Airconditioning

[Edwin]

The heat does not bother me like it does many people. When I was in high school my Dad who was a motor mechanic as well as farmer and rancher rigged up a car radiator with a garden hose to work much like a swamp cooler. We were thrilled to hook it up and enjoy the cool air coming from it, and we were proud of our Dad for thinking of such a bright idea. My Dad was very intelligent, and and inventor who had some of his inventions stolen, and marketed, which could have make him rich, but that's an old story, right? We lived in 3 housed in our married life, 4 including this one, or 5, actually more than that; we moved a lot! Anyway we didn't have airconditioning very often in any of them as I didn't feel the need. When we worked and lived in the National Park, an employee gave me an airconditioner when he was moving out of the valley. I hooked it up here, but the vibration caused it to fall out of the window, and it still worked, but it make a terrible sound running, as the fall brought on a new vibration. So I put it in one of our storage places, then when our youngest daughter moved into our house in the valley I have it to her as it gets much hotter there than it does here because of our elevation here of 2800 feet above sea level. We used fans until most of them quit working, and Carol complained so much about being hot, that my sister gave us 2 large airconditioners. I was mad at her thinking she ponded her garbage onto us, and I spent a few days really upset that she had given them to us, because I was thinking they were junkers, and then I don't care about airconditioning anyway, as I don't mind feeling hot! Well, now I have hooked both of them up, and they work beautifully, so I am sorry for being mad at my sister! The one in Carol's room will not keep running because we have too much on that electrical breaker, but the one in my room keeps right on working because I have it plugged into an outlet in the bathroom which is not overloaded. I have a fan driving air out into the living room, but it is still hot out there, but my room feels almost cold. I found an outlet near Carol's bedroom that is not overloaded, so I will get an extention chord, and her airconditioner should keep running, which will drive up our electric bill, but it will make Carol very happy, which is a good trade off! I'm sure she will think that way anyway!

[Edwin]

After we had worked for the resort and lived in the National Park for 8 years another family took over the concession. Before that the only cooling was with fans in every room, and one electrical airconditioner in the kitchen, dining room/restuarant dining area. It was my job to wrap that airconditioner with plastic at the beginning of each winter, which I did 8 times, but not after the other family took over. These people who took over put several swamp coolers, huge ones, in that did a pretty fair job of cooling the place. We never could use swamp coolers in any of our homes as our youngest daughter had terrible allergy problems from the time she was born, so no swamp coolers. If they don't affect your health they are actually very effective, although some people don't like them because they do raise the humidity in the house, which is not a bad thing unless you have allergies. It is good for the wood in the pianos, the sound board if you keep your house moist. If not the wood shrinks and the tuning pegs become lose making it impossible for the piano to hold its tune/pitch. I keep a quart jar of water in both pianos, so that the water will evaporate, and keep the moisture content in the wood at an acceptable level. Many people do not understand that, and I didn't until a piano tuner clued me in on that. We have talked here about the cooling effect of mistifiers. One of our kids who lived with their family in one of our homes for a while put up mist tube over head on the ceiling outside on a patio. Then they would turn them on, and sit underneath them, enjoying the mist that would float down on them! That is always a nice solution if you have a place where that will work. I notice in a store that we were in a few days ago, that they have a curved garden hose that will sit upright, that you can attach a hose to and sit in front of it, while it blows mist at you!

[Edwin]

Earlier I had my hershey chocolate bars start melting here in my bedroom, so I put them in the fridge. They melted and reformed doing away with the grooves that allow them to break easily, so they didn't break predictably after that. I didn't like to eat them out of the fridge because they would not melt in my mouth, but seemed like they were dry, so I took all of them out of the fridge. Now they are on the verge of melting again, but I am going to leave them anyway, because they taste so good all melted and chewy, getting the melting chocolate all over in you mouth, and they do wonderful things for your taste buds! Wow, anyone for some chocolate?

