keep plenty of cold water on hand to rehydrate.
6. Wear Loose-Fitting Clothing
To maximize the benefit of sweating, you must keep air flowing across as much of your skin as possible. The best way to accomplish that is to wear light, loose-fitting clothing. Not only will this allow air to circulate underneath your clothes, but it will also prevent your clothing from absorbing your sweat and becoming damp. When that happens, the heat in your sweat stays trapped against your body, negating the cooling effects.
7. Take Cold Showers and Baths
Even on hot summer days, your home’s tap water should be significantly cooler than the air temperature. You can take advantage of that by taking cold showers and baths. Even if your home’s tap water is lukewarm, it should still help you cool off.
8. Use Cold Washcloths
You can also strategically use cold washcloths to stay cool while you await AC repairs. The best way to do this is to dampen as many washcloths as possible and store them in your refrigerator or freezer for a short period of time. Then, apply them to your pulse points on your neck and wrists. This will keep you cool and slow your pulse, preventing you from overheating. When your washcloths get warm, swap them with a fresh set from the refrigerator or freezer.
9. Build a Makeshift Swamp Cooler
If you expect to be without AC for more than a day or two, you could build a swamp cooler to stay cool. A swamp cooler uses evaporation to produce cool air. A small DIY version can cool the air in a small room by between 15 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Best of all, they’re most effective in dry climates like ours.
To build a swamp cooler, you’ll need a few items. The first is a five-gallon foam cooler. It will house the rest of the components and provide an insulated space inside. Plus, foam is easy to cut, making assembly easier. You will also need a desk fan and three, 6-inch lengths of 3-inch-diameter PVC pipe.
To assemble the cooler, cut a hole in the foam lid that’s large enough to allow the fan’s face to fit. Then, cut three equidistant 3-inch holes about 2 inches from the top edge on one of the cooler’s sides. Next, insert the PVC pipes into the three holes.
To use your swamp cooler, fill the bottom of the foam container with either cold water or ice. Then, put the lid on and place the fan in its hole. When you turn the fan on, it will push warm air straight down onto the ice. That will cause the ice to melt, evaporating its water and cooling the air in the process. The cold air then gets forced out of the three PVC tubes to cool the area around the container.
10. Arrange a Short Stay With Family or Friends
If you’re older or otherwise especially vulnerable to heat, you shouldn’t try to wait for AC repairs in your home. Instead, you should arrange to stay at a friend’s or family member’s home. Only air conditioning can keep your home sufficiently cool during the Lake Havasu City summer. While the foregoing tips might make the heat bearable, you could still suffer ill effects.
If there’s nobody nearby you can stay with, consider spending as many daylight hours as possible outside the home. Stores and malls are usually air-conditioned, and you can get through the hottest parts of the day that way. Then, you can return home at night when fans alone will keep your home at a reasonable temperature. Remember to close all your home’s blinds and curtains while you’re out.
Local Rapid AC Repair Specialists
The bottom line is that prompt AC repairs are the best way to beat the heat when your AC breaks down. Air Control Home Services is the HVAC company to depend on. We offer expert HVAC installation, repair, and maintenance. We’re a Trane Comfort Specialist and a Mitsubishi Electric Ductless Elite Pro. We’re also Better Business Bureau accredited with an A+ rating. If you need the AC in your Lake Havasu City home repaired, contact our team at Air Control Home Services today!
