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Posted: 5/19/2022 6:37:23 PM EDT
With summer soon upon us and all the talk about potential blackouts/brownouts in places like TX and IN, I thought it might be a good time to discuss how people are planning on staying cool.
Normally we seem to lose power in the winter months so cooling isn't a big concern. We're fortunate enough to have a screened porch that has worked for our needs in the past. Even with just a mild breeze it's still significantly better sleeping there than in the house. I'd like to find a way to rotate our existing ceiling fans w/o power. In my mind I have this idea to mount a battery powered motor with maybe an RC plane prop to a fan blade and use that to rotate the ceiling fan. I'm not sure if that is a sound idea or not though. Long term, I have enough ropes, pulleys, and spare odds n ends to rig up a rudimentary punkah like out of colonial India:  Vintage "Panka Fan", Matara Rest House - Sri Lanka |
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Posted: 5/19/2022 7:00:29 PM EDT
[#1]
You might look into some of the cordless usb rechargeable portable fans. Some are good sized and run quite awhile on a charge. Could recharge them using solar panels. I have two table models and a pedestal model that I bought for camping and emergencies. Work great!
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Posted: 5/19/2022 7:03:01 PM EDT
[#2]
Great grandparents trick
Put a little water in your bathtub Roll around in it Sit in the shade while it evaporates People would sleep outside on the porch in the past. |
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Posted: 5/19/2022 7:15:12 PM EDT
[#3]
Basement stays cool.
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Posted: 5/19/2022 8:26:36 PM EDT
[#4]
I used a Coleman single D cell tent fan motor with a collet style propeller adapter to attach a model aircraft propeller as you suggested after the 2004 nine day power outage...I attached it to the ceiling fan blade with a simple nylon adjustable strap about 2/3 the way out ...propeller blade slightly oriented downward gives extra cooling breeze with each rotation.. a counter balance on the opposite blade is attached with a small C clamp... I get 9+ hours on a new D cell, and about 6 on a 2xAA Eneloop pack
the ceiling propeller was envisioned after a couple of nights of using the small foam bladed tent fan that magnetically attached to the ceiling fan, and noticed it produced a slight rotation of the fan...friends flying RC planes supplied the parts.... by hurricane Irma a couple of years ago, I had purchased a Ridgid contractor fan, several batteries, and had added a 2200W quiet inverter generator that I plumbed for a remote fuel tank... as a courtesy to the neighbors, I run the gen set to charge the batteries and and shut it off at 11PM I transfer normal activities to a non attached garage the faces east... open the overhead door by hand, and cook and spend the hot parts of the day there.... citronella tiki torch oil in an old Kmart Dietz lantern keeps the bugs away if there is not much breeze... my Florida summer attire is typically nylon shorts and poly or nylon shirt (no cotton) |
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Posted: 5/19/2022 8:28:35 PM EDT
[#5]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Great grandparents trick Put a little water in your bathtub Roll around in it Sit in the shade while it evaporates People would sleep outside on the porch in the past. Before homes had a/c, they were designed and built a lot different than they are today. High ceilings, long hallways, transoms over the doorways, and sleeping porches. Today's homes are not designed for no a/c, unfortunately. My father's office was a residential home built about a century ago and it has all of the features that allow lots of air flow. Taking a cold shower before bed definitely helps a lot. I had to do that when I lived overseas and there was no a/c. And it was pretty hot. |
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Posted: 5/19/2022 8:56:19 PM EDT
[#6]
Live in the basement. I don't think my basement ever goes past the high 60's all summer long no matter the temps.
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Posted: 5/19/2022 10:06:20 PM EDT
[#7]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Before homes had a/c, they were designed and built a lot different than they are today. High ceilings, long hallways, transoms over the doorways, and sleeping porches. Today's homes are not designed for no a/c, unfortunately. My father's office was a residential home built about a century ago and it has all of the features that allow lots of air flow. Taking a cold shower before bed definitely helps a lot. I had to do that when I lived overseas and there was no a/c. And it was pretty hot. Yep. I just broke down and turned on the air this week, I hate running it. We rarely turn it on less than 78-79. We can't run our AC off the grid so a grid down summer would suck. The south facing windows you need for passive solar heating work against you this time of year. Wife found some curtains that don't look stupid but that keep a ton of the heat out. We have ceiling fans in every room and a pretty big hill right behind the house. If you open the windows on that side in the morning you can drop the temp in the house sometimes 5 degrees or more in warm weather. Once the sun gets up a little bit we close the house up, pull the curtains closed and the house warms up, but not unreasonably. You can learn to live with/in the heat. I would rather have to deal with very hot summer than freezing cold winters. In the hot summers you plan your work around the heat, take siestas in the worst of the afternoon and finish projects after 5 or 6pm if need be. Take that cool shower right before bed and after you've let the house cool down a lot. Good overhangs help, the old Southern style porches seem to do really good as well. |
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Posted: 5/19/2022 10:42:44 PM EDT
[#8]
Milwaukee M18 job site fans with lots of batteries / solar recharge kit.
