# Prepping for the heat?



## Belfrybat (Feb 21, 2003)

Texas has been hit with an unprecedented heat wave -- 24 days in June of over 100F in the area I live, with several of those over 105. Last night the electricity flickered. It got me thinking....

I live in an all-electric doublewide on a lot with newly planted trees. Will take about 5 years before the trees actually give shade. There are some shade trees on the front lot, but not anywhere near the house. 

I'm well-prepped as far as food, water and alternate heating and cooking sources go, but I realised if the electricty went out in 105+ weather, I'm not sure how I could survive. I've already had one episode of heat exhaustion this year. 

So, how did the pioneers manage? I realise it wasn't as hot back then or perhaps I should say as hot for such an extended period of time as now, but still.... 

So, what kinds of things would you do to prep for this kind of heat in the event power was lost for any extended period of time?


----------



## tab (Aug 20, 2002)

Another thought on the pioneers, they did not wear shorts and t-shirts with cool, breathable fabric. Often wondered how they made it.

One of the suggestions made here awhile back, place dampened sheets over open windows, allowing any little breeze to be cooled.


----------



## Wags (Jun 2, 2002)

We tend to equate taking off clothes to cool down, but in many countries where HOT weather is the norm, they don't disrobe to cool down. Shade, evaporative cooling, hydration and taking breaks during the hotest part of the day will all help.


----------



## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

I don't know how Texans make it. Yesterday,maybe 80 deg. out. I come in and cool off,drink water,wear a skirt, wet towel around my neck ect. and still I get the pukies. I'm still feeling it this morning.PS. the house has to be kept cool for my dh, he simply can't breath-copd,asthma,emphysema. If we had not AC he would have to sit in cool water in the shade and do Nothing.


----------



## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

First they didn't live in a modern double wide...

They had made their houses with wide through fares for air travel. High ceilings to get the heat away. They used adobe, stone, stucco, or earth to make the house stay cool. Really you can't compare the houses. They just aren't the same thing.

Next they didn't expect to be able to work in the heat of the day. They would start early and quit for the heat of the day. Then resume work after the heat had passed. Living with the climate that they had. As hard as it is for a northerner to believe. They actually do put roofing on in Florida in mid summer. I myself would most like just die... But it is what it is.

Third they didn't have the AC in the first place. So they just got accustomed to living with the heat.

Finally not that many people actually dealt with it. The area was largely devoid of population due to the uncomfortable living conditions.


----------



## Pelenaka (Jul 27, 2007)

When I lived in the high desert area of California think Death Valley, I often wondered why homes didn't have larger over hangs or soffits. If they did then they could hang shade cloth. Or a trellis with roses placed a few feet from the exterior wall providing shade. 
I know that won't help with the roof portion of your home. I'm sure your roof is painted white.
Any chance you can't erect a tarp over the trailer ? Sorry I'm grasping at straws.

As to pinoneers dealing with the heat especaially women, I think that they wet their petti coats then wrung them out before wearing. 


~~ pelenaka ~~


----------



## Bluesgal (Jun 17, 2011)

Lving in AZ were there is currently a cool spell (dropped from 110+ after a week to a balmy 105) I've found it's actually better to have a light cotton long sleeve shirt on then short sleeves and it keeps away the sunburn as well. Soak the shirt in water before you ut it on and keep a wet bandanna around your neck. I've lost power and therefore A/C in this kind of weather and that's what I did. Made it bearable but like the other poster said.. limit your movements during midday and late afternoon. There is something to be said for an afternoon siesta. Also, find a way to get airflow through the house. Stagnant air will only rise in temperature in the "box".


----------



## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

These tin houses become ovens in the heat without a/c. I don't personally feel they will be livable in the least. Best you can do is go sit under a shade tree and hope you get enough water out of the well without electric.


----------



## puddlejumper007 (Jan 12, 2008)

i did find a fan that runs on battery, for my daughter in law she has breathing problems, and if the electric goes out for any period of time hopefuly this will help her, have to keep a stock of batteries...


----------



## Trixters_muse (Jan 29, 2008)

When I lived in my old mobile home we were lucky enough to have a big shade tree to help with the heat at one end of the home but if you were in the other end of the home you roasted, even with central ac running. 

My late DH erected long poles close to the mobile home and hung tarps and canvas (whatever we could get our hands on) over the roof. It helped so much. We also put up trellises and grew vines and veggies.

The next summer we bought some tar like thermal roof coating, the brand we used was called "Cool-Coat". We used rollers to apply it to the roof top and what a difference that made. 

I also recommend having fans that can be run on batteries, solar, or inverters.


----------



## MO_cows (Aug 14, 2010)

During the heat of the day, close the windows, curtains and blinds on the sunny side of the house. Keep windows open only on the shady side and only if it is cooler outside. You have to change them around all day as the sun shifts. At night, if it is cooler outside, open everything up and fill the house with the cooler air. When I was a kid we didn't have A/C, not quite as hot here as Texas but still pretty juicy. By managing the airflow and blocking out the sun as much as possible, my grandma kept our house pretty comfortable. You might want to think about an "easy up" type of canopy to set up next to the trailer and provide you some shade to sit under and shade one set of windows in a "key" room.


----------



## Belfrybat (Feb 21, 2003)

7thswan said:


> I don't know how Texans make it.


It's not usually this bad -- this is an unusual year. Usually we get several 100F in late July/ Aug but it cools down at night. This year we started in May and it isn't cooling down at night. Thinking about going a month in this kind of weather is a lot different emotionally than thinking about 3-4 months. 



Pelenaka said:


> When I lived in the high desert area of California think Death Valley, I often wondered why homes didn't have larger over hangs or soffits. If they did then they could hang shade cloth. Or a trellis with roses placed a few feet from the exterior wall providing shade.
> I know that won't help with the roof portion of your home. I'm sure your roof is painted white.


Roof is standard shingle, but you are right about not much of an overhang -- only 6". I have erected a trellis on the SW side, but with the heat and drought, couldn't get the morning glories I planted to even germinate. 


> Any chance you can't erect a tarp over the trailer ? Sorry I'm grasping at straws.
> 
> As to pinoneers dealing with the heat especaially women, I think that they wet their petti coats then wrung them out before wearing.
> ~~ pelenaka ~~


Grasp away -- that is what I am doing. The house is 32x60 -- not exactly a trailer that one can drape a tarp over. 

Before I had A/C I used to wet an oversized t-shirt to sleep in under the ceiling fan. But that was in a cabin under lots of shade trees. 



Cyngbaeld said:


> These tin houses become ovens in the heat without a/c. I don't personally feel they will be livable in the least. Best you can do is go sit under a shade tree and hope you get enough water out of the well without electric.


Tin house? Sorry I should have elaborated more, I guess. This is a house -- just like most other stick-built houses -- doublewide clad in hardy board with cathedral ceilings, shingle roof and upgraded insulation package. But when it's 105 outside, it's the same inside with all the windows open. And that would be true of any "modern" house. So don't think "trailer" think "house built in the last 10 years". 



Trixters_muse said:


> When I lived in my old mobile home we were lucky enough to have a big shade tree to help with the heat at one end of the home. My late DH erected long poles close to the mobile home and hung tarps and canvas (whatever we could get our hands on) over the roof. It helped so much. We also put up trellises and grew vines and veggies.
> 
> The next summer we bought some tar like thermal roof coating, the brand we used was called "Cool-Coat". We used rollers to apply it to the roof top and what a difference that made.
> 
> I also recommend having fans that can be run on batteries, solar, or inverters.


I can't imagine trying to span a 32' wide roof with tarps. I guess I shouldn't have used the term "doublewide" as folks seem to have a "trailer" in mind. This is basically a stick built house that sits on a metal frame. Unfortunately I can't use the kind of roof coating you are suggesting over shingles. 



MO_cows said:


> During the heat of the day, close the windows, curtains and blinds on the sunny side of the house. Keep windows open only on the shady side and only if it is cooler outside. You have to change them around all day as the sun shifts. At night, if it is cooler outside, open everything up and fill the house with the cooler air.


Yeah, that's standard practice in this area and what I do when the temps are only in the 90's. But lately, they are in the 100s. It's not even cooling down at night so sleep is rather elusive -- I refuse to run the A/C at night. 

So to summarize so far, what many of you are doing in power outages are erecting poles/ tarps over your houses, trellising on the south/ west sides for plants, and using battery operated fans? I have one battery but the solar panel is too small to charge it in just a few hours, especially if I had fans connected to it. So another battery and larger solar panel? 

Some good ideas here.


----------



## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

Well I have solar panels and a fan, but no batteries. I do live in a tin house. Single wide with al siding, al roof, etc, no shade.