[Edwin]

It was almost sad because Carol's airconditioner would not run without poping the electrical breaker, so she couldn't have any cooling in her room! My airconditioner worked fine as my bathroom where I have it pugged in is on a separate breaker, so I had cooling in my bedroom, and her room was so hot that she has been having to sleep out in the living room in her lazy boy chair with the fan blowing air on her from the outside. So we have been running the airconditioner during the day in my bedroom then blowing it with a fan out into the living room. I wouldn't even care about cooling, but Carol wants it badly. When we were down town we got an extention chord so we could connect her airconditioner to an outlet in the hallway that is on a separate breaker, and last night she ran it all night long, and it didn't kick the electrical breaker off, so that is nice for her. I didn't run my airconditioner at all last night was the outside air was cool enough for me with a gentle wind keeping the cooler air moving through the house. I am using a 12 gage wire extention chord because the airconditioners draw a quite a bit of electricity, and I didn't want a problem because I was using too light of an electrical wire. It is better to have heavier wire and avoid having a problem. I also have the same kind of extention chord for the sump pump in the basement. It is probably overkill, but safer to have a chord that will carry enough electricity!

[jadegil6]

I opened my electric bill today, and I was shocked to see that the bill is so high. It has been super hot here over the past several months, and 15 of the past 17 days have been over 100 degrees (38+ C). Our water is included in the bill, and the city charges more for wastewater than for water. I just planted a lot of decorative plants along one side of my house, and I have to keep the plants watered, or else they will die. We are in a severe drought here for the past 3 years, and we don't get much rain to help the plants. So much of my wastewater is actually water that goes to watering all of the plants around my house instead of water that goes down a drain. Doesn't change the reality that I have to pay for it though.

[wayne208]

Jadegil6 .. I also Live in California and We have too many forest Fires to even think about . As soon as One gets under control another One starts or so It Seem . Edwin Sorry to hear about Your Dad getting Ripped off on His Invention , Your Dad sounds Very Smart to hook something Like that Up . Have a Good day All and Try to stay Cool

[purex]

It has been very warm during the day, and it rains during the afternoon. This is not good for those who has low immune system. I got cold, cough and fever lately and it is getting worst. Hmmmm. So sad.

[cheryz]

I opened my electric bill today, and I was shocked to see that the bill is so high. It has been super hot here over the past several months, and 15 of the past 17 days have been over 100 degrees (38+ C). Our water is included in the bill, and the city charges more for wastewater than for water. I just planted a lot of decorative plants along one side of my house, and I have to keep the plants watered, or else they will die. We are in a severe drought here for the past 3 years, and we don't get much rain to help the plants. So much of my wastewater is actually water that goes to watering all of the plants around my house instead of water that goes down a drain. Doesn't change the reality that I have to pay for it though.

lets hope and pray for the rain in your place sir michael.. when summer here the electric bill is very high due to used more electric material used like electric fan and aircon.
i read some people used solar energy but maybe its too expensive if your house is solar power?.

[jadegil6]

Although solar power is getting cheaper, it still is very expensive, and it takes a major investment to buy and install it. Those who do this hope to recover their investment over time by saving money on their electric power bill. It usually takes many years to do that. I personally don't have the money to invest in solar, plus I am relocating to the Philippines next Spring, so I won't own a house after the end of this year. No house means no need for solar Maybe I can get some for my Nipa Hut!

[Chas]

Although solar power is getting cheaper, it still is very expensive, and it takes a major investment to buy and install it. Those who do this hope to recover their investment over time by saving money on their electric power bill. It usually takes many years to do that. I personally don't have the money to invest in solar, plus I am relocating to the Philippines next Spring, so I won't own a house after the end of this year. No house means no need for solar Maybe I can get some for my Nipa Hut!

I have had a 3kW grid tied installation on the roof of my house in the UK for nearly three years now. With Government payments I get about $2000 a year for the electricity generated. Only the Government payments make it economic.

Since my installation the cost of solar panels has halved and new technology is making them more efficient. I would definitely have them on a house in the Philippines with deep cycle batteries to give power during brownouts. Even if only for a few lights, mobile phone charging and a flat screen TV. Even CDR King now sells a variety of solar power 'packs' to DIY install on the roof.

I would also be interested in having solar power in the Philippines to reduce the cost of running an air conditioner during the day.

Glad to hear you are finally able to retire and move to the Philippines, enjoy relaxing in your 'Nipa Hut'