The EcoFlow Wave Portable Air Conditioner although expensive might be an option with their battery kit. Air Conditioner |
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Posted: 5/20/2022 1:04:51 AM EDT
[#9]
Get a couple fans that run off whatever tool battery system you have and get a 100W solar kit from Harbor Freight or Renogy with a deep cycle battery. Will keep your fans and small devices going indefinitely.
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Posted: 5/20/2022 5:25:38 AM EDT
[#10]
I enjoy hot weather sometimes and when the wife isn’t around I’ll turn the ac off anyway. When I get a little too hot I get some pop ice. You know the long sticks of frozen koolaid things. Hold it in your hands for a while then put it on the back of your neck until it’s slushy then open and eat it. You’ll cool off fast. You’ll need a freezer for them but a small DC fridge freezer runs around 40AHs per day at 12v so a 100ah battery will get you a couple days and a 100w solar panel will keep it going.
Of course, if your pop ice supply dries up… I but they’re like ten cents a piece or something |
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Posted: 5/20/2022 7:39:11 AM EDT
[#11]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Yep. I just broke down and turned on the air this week, I hate running it. We rarely turn it on less than 78-79. We can't run our AC off the grid so a grid down summer would suck. The south facing windows you need for passive solar heating work against you this time of year. Wife found some curtains that don't look stupid but that keep a ton of the heat out. We have ceiling fans in every room and a pretty big hill right behind the house. If you open the windows on that side in the morning you can drop the temp in the house sometimes 5 degrees or more in warm weather. Once the sun gets up a little bit we close the house up, pull the curtains closed and the house warms up, but not unreasonably. You can learn to live with/in the heat. I would rather have to deal with very hot summer than freezing cold winters. In the hot summers you plan your work around the heat, take siestas in the worst of the afternoon and finish projects after 5 or 6pm if need be. Take that cool shower right before bed and after you've let the house cool down a lot. Good overhangs help, the old Southern style porches seem to do really good as well. We've had some long power outages here after hurricanes, typically towards the end of the summer when it's extremely hot and humid. You can deal with it, but it's very uncomfortable. After the last long outage, after the '16 flood, I finally said enough and bought my first generator. I've since picked up several inverters as well. They got their first big test during the five day outage after Ida last year. The inverters really were a game changer. We could power the fridges, TV, fans, internet equipment, and most importantly, window a/c units. The ability to sleep in a cool room was beyond wonderful. As long as you have enough fuel on hand, generators make a huge difference. |
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Posted: 5/20/2022 8:13:42 AM EDT
[#12]
I have a generator and fuel on hand to cover at least a week of AC, the fridge and freezer.
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Posted: 5/20/2022 8:17:24 AM EDT
[#13]
Old cooler + Computer case fan (that cab run off a battery) + dry ice.
Easy to make a home made A/C unit. |
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Posted: 5/20/2022 8:24:03 AM EDT
[#14]
Sickening how the USA is becoming a 3rd world shithole with long power outages where Americans have to suffer. All because many vote for commie scum.
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Posted: 5/20/2022 8:52:54 AM EDT
[#15]
window/portable AC unit and inverter generator
battery powered fans, based on the tools you own already. I need a solar charger. you can do a swamp cooler if you are in low humidity. also hold something cold to your wrists, cools the blood a bit that passes by and less fat to get through |
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Posted: 5/20/2022 8:56:22 AM EDT
[#16]
Pool of some type. That was our goto in the summer. Everyone swam. If you dont want to bother with full pool, do a search for '275 IBC pool'. People turn them into hot tubs and soaking pools. Cut the top off, plumb it, insulate it, add a pump, dress it up, build some steps to go up, and a seat to go in it, keep it shaded to keep it cool, and screened for some privacy. Low enough volume you can cool it off from the tap or a well if it gets too warm.
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Posted: 5/20/2022 10:36:46 AM EDT
[#17]
Misters work really well too
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Posted: 5/20/2022 4:15:31 PM EDT
[#18]
the use of a small inverter generator, especially if converted to run off an external long run fuel tank offers a lot of possibilities, and is in retrospect the best addition I've made to my hurricane supplies... I can pull from a 5 gal fuel can with a squeeze bulb primed fuel line that that is plumbed to a fitting between the fuel shut off and the fuel pump... this gives me options, of using the internal fuel tank with the external fitting plugged, or external long run tank with the fuel valve in the off position
it easily runs my computer, refrigerator, ceiling fan, and charges my batteries... a lesson learned was to incorporate a power strip so all the chargers can be run off the same outlet if necessary... and runs a neighbor's portable AC unit without any audible engine load when the compressor starts |
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Posted: 5/20/2022 4:19:01 PM EDT
[#19]
Swim in a lake…
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Posted: 5/20/2022 4:45:06 PM EDT
[#20]
Ductless split. Generator. Transfer switch.