----------



## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

Belfrybat said:


> So to summarize so far, what many of you are doing in power outages are erecting poles/ tarps over your houses, trellising on the south/ west sides for plants, and using battery operated fans? I have one battery but the solar panel is too small to charge it in just a few hours, especially if I had fans connected to it. So another battery and larger solar panel?
> 
> Some good ideas here.


yeah, that.

And I live where hot is 80F. Last night it was so cool (53F) we had to close the windows. In a little over 8 weeks. I'll have made the first fire in the stove to take the chill off.


----------



## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

when building the hoover/boulder dam they would work at night they had lights and in the morning and evening but took many mid days off , they slept under wetted sheets the rapid evaporation cooled them many also slept under their shacks or bunk houses just be care full to watch for the snakes under there

some respiratory diseases did occur from sleeping with a wet and not the cleanest cloth on tier face or head

research Indian culture as in the country India they live in temps like that all the time very very few have ac some fans 

i had a cousin, who did research in the jungle for a year , in central America you just get used to the heat after a while , but boy was he cold here the next winter. they slept in hammocks so the air would get all around them they had to leave the light bulb on in the closet to try and reduce humidity so the cloths didn't rot on the hanger 


personal if you have water it does a great job of cooling you , if you can bath several times a day , i have thought about a stock tank as a personal pool to sit in on those really hot days , it is almost always cooler than ambient air temp and just ad a bit more cool ground water to cool you down if it does some how manage to get above 98 degrees


----------



## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

You should have felt the water coming out of my pond yesterday. Anybody want to cool off in that is out of luck. It was hot. Not warm, hot.


----------



## watcher (Sep 4, 2006)

Belfrybat said:


> Texas has been hit with an unprecedented heat wave -- 24 days in June of over 100F in the area I live, with several of those over 105. Last night the electricity flickered. It got me thinking....
> 
> I live in an all-electric doublewide on a lot with newly planted trees. Will take about 5 years before the trees actually give shade. There are some shade trees on the front lot, but not anywhere near the house.
> 
> ...


One thing to remember; once you have had a heat injury you are more susceptible to them from then on. I had a heat injury when I was young and to this day if I get out and get hot I get a headache and nauseous.


----------



## naturelover (Jun 6, 2006)

Belfrybat said:


> I can't imagine trying to span a 32' wide roof with tarps. I guess I shouldn't have used the term "doublewide" as folks seem to have a "trailer" in mind. This is basically a stick built house that sits on a metal frame. Unfortunately I can't use the kind of roof coating you are suggesting over shingles.


You can get rail car or shipping container tarps that are huge, and there are tarp manufacturing companies that will make them to order for you. I have one that is 100 x 50 feet, very sturdy and heavy.

.


----------



## naturelover (Jun 6, 2006)

Oh, and you can also use the huge black shade cloths that are used by commercial greenhouses as well as ginseng farmers - they don't absorb the heat and allow air to circulate through the weave.

.


----------



## whiskeylivewire (May 27, 2009)

Even with the AC on our 16X80 trailer gets very warm with our west facing sliding glass doors. I bought some cheap black out curtains at Dollar General and it has helped quite a bit. I think I'll buy a couple more today for the other west facing window and the east facing as well. Also need to put something up over the DDs window that faces west.


----------



## mrsmoose13 (Jun 26, 2011)

This may be a no-brainer, but drink lots of water - stay hydrated. If there's any way to make it ice water, that's the ticket. It helps the innards stay cool. Also, if it goes on long enough, water alone may not be enough - you may need electrolytes (potassium, sodium). Hope that's not too simplistic.


----------



## mnn2501 (Apr 2, 2008)

stanb999 said:


> Next they didn't expect to be able to work in the heat of the day. They would start early and quit for the heat of the day. Then resume work after the heat had passed. .


This is the number one thing -- Don't work in the heat of the day - go sit in the shade, have a cool drink, take a nap.


----------



## Geary_Johns (Oct 27, 2007)

I live in a wood frame ranch house built in the 1920âs that uses a large window unit rather than central heat / air. Three days ago the A/C died and none of the local stores had any in stock (had to wait for a shipment). It was a long 3 days and I was going to start a thread like this one. Its been over 102 for the past week.

A couple of things kept me going when not as work, I got a couple of box fans and set them in the windows to draw the cool night air into the house and get rid of the built up heat (it was nice sleeping under the breeze as well). During the day I shut the windows and used fans to keep the air moving. I took several cool baths a day, just ran the tub full of cold water and soaked in it to cool down. 

I have the new unit installed and running now, I run it 24 / 7. I tried years ago to turn it off at night and found that it had to work harder and took longer to cool the house when I did. 

As far as what to do without power, the idea of an easy up style tent / pavilion set in some shade and wetting down clothing is the best I could come up with. My wife says the pioneers were a much hardier lot than folks now days.


----------



## mnn2501 (Apr 2, 2008)

Geary_Johns said:


> My wife says the pioneers were a much hardier lot than folks now days.


 They also were not in and out of air conditioning all day long -- it was the same temp everywhere and you got out of the sun and into the shade when you could. I would have little trouble with 100-105 temps if it would be constant -- but dang they keep my office at 72 and most businesses do too -- thats crazy when the temp outside is 102F!!


----------



## Freeholder (Jun 19, 2004)

I was thinking of a pool of water, too -- if you could keep it in a shady spot (north side of the house? or the east side, maybe) even if the power was off, getting wet would help cool you off.

Also, if I was you, I'd get a screen house or something set up in the yard with a hammock in it for sleeping in. Build a floor and make the thing tight so snakes can't get in. Electric box fans are a big help as long as the power is on, but if it goes off, sleeping in the screen house will help a lot.

Kathleen


----------



## Pelenaka (Jul 27, 2007)

_*Roof is standard shingle, but you are right about not much of an overhang -- only 6". I have erected a trellis on the SW side, but with the heat and drought, couldn't get the morning glories I planted to even germinate. *_

K, here's my big suggestion the but it involves sewing.

Get some shade cloth open weave. Cut it long enough so when you staple it to the overhang there's enough to sew a 3" hem along the bottom. 
Then insert a pvc pipe in the hem much like a curtain rod. On each end you could take a shoe string & tie the pipe to the handle of a filled gallon milk jug. Or tent stakes.
This should keep the shade curtain from swinging back & forth against the house or flapping in the breeze and tearing off.

Shade cloth allows air to pass thru. 
You are also able to see thru it. 

That's all I got sorry.


~~ pelenaka ~~
http://thirtyfivebyninety.blogspot.com/


----------



## NamasteMama (Jul 24, 2009)

Yesterday we lost power here for 12 hours, in AZ in triple digit heat. We found our block home stayed pretty cool at 86 degrees. To further cool off we dipped our shirts in water and wrung them out and put them back on. This worked perfectly and we kept nice and cool. We also found that the Gartoraide powder in our food storage came in handy. Water is nice but it seemed like that did a much better job at cooling us off.
We were getting ready to sleep outside at about 11 pm when the power came back on.

It was very creepy being in the city with no power. Its much different than being in the country. The whole town of 350, 000 people lost power!


----------



## Rainy (Jan 21, 2010)

I so feel for you.. it was 106 here in Kansas yesterday, and 105 today. It was and still is just awful.
Last year i bought cheap white pull down shades for the house, that way i can still take them down when the weather is nice, they work well. Someone already mentioned the black out curtain's i have those in my bedroom along with shades and blinds, they work well also.
Drink lots of water and pray and hope for cooler temps and for rain.


----------



## belladulcinea (Jun 21, 2006)

We didn't have a/c in our home the first 15 years we lived there during Oklahoma humidity and hot weather. We had an attic fan that we ran plus some regular fans. I cooked outside mostly. We would, every now and then get a small window unit from my dad when he would remodel a house, we would put those in the bedroom. Problem with that was, it was the only place you wanted to be in the heat! I worked in computer rooms back in those days that were kept around 65 degrees.....home was hotter than a firecracker. Dh was a machinist then so he was used to it.


----------



## whiterock (Mar 26, 2003)

There clothing stayed wet from sweat and cooled them evaporatively. They had no concept of AC. Dogtrot style houses allowed air to move between the rooms, giving a shady and breezy place to sit or nap. Bedding was sprinkled with water at night, when I was a kid. Lots of water. My cold water is warm this time of year. I have a tendancy to put foil on the inside of the windows on the west side of the house, to reflect heat. really needed since that storm in April took down my big shade tree on the west side.
wetting the roof helps somewhat after the sun goes down, doesn't do much good during the day. soaking feet and wrists in cold water helps you cool down. bathe often, for cool and to prevent gameyness/ skin problems. I won't even go sit outside in the shade after 1 or so in the afternoon, the wind burns like it is coming out of an oven.

no worry about the garden though, grasshoppers ate it all in a couple of days. 

