It's the nightmare of many homeowners in Arizona, Texas, Nevada and sometimes Utah ... the air conditioner breaking down during the hottest part of the summer. Unfortunately it happens all too often and contractors sometimes can't get to your house fast enough to repair it that day. Even worse is if the contractor gets to your home and gives you the bad news: there's just no repairing your unit. You'll need a brand new one. Not only can that be extremely expensive, it can take a long time to order a new unit, have it delivered and installed. Homeowners who are stuck in the predicament of a failed air conditioner have to get creative to keep cool. Here are some of the best ways you can cool off if your air conditioner breaks down.
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Use Fans and Windows
The first thing to do is to come up with a faux-air conditioner. You can do this by opening windows and placing fans in front of them to bring cool air into your home. You can also place buckets of water or ice in front of the fans with the same effect. A squirt bottle and a fan can also cool you off "“ spray a fine mist in front of you in line with the fan. The water will settle on your skin and the breeze from the fan will cool you off.
Cool Towels, Clothes in Fridge or Freezer
What you wear around the home and while asleep can help to keep you cool. Dip towels, clothes in water and put them in the freezer or fridge. After they have cooled, wear them to cool your core temperature. When the towel or item of clothing has warmed up, have another towel or item of clothing to wear, and re-cool the items you're wearing again and again.
Go Downstairs
Heat rises, so if you're in a position to move to a lower portion of your home, do so. Downstairs are generally cooler than the rest of the home, especially if they are built partially underground. The ground temperature is a constant 60 degrees F, and that cool temperature will reflect in the downstairs of your home.
Get Out of the House
If you don't have to be in your home during the hottest part of the day, get out of the home! Leave your fans running, but retreat somewhere cooler. Go to a public library, a mall or restaurant where they have air conditioning and you can stay and cool down.
Sleep with Frozen Water Bottles
In the winter many people bring hot water bottles to bed to warm them up- reverse engineer this tip by freezing water bottles and bringing them to bed with you to cool you off.
Don't turn on the Stove
Pick things to eat that don't have to be heated up. Turning on the oven or stove can heat up a home even more. Also, don't eat foods that are high in protein. A high-protein meal will take longer and more energy to digest, heating your core up more.
Drink Water
Being too hot can increase the possibility of you becoming dehydrated. In order to cool yourself off and make sure you're not in danger of dehydration, drink lots of cool water. Make sure to not drink alcoholic or caffeinated beverages, as those have the propensity to dehydrate bodies even more than normal.
Get a Home Warranty
"A home warranty?" you might say. "How can that help with cooling me down?" A home warranty may not be able to bring you glasses of cold water or mist you when you're too hot, but a home warranty company can repair or replace your air conditioner for a service call fee. A Landmark Home Warranty can save you thousands of dollars on a failed air conditioner, as long as the unit failed from normal wear and tear. Instead of paying the thousands of dollars on a new unit, labor and parts, you'll only pay a service call fee, and Landmark will take care of the rest. Our 24 hour claims department make sure you have a contractor at your home as soon as possible, which means you'll spend less time using these tips, and more time being thankful you protected your home and budget with a home warranty. For more information on air conditioners and home warranties, go to www.landmarkhw.com.
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Resources:
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=63080
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/no-air-conditioner-how-to-keep-your-cool-no-matter-how-hot-it-gets-reader-intelligence-report-171724