If you are used to having a beautifully cool and comfortable home in the hotter summer months thanks to your air conditioning system, it’s a rather horrible shock when it fails. Air conditioners fail for all kinds of reasons and sometimes without any warning at all and somehow, it always seems to happen when the weather outside is really warm..
If, at that point, you call Arctic Air, we will rush out to start solving the problem as soon as possible. But, there may indeed be a period when your home will be without air conditioning until everything is fixed. This, if it’s a hot day is, we know, no fun. And while these measures will not have the same powerful effect as a nice cool blast from an A/C would these are some simple cooling ‘hacks’ that will help you stay at least relatively cool until everything is back to normal.
Close the Blinds
Up to 30% of the unwanted heat that enters your home, heat that is normally dealt with by your AC, comes through your windows, even if they are pretty well insulated. By closing all of the blinds and/or drapes you may actually be able to lower the interior temperature by up to 20% within an hour or so.
Snuff Out the Lightbulbs
You might be surprised by just how much heat an incandescent lightbulb throws off when it is turned on (those, by the way, are the old fashioned kind with the filaments) and so if they are still in use in your home turning those off while your cooling system is down will help as well. Modern CFL and LED lights can remain on though, as they emit almost no heat at all, which is just one good reason why you should make a note to ditch all of those old fashioned incandescents as soon as possible anyway.
Craft a DIY Ice Fan
If you have a standard fan on hand, you can hack an ‘ice fan’ that will help keep things cool for a while too. Fill a bowl with ice and then place it directly in front of the fan. The breeze that will come off the ice is surprisingly cool, so this is a great way to cool yourself off quickly in a pinch.
Run Your Exhaust Fans
The exhaust fans in your kitchen and bathroom were designed to not only draw odors from the air but also warm, moist air, so running them will often help lower the temperature in the room as well. If possible, leave any doors to these rooms open while you run the fans, so that the areas immediately around them can benefit as well.
Make Alternate Dinner Plans
It’s dinner time, your AC is still off but everyone is getting rather hungry. The worst thing you can do in an air conditioning emergency is use your stove. The heat that a closed oven – even a new one – throws off is considerable and even using a stove top burner will heat things up quite a bit too. If you can, why not take this opportunity to fire up the grill outside or at very least plan on letting someone else do the cooking for once and order takeout.
Concentrate on Cooling Yourself Off
Finally, it can really help if you shift your focus from your home in general to yourself and find ways to keep your body cool rather than the room around you. Drinking plenty of cold water will help, a cool shower may too and even the simple act of draping a cold, wet towel around your neck can be a great way to cool off, temporarily at least, as well.
If you have any questions about our range of services or would like to book your next A/C servicing, please do not hesitate to contact us on 816-436-1000 or email us: service@arcticairkc.com. One of our friendly and knowledgeable staff members will be happy to assist you in any way they can and answer all your queries.