Ed


----------



## texican (Oct 4, 2003)

Long sleeve cotton shirts, cotton pants, wide brimmed hat (or in my case, sombrero). Wet yourself down before sweating, and you'll last a lot longer in the heat... keep a jug of water for dousing... you'll actually get cold with the water evaporating. It's about the only way I can work in the heat of the day.

Haven't worked on my new house this summer, but last summer, I'd jump in with all my clothes on first thing, get soaked, come out, work cool for an hour or so, when I started sweating, I'd jump in, and repeat.... I could go for hours working thissaway. Letting myself sweat to cool off, a few hours, and I'd start fading... couldn't drink enough fluids to 'keep up'...

My grandfather and two other gents logged when he was a young man... wagons, mules, crosscut and axes. When it got really hot, they'd save their clothes from getting destroyed by taking them off when they got started, jumping in the river or slough at the end of the day, and putting their clothes back on.... they only had their pairs of work clothes and a good pair for Sunday go to meeting...

One of my nieces about a decade ago thought she needed to go to the ER... she thought something was wrong with her.......... she was sweating, and didn't know what sweat was (alas, weak children raised with a/c).


----------



## farmerpat (Jan 1, 2008)

It was over 100 here yesterday, and the temp in the bedroom never got below 86 all night long. It also rained before bed, so it was really muggy on top of the heat. Was so hot (and my pain meds didn't help the pain much) that I just tossed and turned and finally fell asleep around 3:30 A.M. but had to get up again at 5:30 A.M.. Am exhausted. It was almost as hot today, and I had to go work in the garden during the heat of the day, so I know how hard it can be to try to stay cool.

One thing that is CHEAP and worked for us -- we had big windows that faced east, south and west (all in the same room) and I would go to Wmart or the dollar store and get those silver "emergency blankets" you can get for around 99 cents each. I would gently unfold them, and scotch tape them over the windows, with the shiny side facing outward. You can still see through them from the inside to the outside, but they reflect the heat and light out very well. The only bad thing about them was that they only last 1 season with the UV rays, but I was able to cover all of the windows in the room for $8.00/year. We lived at a higher altitude then too, so the sun was especially brutal. They are also nice because you can buy a bunch of them and since they're folded up so small in the packages, you can store them in very little space for next year. Alot of times you can find them on closeout at the end of camping season (August/Sept) and I've gotten them as cheap as ten cents each.

I try to not be out during the hottest part of the day, but some days it just can't be avoided. On those days, I just try to stay hydrated and out of the direct sun as much as possible (again, not always possible). Sunburn on top of the heat is NOT a good combination -- you can get dehydrated pretty quickly and not realize the severity of it.

Another thing I did when the kids were young to cool the house was to set a box fan on the floor. I took a clean long cloth diaper and wrung it out in COLD water so it didn't drip, but wasn't dry either, and then used 2 spring clothespins to hook it to the top handle of the fan and then would put a brick on the bottom of the diaper where it sat on the floor to hold it in place. The fan would blow through the cloth diaper and would considerably cool the air. I always had extra diapers in the bucket of cold water ready for when the previous one would dry out, so I could change them out quickly. I'd point the box fan in the direction of where everyone was sitting, and it did a surprisingly good job of cooling the room. I'd aldo hang a fleece throw over the south-facing windows on top of the emergency blankets to keep the extreme heat out. I also kept the drapes closed as much as possible.


----------



## farmerpat (Jan 1, 2008)

texican said:


> Long sleeve cotton shirts, cotton pants, wide brimmed hat (or in my case, sombrero). Wet yourself down before sweating, and you'll last a lot longer in the heat... keep a jug of water for dousing... you'll actually get cold with the water evaporating. It's about the only way I can work in the heat of the day.
> 
> Haven't worked on my new house this summer, but last summer, I'd jump in with all my clothes on first thing, get soaked, come out, work cool for an hour or so, when I started sweating, I'd jump in, and repeat.... I could go for hours working thissaway. Letting myself sweat to cool off, a few hours, and I'd start fading... couldn't drink enough fluids to 'keep up'...
> .


GREAT advice!!!!!


----------



## Oldcountryboy (Feb 23, 2008)

Belfrybat said:


> Texas has been hit with an unprecedented heat wave -- 24 days in June of over 100F in the area I live, with several of those over 105. Last night the electricity flickered. It got me thinking....
> 
> I
> 
> ...


When I was a little kid back down in the 60's, nobody had A/C out here in the country. We lived with my grandparents and they would get up at the crack of dawn and start working on the farm. Come midday, they would take a break and set under a shade tree. It's always a lot cooler under the shade. They didn't just set around doing nothing either. Midday shade break ment snapping beans for supper or whatever else that was harvested and needed put up. Come evening it was back to gardening or whatever else needed done. 

I can remember Grandma building smudge fires to keep the biting bugs away. She would pick up sticks and place them in a small bucket and start a fire. When it would get to going real good, she would grab a handful of green grass and throw it on top as if she was trying to smuther the fire. But what she was doing was building a smoke fire to run the biting bugs off. The bucket was placed a distance up wind so the smoke could drift across you. Us kids would make sure there was more green grass thrown over the fire as needed. 

Texican has a point there. During the summer months my dad always wore his white long john shirt with long sleeves when working out in the sun. He also got to where he was growing a beard during the summer months. He said a little sweat in his beard kept him cooler then if he was shaven. I also remember seeing pictures of grandpa and his sons. Everyone always wore white shirts with long sleeves and straw hats.


----------



## Oldcountryboy (Feb 23, 2008)

Belfrybat said:


> Texas has been hit with an unprecedented heat wave -- 24 days in June of over 100F in the area I live, with several of those over 105. Last night the electricity flickered. It got me thinking....?


Also, on our Oklahoma news report. June's average temperature is 85 degree's. For the month of June we had 29 of 30 days of 90 plus degrees. For about all of the last two weeks we've had 100, 101,102 degrees almost everyday. Like someone mentioned above, this is end of July/August weather for us. Won't surprize me if dont start having burn bans as soon as 4th of July is over with. We haven't had any fires yet but everywhere you look, the grass is dry and yellow.


----------



## Paumon (Jul 12, 2007)

There's a 3 page topic here from 3 weeks ago about hot weather survival. Lots of good tips in there: 

http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/showthread.php?t=399507


----------



## Belfrybat (Feb 21, 2003)

stanb999 said:


> yeah, that.
> 
> And I live where hot is 80F. Last night it was so cool (53F) we had to close the windows. In a little over 8 weeks. I'll have made the first fire in the stove to take the chill off.


??? So why would you use tarps to cool the house? It seems in your climate prepping for heat would not be really necessary. Or am I missing something?


----------



## Belfrybat (Feb 21, 2003)

Duplicate post - sorry.


----------



## Belfrybat (Feb 21, 2003)

naturelover said:


> You can get rail car or shipping container tarps that are huge, and there are tarp manufacturing companies that will make them to order for you. I have one that is 100 x 50 feet, very sturdy and heavy.
> 
> .





naturelover said:


> Oh, and you can also use the huge black shade cloths that are used by commercial greenhouses as well as ginseng farmers - they don't absorb the heat and allow air to circulate through the weave.
> 
> .


OK, I'm trying to picture this -- you cover your entire house with tarps/ shade cloth? Could you post a picture? Do you keep it up all year round or just have on hand for when the electricity is off for several hours? If you only use it occasionally, how on earth do you erect it yourself?


----------



## Belfrybat (Feb 21, 2003)

whiskeylivewire said:


> Even with the AC on our 16X80 trailer gets very warm with our west facing sliding glass doors. I bought some cheap black out curtains at Dollar General and it has helped quite a bit.


Solar shade and screens are much more effective and let in some light -- I have them on all my windows except the two facing north. 



mrsmoose13 said:


> This may be a no-brainer, but drink lots of water - stay hydrated. If there's any way to make it ice water, that's the ticket.


Not at all simplicitic, but remember I am talking about not having electricity for days on end -- how do you prep for that? I have no idea how to make ice in 105 temps with no electricity. So tell me how you do it. 



Geary_Johns said:


> I live in a wood frame ranch house built in the 1920âs that uses a large window unit rather than central heat / air. Three days ago the A/C died... I got a couple of box fans and set them in the windows to draw the cool night air into the house and get rid of the built up heat...


Yes, I do the same thing when I have electricity. This thread is about prepping surviving in high heat without electricity. What would you have done if the electricity had been off for three days? 



Pelenaka said:


> _*Roof is standard shingle, but you are right about not much of an overhang -- only 6". I have erected a trellis on the SW side, but with the heat and drought, couldn't get the morning glories I planted to even germinate. *_
> 
> K, here's my big suggestion the but it involves sewing.
> 
> ...


Solar blinds also work well, but of course only for the windows. Your idea would keep the side of the house cooler, which is what the dagblamed trellis was supposed to do if it hadn't been so hot and dry that the vines wouldn't germinate. 



Rainy said:


> I so feel for you.. it was 106 here in Kansas yesterday, and 105 today. It was and still is just awful.
> Last year i bought cheap white pull down shades for the house, that way i can still take them down when the weather is nice, they work well. Someone already mentioned the black out curtain's i have those in my bedroom along with shades and blinds, they work well also.
> Drink lots of water and pray and hope for cooler temps and for rain.


Solar screens and blinds work well and let in light and air, but still in 100-109 weather with no electricity to move the air, I'm not sure I could stay in the house at all during the day at all. 

Good ideas, folks, keep them coming. Just remember we are talking about not using electricity.


----------



## Belfrybat (Feb 21, 2003)

texican said:


> Long sleeve cotton shirts, cotton pants, wide brimmed hat (or in my case, sombrero). Wet yourself down before sweating, and you'll last a lot longer in the heat... keep a jug of water for dousing... you'll actually get cold with the water evaporating. It's about the only way I can work in the heat of the day.



I do something similar, wide brimmed hat plus a loose-fitting long sleeve ankle length tunic that is natural muslin. It the the inner layer of my habit. It's just too danged hot to wear the rest of it. I don't wet it down because at this point I can escape into the house and stand in front of the fan or over the A/C floor vent. But you are right -- without electricity to cool me down, wetting the fabric would work well. 

And whoever suggested using wet cloths over a fan -- I had forgotten about that. We used to do that when I was a teen in Okla without A/C. It would really help "extend" the coolness of a fan using solar panels or running off batteries.


----------



## Belfrybat (Feb 21, 2003)

Paumon said:


> There's a 3 page topic here from 3 weeks ago about hot weather survival. Lots of good tips in there:
> 
> http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/showthread.php?t=399507


Yes, that is a good topic. Thanks for the reminder. I probably should have tagged on the end with the idea of prepping for when there is no electricity.


----------



## belladulcinea (Jun 21, 2006)

That's the other thing, our house was a shotgun house and if I opened the front and back doors there was always a breeze. At my mom's we were always in the basement or under the trees. Their house was big and old so you could open windows and always get a good breeze.


----------



## Ruby (May 10, 2002)

One thing they use to do also was build the houses up off the ground so air could circulate under it. Also along with the tall ceiling they also had windows that were really low close to the floor. 

When I was married to my first husband we lived in a house that was built in 1900. It had 14 ft ceilings and the windows started about 2 ft. off the floor and went up to about 8 ft. In fact they were 8 ft. windows because I remember we couldn't find curtains in the store that would fit them. They took 96" curtains. This was back in the '60's and we didn't have AC. only fans. At night we opened all the windows. But it also had hugs over hangs. and a porch that went around two sides. Also had some huge pecan trees to shade it. I don't remember it ever being unbearable hot, but it sure go cold in the winter. We heated with a fireplace.


----------



## naturelover (Jun 6, 2006)

Belfrybat said:


> OK, I'm trying to picture this -- you cover your entire house with tarps/ shade cloth? Could you post a picture? Do you keep it up all year round or just have on hand for when the electricity is off for several hours? If you only use it occasionally, how on earth do you erect it yourself?


You should scratch my idea off the list, I don't think it would be suitable for your purposes. It's at least a 4 person job to tent and secure a single tarp or shade cloth that big over a house as large as yours. The intent would be for it to be left up for the full duration of the hot season.

.


----------



## Win07_351 (Dec 7, 2008)

One of the main problems that severely hurt the British army marching through the woods of the Hudson Valley leading up to the battle of Saratoga during the revolution was extreme heat (which was made worse by their heavy woolen uniforms).


----------



## naturelover (Jun 6, 2006)

Win07_351 said:


> One of the main problems that severely hurt the British army marching through the woods of the Hudson Valley leading up to the battle of Saratoga during the revolution was extreme heat (which was made worse by their heavy woolen uniforms).


True. It was even harder on the German Infantry in that battle as they were accustomed to colder temps than the Brits. Must have been a hot summer for it to have been so warm in October.

.


----------



## PhilJohnson (Dec 24, 2006)

tab said:


> Another thought on the pioneers, they did not wear shorts and t-shirts with cool, breathable fabric. Often wondered how they made it.


Some of them didn't. Even in modern times with AC heat events such as the 2003 European heatwave there were thousands of people that perished during a heat wave. I believe there were nearly 15,000 people that died in France alone. Some people can deal with heat very well, those who couldn't moved or died back in the day.


----------



## tab (Aug 20, 2002)

Agree, some us don't do well with heat. We don't have to wear petticoats in layers which is a plus. Agree with the other poster who said it was bad to be in AC and then have to go outside in heat. Read somewhere it takes two weeks for the body to adjust to severe temperature changes. Being in and out of temp changes does not allow the body to acclimate. That seems to have been lost on most who keep the ac at 65. Those are the same ones who keep the heat 75!

Have a recipe in an old cookbook for a drink for haying time. It sounds awful but does work, will have to look it up, this thread reminded me of it.

One of the concerns with open windows is security. Maybe not a big deal now but it could be in a shtf situation.


----------



## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

tab said:


> Agree, some us don't do well with heat. We don't have to wear petticoats in layers which is a plus. Agree with the other poster who said it was bad to be in AC and then have to go outside in heat. Read somewhere it takes two weeks for the body to adjust to severe temperature changes. Being in and out of temp changes does not allow the body to acclimate. That seems to have been lost on most who keep the ac at 65. Those are the same ones who keep the heat 75!
> 
> Have a recipe in an old cookbook for a drink for haying time. It sounds awful but does work, will have to look it up, this thread reminded me of it.
> 
> One of the concerns with open windows is security. Maybe not a big deal now but it could be in a shtf situation.


Switchel (sp) I tried one recipe and it was awful, I 'd like to have a good one.


----------



## tab (Aug 20, 2002)

Hay-time Switchel
1 cup light brown sugar
1cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup light molases
1T ground ginger
1qt water
Combine and stir well.
This can be refrigerated, but old-timers made it with cold, cold spring water, and said nothing quenched a thirst or cooled a dusty throat in haying time so well as this homey drink.

This is from "Putting Food By". I think we cut the vinegar a bit. Was a long time ago that we used it. Haying time is coming soon so will try this again. Usually we hay on a day when it is 90 in the shade and humid like a sauna. Just the way it seems to work. No resting in the hot part of the day then.


----------



## Win07_351 (Dec 7, 2008)

naturelover said:


> True. It was even harder on the German Infantry in that battle as they were accustomed to colder temps than the Brits. Must have been a hot summer for it to have been so warm in October.
> 
> .


Gen. Burgoyne marched his armies much of that summer in the Hudson Valley leading up to the battles at Saratoga. He was hoping for help from Gen Howe, but it never came.


----------



## texican (Oct 4, 2003)

Belfrybat said:


> I have no idea how to make ice in 105 temps with no electricity. So tell me how you do it.


Look into a good used rv icebox... they'll work off of ac, dc, or gas (propane or natural gas). Easiest way to make ice without the grid... If you could build an IcyBall freeze unit, all you'd need would be an external heat source. I've not found a source for pre-made icyballs.


----------



## nehimama (Jun 18, 2005)

This has worked really well for me. These Ozark-Engineered "awnings" are on the West side of my house. They block the afternoon sun, and the house stays several degrees cooler. 

The photos date from early June, when I first started putting up the blue tarps for the summer. One of the black tubs has a cucumber vine growing like mad now, and it provides a good bit of shade, too. I've since neatened up the uneven, loose & flapping tarps, and am much happier with the appearance.








[/IMG]








[/IMG]

When the summer is over, and heat is no longer a problem, I fold the tarps neatly, tie with baling twine, and label them according to which window they shade, then store them. This way, I can get two seasons out of the tarps.


----------



## Grandmotherbear (May 15, 2002)

I had to do without electric most of the summer of 2004, thanx to 3 hurricanes named Charley, Frances, and Jeanne, and I found out some stuff that has already been passed along here.
1. Battery powered fans set over a block of ice (stores were selling ice and dry ice)
2. Working as early and late as possible.
3. Resting in the heat of the day.
4. Jumping into the lake whenever I started to feel woozy.
I also discovered I didn't really WANT to eat meals, with the exception of rice all I craved was snacky stuff like chips, cheese n crackers, fruits, pickles...all stuff that works to replace your electrolytes.
5. Edited to add- I used a lot of flower scented eau d'Cologne that summer. Wound up diluting it with alcohal and water. As long as you skip spraying the sensitive areas, the alcohol evaporating will help a great deal.

My suggestion is if you can't get morning glories to sprout try planting a chayote. They'll grow 100 feet in 3 months and give you chayote to eat also. Make sure to carry your leftover bath and dish water to them if your in a drought.

Some of the archeitectural methods were proven historically for coolling passively, if anyone is thinking about new construction: Elevated the house on poles.
Dog trots
Flow thru window air flow.
High ceilings
Wide shaded verandahs.
Summer kitchens.
Sloar powered attic fan

Suggestions for quick growing trees, acacias, poplars, paulonia, 
This is a good thread.


----------



## nadja (May 22, 2011)

Cyngbaeld said:


> Well I have solar panels and a fan, but no batteries. I do live in a tin house. Single wide with al siding, al roof, etc, no shade.


For you, I put white elastrometric , on my roof last year. Made a very nice difference. Also, go to the builder supply, buy stryofoam at least 1" wide, cut to fit your windows and in the early morning, fit them to each window, except the bath. By keeping the sun and therefore heat out, you will fare much better in the late afternoon heat. We ususally start pulling the foam down about 7 pm. You may be very surprised at the difference it will make. We ususally are between 10 and 23 deg. cooler inside then outside.

We live entirely on solar, therefore no ac at all.


----------



## Sunbee (Sep 30, 2008)

We don't have that sort of extreme heat, but we rely a lot on the night time temperature drop. Open the windows in the evening, put box fans in them, close them up in the morning. Of course, we usually have a thirty degree temperature swing, so it's just a matter of catching the cool air at night. Humidity is very low, which makes the ends of the temperature spectrum seem much less extreme than they are. We have an indoor-outdoor thermometer that everyone monitors in the evening. The kids love being the first to see the magic matching temperatures.
I'm not sure if this would work in a humid climate, but it works very well indeed in a desert.


----------



## nadja (May 22, 2011)

Belfrybat said:


> Texas has been hit with an unprecedented heat wave -- 24 days in June of over 100F in the area I live, with several of those over 105. Last night the electricity flickered. It got me thinking....
> 
> I live in an all-electric doublewide on a lot with newly planted trees. Will take about 5 years before the trees actually give shade. There are some shade trees on the front lot, but not anywhere near the house.
> 
> ...


Generally the people that first settled in Texas, found themselves with little or no trees, so they dug down into the hard baked ground, and then built up with sod to make the "house" standable. Then once you are 3-4' below ground, you will find a much cooler environment to live in. The indians here created "hogons" which are similar to what they did in Texas. 3' deep and then adobe brick and mud up. They did quite well. I have been in a few and it is amazing the difference in temp you can achieve that way.


----------



## nadja (May 22, 2011)

nehimama said:


> This has worked really well for me. These Ozark-Engineered "awnings" are on the West side of my house. They block the afternoon sun, and the house stays several degrees cooler.
> 
> The photos date from early June, when I first started putting up the blue tarps for the summer. One of the black tubs has a cucumber vine growing like mad now, and it provides a good bit of shade, too. I've since neatened up the uneven, loose & flapping tarps, and am much happier with the appearance.
> 
> ...


If you were to get the silver or even the white tarps, it would be much better then the blue ones. Blue and Black radiate heat, while silver and even white reflect heat.,.


----------



## wogglebug (May 22, 2004)

We've got verandahs about eight or ten feet wide. That helps a little, because it keeps the sun off your living areas. What really REALLY helped was draping shade cloth on the sunward side of the verandahs. Dropped the inside temperature (past the verandah) by 10-15 degrees Fahrenheit.

Also, insulation in the ceilings does marvels. Expensive to add, but good if you can build it in as you construct. Works to save heating costs in winter as well.

ALSO, use electric fans all you can - evaporative cooling has worked for aeons, and still does good.
ALSO also, start early, then have a midday nap after lunch, then work again after the afternoon has cooled off. Sun-time noon or 12:30 until say 3 is not fit for man or beast to be out in the sun.
AND light-coloured roofs - bright metal, or painted white. Even the difference between white and, say, beige, let alone green or maroon, is enormous.


----------



## time (Jan 30, 2011)

Okay, I just have to say something. I shouldn't, but....................

Water.

If there is no electricity, water and shade is all anyone needs(for hot weather). Don't over work in the heat.

Everything else is for comfort. I see no need to prep for comfort in a S&EP situation.

I lived for 6 months in a desert in Saudi/Iraq with no more cooling than simple shade. Zero electricity. No fans. No ice. The only structure was tents.

I hate heat. I much prefer winter to a hot summer. But still, I would not consider preping for hot weather. I'd just deal with it.

Sorry.:ashamed:


----------



## Buffy in Dallas (May 10, 2002)

texican said:


> Long sleeve cotton shirts, cotton pants, wide brimmed hat (or in my case, sombrero). Wet yourself down before sweating, and you'll last a lot longer in the heat... keep a jug of water for dousing... you'll actually get cold with the water evaporating. It's about the only way I can work in the heat of the day.
> 
> Haven't worked on my new house this summer, but last summer, I'd jump in with all my clothes on first thing, get soaked, come out, work cool for an hour or so, when I started sweating, I'd jump in, and repeat.... I could go for hours working thissaway.


This is what we did when working on our house last year in 100+ temps. Worked great.


----------



## wvstuck (Sep 19, 2008)

Prepping for living in the heat in a SHTF situation is no different than anything else we prepare for. Are you storing seeds for gardening yet not learning how to garden now. Are you buying guns and ammo and not actually learning how to use them before you need them. Are you storing food but not eating it so you'll have something put up if you need it just to find out you hate everything you stored when you actually do need it.

No we all practice every aspect of our planning everyday if we have any sense. We garden every year so it won't be something we have to learn to deal with. It would be foolish to buy a million canning jars and lids and yet not actually practice canning every year and eating our harvests throughout the winter months.

Get out of the A/C dependency now! There are people in Texas living a completely Agrarian lifestyle everyday without a single A/C unit in their lives. If you sit in a climate controlled environment most every minute of your life then it shouldn't come as a huge surprise that things are very difficult to do when it is suddenly taken away from you. Here the temps have been in the high 90's everyday for a month with humidity levels above 70% at times. We are digging a root cellar by hand into a dry hard clay hillside. We have been cutting trees and dragging them to the burn pile and burning all day long clearing acres of land by hand. When we first moved to the new homestead we were "city farmers" and had long been out of shape for real farm work that we had been removed from for a long time. But slowly we have gotten accustomed to working in the real world conditions we are presented with. At the end of the day we look like the cowhands in the old westerns... Clothing soaking wet from sweat and dust and dirt covering most every square inch of our bodies. Drinking "ICE" water when you are very hot is extremely hard on the body and may induce muscle cramps or worse. We drink plenty of cool water and stay hydrated to keep our bodies working like they should.

There is no way to replace A/C in a shtf situation. You are living in a mobile home as we are... We don't spend much time in the house through the day because it is hot in there. We do have a 12 volt fan powered by deep cycle battery at night, charged by HF 45 watt solar panels through the day. The air movement is more than enough to sleep by when you are tired from working all day.

Unless you have $40,000 or more to invest in solar/wind and battery storage you will never be able to replace the A/C unit which cools that air through brute force and high energy demand. The only way to survive heat is to be acclimated to it. Sorry if this post is not what you were looking for, but it is the hard, honest, brutal truth I've always been known for.


----------



## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

wvstuck said:


> Prepping for living in the heat in a SHTF situation is no different than anything else we prepare for. Are you storing seeds for gardening yet not learning how to garden now. Are you buying guns and ammo and not actually learning how to use them before you need them. Are you storing food but not eating it so you'll have something put up if you need it just to find out you hate everything you stored when you actually do need it.
> 
> No we all practice every aspect of our planning everyday if we have any sense. We garden every year so it won't be something we have to learn to deal with. It would be foolish to buy a million canning jars and lids and yet not actually practice canning every year and eating our harvests throughout the winter months.
> 
> ...


Great post and spot on!


----------



## Geary_Johns (Oct 27, 2007)

Train & Wvstuck I understand your points and agree that WTSHTF A/C will be a thing of the past. What we are asking for is ideas to increase our survivability and comfort in hot weather, not a verbal brow beating. Being an affluent society we have had the luxury of living a higher degree of life than most third world countries that have little or no A/C. We need to learn how the rest of the world copes with the heat when they have too. In &#8220;Saudi/Iraq&#8221; there is very low humidity and the nights get cold. Here in most of the US we don&#8217;t get the cold nights and humidity levels keep the heat in the 80&#8217;s at night in high summer.

Many folks on this forum have health issues that sucking it up and hard labor won&#8217;t fix, and keeping cool in hot weather is a survival issue rather than a comfort issue for them. So this discussion needed to take place and is as important as food and water.

So to restart the constructive aspect of the thread, Train, tell us how the natives in the sand box dealt with heat. Clothing, shelter, did they refrain from being outside during certain times of day. 

Wvstuck, your &#8220;hard, honest, brutal truth&#8221; is your perception in the world you live in. Which causes me to point out the reality has no bearing, perception is everything in the individuals own little world. Your hard, honest, brutal truth, does not make everyone else&#8217;s hard, honest, brutal truth.


----------



## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

Belfrybat said:


> ...So, how did the pioneers manage? I realise it wasn't as hot back then or perhaps I should say as hot for such an extended period of time as now, but still....
> 
> So, what kinds of things would you do to prep for this kind of heat in the event power was lost for any extended period of time?


Greary John, if I am interpreting your response correctly, I take it that you would prefer a thread regarding improving survivability and comfort in hot weather _while still be hooked up to the grid._ 

The OP asked the questions "how did the pioneers manage" and requested responses where no electricity was available for extended periods of time. IMHO, wvstuck - unlike many responsers - answered the original question.

John, as always, you are welcome to start another thread and take survival in hot weather in a different direction.


----------



## wvstuck (Sep 19, 2008)

Geary_Johns said:


> Train & Wvstuck I understand your points and agree that WTSHTF A/C will be a thing of the past. What we are asking for is ideas to increase our survivability and comfort in hot weather, not a verbal brow beating. Being an affluent society we have had the luxury of living a higher degree of life than most third world countries that have little or no A/C. We need to learn how the rest of the world copes with the heat when they have too. In âSaudi/Iraqâ there is very low humidity and the nights get cold. Here in most of the US we donât get the cold nights and humidity levels keep the heat in the 80âs at night in high summer.
> 
> Many folks on this forum have health issues that sucking it up and hard labor wonât fix, and keeping cool in hot weather is a survival issue rather than a comfort issue for them. So this discussion needed to take place and is as important as food and water.
> 
> ...



To be brutally honest John....

If you don't condition yourself to the heat, you won't survive in the heat... That is the point blank truth, you can research outside of this forum for experts and medical personnel that train people for the heat and you will find that the honest truth is... Conditioning.

As far as the idea of an affluent society goes... The OP was asking about a long term solution to no A/C such as a SHTF scenario as in long term. When the SHTF... Affluence will be as useful as air conditioning.

If your normal day does not include working hard on a hillside, then maybe just sitting in the shade on hot days instead of sitting inside will help you condition your body for heat. Once we quit sugar coating society with affluence (which is what people are prepping for, the collapse of such affluence) There will come a day when being prepared will be the only chance of survival and with preparedness comes practice, without practice you really aren't prepared, you are just a screen name in a forum hoping for a miracle. 

Some of the other posters had great ideas for lowering the temp somewhat in a short term situation.... I agree with all of them. But if you want to be able to function in a long term situation you'll either need to build a new house that is underground and feels air conditioned, or buy thousands of dollars worth of solar/wind equipment or you will simply need to be ready to deal with the world as it presents itself after affluence fades.


----------



## time (Jan 30, 2011)

Geary_Johns said:


> So to restart the constructive aspect of the thread, Train, tell us how the natives in the sand box dealt with heat. Clothing, shelter, did they refrain from being outside during certain times of day.


I assume you meant 'time'.

My original comment was constructive.

Drink lots of water, don't over work. Get shade when possible.

The fact that this is even a topic, surviving heat with no electricity(no AC or fan), shows me just how much people will be in trouble when and if the luxuries go away.

My prep for heat in the case of no electricity is to use my well bucket or whatever means necissary to get water. And to be stinky with sweat. Anything more will be decided at the time using resources that are available if I have time and energy to spend on comfort. Not something I would waste time planning and preping for in a SHTF situation.:shrug:


----------



## Spinner (Jul 19, 2003)

There is an option for *off grid system for FREE A/C that you build at home.* They cost a few hundred to install, but once in place, they are free to run. I've posted about this system several times, but I'll add the link on this thread for those who missed it in the past.

http://mb-soft.com/solar/saving.html

The basic idea is to install pvc pipes in the ground where the ground temps are much cooler than above ground temps (ever been in a cave in summer?) A small fan will circulate the air and a small solar panel can run the fan. Add a battery to keep the fan running when the sun is not powering the solar panel, and you have a cooling system that does not depend on the grid. 

All the info is at the link.

In the old days people wore natural fabrics. I have some summer weight wool that is very cool, better than cotton. I try to only buy natural fabrics and I can really feel the difference when I am wearing man made fabrics. The natural fabrics breath and let the heat escape.

My ancestors who lived in Texas usually had dugouts on the property. They liked to spend time inside them during the hottest part of the day. Today those old dugouts are probably being used for root cellars, if they still exist.


----------



## Geary_Johns (Oct 27, 2007)

Cabin Fever said:


> Greary John, if I am interpreting your response correctly, I take it that you would prefer a thread regarding improving survivability and comfort in hot weather _while still be hooked up to the grid._
> 
> The OP asked the questions "how did the pioneers manage" and requested responses where no electricity was available for extended periods of time. IMHO, wvstuck - unlike many responsers - answered the original question.
> 
> John, as always, you are welcome to start another thread and take survival in hot weather in a different direction.


No sir, survivability and comfort in hot weather without the grid, for how ever long it may be down.

There is no need for another thread.

At this point it would be fruitless to explain that I felt their responses were harsh rather than being presented as helpful.


----------



## Belfrybat (Feb 21, 2003)

This thread seems to have triggered some emotional responses in folks. I'm sorry about that -- I didn't mean to start a debate.

There are a lot of good ideas here. For those who say you do not prep for high temps, how are you managing in 100-110 temps day after day without A/C or fans and no relief even at night? What you are doing to survive is a prep in and of itself. 

I began this post stating that this was an unprecedented year as to heat, drought, and in some places high temps and high humidity. I've lived in Texas since 1967, most of that time without A/C with perhaps a small unit in the bedroom used just at night, and I did just fine. But we had very few 100+ days during that time and that was usually in August when the gardens were dormant and we had time to sit in the shade with a cool drink. Most of the summer temps were in the 90's. Now they are at least 10 degrees higher, and the predictions are this will be our new normal. And for those of you who haven't experienced these kinds of temps, there is a huge difference between 95 and 105. 

Here is an article I found that explains why outside temps higher than body temps are so dangerous. 
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=heat-wave-health

And I heartily disagree with those who say we don't need to prep for higher than normal temps in case of a power outage. That would be the same as my telling you not to prep for the winter (ie. put up firewood/propane, etc). Both heat and cold can kill.


----------



## time (Jan 30, 2011)

Belfrybat said:


> This thread seems to have triggered some emotional responses in folks. I'm sorry about that -- I didn't mean to start a debate.
> 
> There are a lot of good ideas here. For those who say you do not prep for high temps, how are you managing in 100-110 temps day after day without A/C or fans and no relief even at night? What you are doing to survive is a prep in and of itself.
> 
> ...


Debate is good.:goodjob:

Heat and cold are not the same. The body is not as equiped to ward off cold as it is heat. Body temp is 98 degrees average. Extreme cold can be as low as -50. -30 is not uncommon here. That is a 128 degree difference in temp from internal and external temp(at -30). Extreme heat temps are what? Maybe 130 degrees. I don't really know. In most high temp regions I've been in, 120 degrees in the shade is not uncommon. That is a 22 degree difference in internal and external temp. A significant difference in heat and cold.

All medical advice and safety instructions that I'm aware of, the first item is drink lots of fluid, preferably water. Electrolytes can be included if available. Every heat injury I've been witness to, and I've seen allot, were the result of not drinking enough water.

The article you linked even indicates there are only 688 deaths per year attributed to extreme heat. The elderly are the most effected. The article debunks the fan method of cooling off. It suggests ac cooling.

I've often worked in 120 degree(F) heat. What I'm doing is drink lots of water. I did say that access to water is my prep.

While active cooling(such as a comfortable 72* room) is helpfull, benificial and desired, to me it is a comfort and not a survival issue. What do you do if your active cooling system is damaged? You find shelter(shade), drink lots of water and sweat to survive. What do you do if your active heating system is damaged? You better know how to get shelter and build a fire to survive.


----------



## PhilJohnson (Dec 24, 2006)

wvstuck said:


> There is no way to replace A/C in a shtf situation.
> 
> Unless you have $40,000 or more to invest in solar/wind and battery storage you will never be able to replace the A/C unit which cools that air through brute force and high energy demand. The only way to survive heat is to be acclimated to it. Sorry if this post is not what you were looking for, but it is the hard, honest, brutal truth I've always been known for.


I don't believe that at all. Lets look at how an AC unit works. It works by compressing freon. That requires a compressor and something to turn it. It doesn't matter what turns it, solar powered steam generator, solar powered Sterling cycle engine, a windmill, your bare hands. Think outside the box, expensive off-grid systems are for people who don't know how to work with junk and create something out of it. Let's take a propane powered fridge. What makes it work, is it the propane or the heat? It's the heat from burning propane that makes the fridge work. If you don't like that idea you can always take a page from the 1920s Crosley era Icy-Ball fridge. It is as simple as a device as you can get. No moving parts, the one side has to be heated. The other side is cool. It's so simple that people have made their own DYI versions.

Instead of making an enemy of the sun and heat make it your friend. Heat can be as much of a resource as a cool spring. You don't need expensive solar panels to utilize solar energy. People are hampered by looking at a device and instead of looking into how it works they automatically assume that you absolutely need electricity to run it and pass on it. 

I agree that trying to climatize yourself is the best way to go, however all the knowledge of how refrigeration works is not going to disappear just because SHTF. Too many times people here and elsewhere automatically assume that when power is hard to come by suddenly all our modern equipment will become useless. The only thing that will make it useless is people's own lack of knowledge of how things work. 

Your best prep for dealing with the heat is right between the ears and your hands. Use them both.


----------



## Buffy in Dallas (May 10, 2002)

Spinner said:


> There is an option for *off grid system for FREE A/C that you build at home.* They cost a few hundred to install, but once in place, they are free to run. I've posted about this system several times, but I'll add the link on this thread for those who missed it in the past.
> 
> http://mb-soft.com/solar/saving.html


Thank You Spinner! :bow: Now I know how I'm going to A/C the house I'm building!


----------



## tab (Aug 20, 2002)

Somewhere I read that Egyptians were able to make small quantities of ice through evaporation. Google might help.

Just a thought here, dh works in the heat and has for years. He says it bothers him more than it used to and he is even more inclined to need comfortable temps to sleep. If there are simple ways, which there are, to help one keep going, i.e. sleep, then there is no harm in asking. 

An idea from the Sportsman's Guide catalog is to use on of the pump up hand sprayers. I can see using one for the kids especially. Children are another group that may not deal well with extreme temps. 

PJ, do you have any handy links to that info? Cooling is crucial for food safety. That is something dh and I have been discussing lately.


----------



## wvstuck (Sep 19, 2008)

PhilJohnson said:


> I don't believe that at all. Lets look at how an AC unit works. It works by compressing freon. That requires a compressor and something to turn it. It doesn't matter what turns it, solar powered steam generator, solar powered Sterling cycle engine, a windmill, your bare hands. Think outside the box, expensive off-grid systems are for people who don't know how to work with junk and create something out of it. Let's take a propane powered fridge. What makes it work, is it the propane or the heat? It's the heat from burning propane that makes the fridge work. If you don't like that idea you can always take a page from the 1920s Crosley era Icy-Ball fridge. It is as simple as a device as you can get. No moving parts, the one side has to be heated. The other side is cool. It's so simple that people have made their own DYI versions.
> 
> Instead of making an enemy of the sun and heat make it your friend. Heat can be as much of a resource as a cool spring. You don't need expensive solar panels to utilize solar energy. People are hampered by looking at a device and instead of looking into how it works they automatically assume that you absolutely need electricity to run it and pass on it.
> 
> ...


This is an interesting idea! Do you have a link to a unit you've built or a link to someone else who has completed this project. I've got some background in using heat and ammonia to create a small refrigeration device but I've never been able to figure out a system big enough to actually cool a house or even an entire room in a house. If you have more information on the practical application of such units I'd love to follow the links.


----------



## wvstuck (Sep 19, 2008)

Spinner said:


> There is an option for *off grid system for FREE A/C that you build at home.* They cost a few hundred to install, but once in place, they are free to run. I've posted about this system several times, but I'll add the link on this thread for those who missed it in the past.
> 
> http://mb-soft.com/solar/saving.html
> 
> ...


We actually looked at this very system when we moved to our BOL. The problem was this gy's math is seriously flawed. The pipe to install the system was listed on his site as costing around $300, but when we priced it we found the actual price to be a little over $2000 for 90 ten foot joints of pipe. He thinks they are $3 a piece and most retailers need about $20 a joint to sell. Everything was flawed from the get go. This has been a little over a year ago but we found blogs and forum posts here and there where people had installed these systems at cabins and such over the years. The pipes grew mold and mildew over a year or more and caused a lot of problems. We have been looking for a way to make it practical but have so far come up short. 

The other problem we had here is we have high humidty in the summer months and this system does nothing to remove humidty. A regular A/C unit removes the humidty and drips it on the ground outside. Without removing humidty the art of sweating is still the standard fashion statement. When I lived in Greely Colorado there was little to no humidty and swamp coolers worked better than A/C units... Which was just a process of pulling air through a water saturated filter.

The other method with the water tank buried in the ground was no good either. It might cool for two hours and then take 3 to 4 days to get cool enough for another 2 hours of gradually fading cool air.

I'm still hoping there is a cost effective way to make this work but as of yet we can't find success from anyone who actually put it to use. We are now planning to build the new house underground or at least mostly underground so we can skip this problem. Please let me know if you have any other links to someone else who made this work.


----------



## PhilJohnson (Dec 24, 2006)

wvstuck said:


> This is an interesting idea! Do you have a link to a unit you've built or a link to someone else who has completed this project. I've got some background in using heat and ammonia to create a small refrigeration device but I've never been able to figure out a system big enough to actually cool a house or even an entire room in a house. If you have more information on the practical application of such units I'd love to follow the links.


[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AsnE9kwyDw"]Solar Powered Sterling engine[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNJx4eC5ZLw&feature=relmfu"]Solar Powered Steam Engine[/ame]

DIY Icy Ball Refrigeration Setup

I don't know if anyone else has used any of those things to cool their house, or if they did they might not have even posted on the internet. The knowledge is out there. To me the most practical application would be a solar powered steam turbine turning a compressor over on an AC unit. Almost no moving parts to break. An old automotive turbo could be used for the turbo unit. If your interested in seeing if any of those ideas would work perhaps you should try making it work yourself.


----------



## Texasdirtdigger (Jan 17, 2010)

All I can say is........ it's 8:20 P.M. and 100F. I just took a cool shower and I am sitting here sweating. UGH!!


----------



## Txrider (Jun 25, 2010)

Belfrybat said:


> So, how did the pioneers manage? I realise it wasn't as hot back then or perhaps I should say as hot for such an extended period of time as now, but still....
> 
> So, what kinds of things would you do to prep for this kind of heat in the event power was lost for any extended period of time?


Pioneers?

My own parents were raised without air conditioning... As most people did their age.

Houses were built with a lot more windows all round, and were oriented to do the best with the prevailing breezes. Those with electricity used big central attic fans.

People took time off during the heat of the day, folks didn't spend as much time in the house, and spent a lot more out on the porch in the evenings.. There was no TV then either ya know.

Personally I've lived through a lot hotter summers here than this one, but the lack of rain in central Tx this year is a bit over the top..


----------



## wogglebug (May 22, 2004)

I've already talked about light-coloured roofs, insulation, midday siestas, fans.
Others have mentioned high ceilings, and high windows. 
Those high windows are worth another mention. Raise the bottom one, lower the top one. and you've got a good arrangement to ease airflow, with the hot air at the top escaping, and cooler air at the bottom coming in. That is particularly so if you've got shade trees or vine-covered trellises outside.

People have got out of the habit of thinking about thermal mass, as well.
Today most people think insulation. Well, insulation is good, but it's not everything. Double-brick walls got cool at night, and only heated slowly during the day.
The opposite was true in winter - they'd absorb heat during the day, and slowly release it at night.
Take a look at old public buildings - banks, local government offices, libraries.
They'd be brick, high ceilings, tall windows. There was also likely to be a tower. That was functional, not just decorative. The tower heated in the sun; the air in it rose and vented out the top. It also caught any slight breeze that blew by, sucking air out. As it did, it created airflow below, sucking out the hot air near the ceilings, and drawing in (relatively) cooler air from the open windows away from the sun (the sun-side windows were closed and blinds drawn).

People talked about natural fabrics as well. Well, there's truth in that. Wool is an insulator, and won't feel clammy if it gets damp with sweat. Cotton is even better. You may have heard people say, of clothes in winter, "cotton kills". Well, that's because it does such an efficient job of soaking up moisture, then letting it evaporate. Bad news sub-zero, but a good thing in hot weather. Hot weather, light (colour and weight) long sleeved cotton shirt is good. Keeps the sun off, let's sweat cool you but evaporates quickly. Inside out of the sun, you can roll the sleeves up. Leg coverings vary: long pants out when the sun is beating down, shorts inside or when there's a breeze. And always a good head covering: broad-brimmed hats are best, preferably straw for ventilation if you're not going to need waterproof. A French-foreign-legion style kepi (cap) with cloth hanging down back and sides also works, doesn't allow quite the cooling air circulation, but stays on better in wind gusts.

And again, as others have said, use water. Drink lots, and also just wipe your skin with a damp wash-cloth.

And again, have a siesta - a midday nap. Have a light meal, drink some cool water, lie down somewhere there's good ventilation, maybe a breeze, and flake out for a couple of hours. My father was a farmer. He worked hard in conditions that would have today's people on strike. However, he knew how to pace himself. When he could, he'd be home for the middle of the day. If he was out harvesting in the worst of midsummer, he'd still take a midday nap in the truck cabin (away from the ants and snakes). Often my mother would go down to spell him then, running the tractor and combine-harvester for just an hour or two in the worst of the day, after he'd been going for about six hours with another nine to go when he started again. Later, I took on that midday shift for them. I guess that's another tip - pace yourself, don't push yourself. You can do a lot if you avoid the worst conditions, or you can endure the worst for a little while, but you can't do it all, all the time. Heat exhaustion is insidious - it creeps up on you if you don't know how to avoid it, and you won't recognise it's coming on unless you are VERY experienced.

And I cannot over-emphasise the value of a fan. You don't need much power, but a little is a blessing. A very small solar panel can charge a 12Volt battery, and that can run a small fan, power a few LEDs at night, and run a small ex-RV frig.


----------



## Buffy in Dallas (May 10, 2002)

wvstuck said:


> We actually looked at this very system when we moved to our BOL. The problem was this gy's math is seriously flawed. The pipe to install the system was listed on his site as costing around $300, but when we priced it we found the actual price to be a little over $2000 for 90 ten foot joints of pipe. He thinks they are $3 a piece and most retailers need about $20 a joint to sell. Everything was flawed from the get go. This has been a little over a year ago but we found blogs and forum posts here and there where people had installed these systems at cabins and such over the years. The pipes grew mold and mildew over a year or more and caused a lot of problems. We have been looking for a way to make it practical but have so far come up short.


Well Darn!  Thanks for letting me know before I lost my shirt!
I guess I'll stick with my methane powered A/C plan.


----------



## wvstuck (Sep 19, 2008)

Buffy in Dallas said:


> Well Darn!  Thanks for letting me know before I lost my shirt!
> I guess I'll stick with my methane powered A/C plan.



I don't know as I'd give up yet... The principle is solid and so are the scientific ideas... I'm hoping there are resources I haven't found yet where someone has made this work. It would be the best thing since pockets on a T-Shirt if it would work well.

Please tell me more about your methane system. My cows produce methane and that fuel is never in short supply


----------



## Spinner (Jul 19, 2003)

Yes, prices have skyrocketed since the site was posted a few years ago. 

I have a friend who put in a system like this and has been using it for 3 years. They've had no problem with mold or mildew. They are in southern OK, in the mountains, on a river bank. That might make a difference.

When he first installed it he had problems caused by circulating the air to fast. When he slowed down the fans to make the air barely move instead of blowing, the system started working good. He discovered that the secret to the system is for the air to circulate very slowly.

I hope you find a way to make it work.



wvstuck said:


> We actually looked at this very system when we moved to our BOL. The problem was this gy's math is seriously flawed. The pipe to install the system was listed on his site as costing around $300, but when we priced it we found the actual price to be a little over $2000 for 90 ten foot joints of pipe. He thinks they are $3 a piece and most retailers need about $20 a joint to sell. Everything was flawed from the get go. This has been a little over a year ago but we found blogs and forum posts here and there where people had installed these systems at cabins and such over the years. The pipes grew mold and mildew over a year or more and caused a lot of problems. We have been looking for a way to make it practical but have so far come up short.
> 
> The other problem we had here is we have high humidty in the summer months and this system does nothing to remove humidty. A regular A/C unit removes the humidty and drips it on the ground outside. Without removing humidty the art of sweating is still the standard fashion statement. When I lived in Greely Colorado there was little to no humidty and swamp coolers worked better than A/C units... Which was just a process of pulling air through a water saturated filter.
> 
> ...


----------



## Txrider (Jun 25, 2010)

Spinner said:


> Yes, prices have skyrocketed since the site was posted a few years ago.
> 
> I have a friend who put in a system like this and has been using it for 3 years. They've had no problem with mold or mildew. They are in southern OK, in the mountains, on a river bank. That might make a difference.
> 
> ...


Personally I was thinking more like 900ft of 1-2" poly pipe buried as deep as I could trench and filled with water and just pumping that water through a couple of stacked aluminum car radiators back to back with a fan blowing through them.


----------



## Calico Katie (Sep 12, 2003)

Just found this thread and it's an interesting read. I'm in the TX panhandle and the temps have been breathtaking this year. After a long roll of 106 degree highs, we finally topped out at 111 degrees. Right now it's cooled down to a refreshing 97. Lived here all of my life except for a few wild and crazy years in my 20s. I think there is more humidity here now than when I was a kid, I think that has something to do with all the irrigating. The higher humidity also makes it feel hotter than when I was a kid. Like others have said, keep the curtains closed against the sun and wet dishcloths in front of a fan help. 

Having shade over a window is all important. If you don't have a tree, make a trellis and grow a vine of some kind over it. Put a box fan in a window that is kept shaded and open a window on the other side of the room/house enough to get a draft going. With any kind of breeze at all you don't need electricity. The draft will turn the blades like a pinwheel. You want a nice slow to medium spin, not too fast. But when it's 111, even that may not work if you're just pulling in hot air. 

Keep some watermelon in your frig and snack on it through the hottest part of the day. It is more thirst quenching than water and revives your body. If the power goes out, put a melon in a tub of water in the shade. That's what we did in my 1950s childhood. 

Another thing that I've noticed in the FWIW department, houses that I've lived in that faced east or west are always much hotter and harder to cool than houses facing north or south. No idea why unless it's that most of the windows will also be facing east and west. So, if you're going to build or buy a house, you might want to consider that.

I keep hoping we'll finally start getting some rain.


----------



## Txrider (Jun 25, 2010)

wvstuck said:


> To be brutally honest John....
> 
> If you don't condition yourself to the heat, you won't survive in the heat... That is the point blank truth, you can research outside of this forum for experts and medical personnel that train people for the heat and you will find that the honest truth is... Conditioning.


That's what I have always found.. Working outside in south Texas most of my life every spring I had to get reconditioned for the heat as summer came on and the temps hit 100 with 80-90% humidity.

You also learn your limits as far as heat goes, how to pace yourself, and at least as far as I have always been concerned tons of water both drinking it and dousing myself off as in holding hose over my head for a a few minutes or jumping in some water every so often.

In the worst of it you do what the mexicans do, work at dawn till it gets too hot, siesta through the hottest part of the day, and work till dusk when it cools back down a bit.


----------



## mightybooboo (Feb 10, 2004)

Sheesh,weve only had a few days here so far that have beat 77F.Chilly year,late late summer.....

I worked on a small farm as a kid once,we did morning and late afternoon schedule too to beat the heat.


----------



## Mark Twain (Mar 29, 2010)

My wife has lived all her life in Colorado so when I took her back to the farm in Missouri she wasn't too thrilled about diving into a stock tank that we fill from the spring. 
After a day of working in 95 degree heat she jumped right in that tank even though the water was still only about 60 degrees.
My plan is to run that cold spring water through a old Honda Civic radiator and fan in the trailer before using it outside to water the garden. I don't know if I can completely replace the AC but it should help cool it off somewhat and as dry as it is I need the water anyway.


----------



## GoldenCityMuse (Apr 15, 2009)

Thermal mass is your friend in the heat.
Dugout homes, earth bermed walls, and all that go with it help. A wide overhang on the windows keeps the sun out of the windows. If you calculate your latitude, you can make the overhang just right so that in Dec-Feb, the sun will shine in to provide heat, but as the sun moves more overhead, it then is shaded out.

A cold spring would be useful to use as a heat sink in summer. However, i twill tak ea LOT of water to cool the house down.


----------