I am doing this. I just need to measure the room and figure out how many BTU that I need. I have had a few outages, a power pole sheared and shorted a generator due to termites. A microburst took out the entire street of power poles. And then my POS AC unit has failed several times on the hottest day of the year, and I have no doubt it will fail again. I need the backup AC more than the generator, but may as well have both. |
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Posted: 5/20/2022 7:07:40 PM EDT
[#21]
Go fishin.''
I have my choice of about 30 lakes to go to and if I ''Whoops, fell overboard,'' who gives a dang? |
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Posted: 5/20/2022 8:07:55 PM EDT
[#22]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Basement stays cool. This. Mine stays at 60 all summer. |
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Posted: 5/21/2022 12:09:47 AM EDT
[#23]
Does anyone have suggestions on very efficient fans?
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Posted: 5/21/2022 12:18:37 AM EDT
[#24]
I have since upgraded to a generator twice this size. It runs the whole house, including central air. The last storm we were without electricity for about 8 days. It’s nice to have hot showers, hot food and cold AC.
 It rained a wee bit. 
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Posted: 5/21/2022 1:29:49 PM EDT
[#25]
Quote HistoryQuoted: We've had some long power outages here after hurricanes, typically towards the end of the summer when it's extremely hot and humid. You can deal with it, but it's very uncomfortable. After the last long outage, after the '16 flood, I finally said enough and bought my first generator. We had a four day outage after an unexpectedly bad thunderstorm/derecho about 10 years ago. The generator was a godsend since daytime temps topped 100*F all four days. While we didn't have a window A/C it was enough for the refrigerator, chest freezer, and some fans. Some notes: We slept/rested during the hottest part of the day, in front of a box fan. We did the physical chores and cooking (grilling) at night using LED headlamps or flashlights, or in the morning if the task required more light than that. We didn't lose any food and having cold drinks available at all times helped immensely. Most of our neighbors gave up and went to hotels on the second day. Pack the refrigerator and freezer as full as you can, even just with bottles of water, so they run more efficiently. Also don't open them unless 100% needed. We washed clothing by hand in the bathtub and used a drying rack in a sunny spot on the back porch. If you run a generator someone needs to be awake 24/7 to guard it so it doesn't walk away. Unlike after a hurricane or ice storm, the power outage wasn't widespread so resupply of food and gasoline was a ten minute drive away. |
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Posted: 5/22/2022 12:51:00 AM EDT
[#26]
It gets to 58-62 every night in late June/July/August here at 3500’. I’ll just open windows like i did last summer (first summer here).
No but seriously, we only need AC for a few hot hours a day and even then, it wouldn’t be a huge burden to do without it. We have several portable AC units set up around the house in summer and it works pretty well to keep even the 2nd level <80 degrees. As soon as the sun starts to drop it starts to cool off and windows get opened. |
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Posted: 5/22/2022 9:57:07 AM EDT
[#27]
Living in the land of bird sized mosquitoes and humidity I gotta come up with a better truck than evaporative cooling
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Posted: 5/22/2022 7:11:44 PM EDT
[#28]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I enjoy hot weather sometimes and when the wife isn’t around I’ll turn the ac off anyway. When I get a little too hot I get some pop ice. You know the long sticks of frozen koolaid things. Hold it in your hands for a while then put it on the back of your neck until it’s slushy then open and eat it. You’ll cool off fast. You’ll need a freezer for them but a small DC fridge freezer runs around 40AHs per day at 12v so a 100ah battery will get you a couple days and a 100w solar panel will keep it going. Of course, if your pop ice supply dries up… I but they’re like ten cents a piece or something Next time out it on the back of your knees and wrists. Works really well. |
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Posted: 5/22/2022 7:37:00 PM EDT
[#29]
Quote HistoryQuoted: ...Taking a cold shower before bed definitely helps a lot... Doesn't work so well here in the desert southwest. Summer sun heats the ground so much the water comes out nearly boiling! |
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Posted: 5/22/2022 8:18:18 PM EDT
[#30]
When I lived in the city we bought a home with a thick group of trees in the backyard. The neighbors also had a few large trees that added to ours forming a nice cool spot in the summer heat. It was always 10 degrees cooler out back under the canopy. Eventually the neighbors decided to cut their trees and the thermal island sank.
Lowering your elevation down into the bottom of a valley you'll find it cooler. Also if you can gain several hundred feet in elevation you can lose a few degree per 1000 feet in elevation. If you have only a wee bit of power a whole-house fan, properly installed, is excellent if your location donesn't suffer a humid evening. |
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Posted: 5/24/2022 4:56:20 AM EDT
[#31]
Not using my gens. The plan is.
Open all window's. Open front door ( heavy duty storm door is on it ). If my large front porch was screened...I'd hang hammocks. No screen means being sucked dry. Come July/sept it'll be 80f all night and 100% humidity. Lucky for me my home is older..so lots of north south facing windows and slider doors. But shitty insulation. So it can level with outside Temps pretty decent if we Open it up. |
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Posted: 5/24/2022 10:41:29 PM EDT
[#32]
In googling "Ceiling Fan Power Consumption", I was surprised at how little power they actually consume - well under 5 watts on the lowest speed setting, on average.
Biggest obstacles to using one on battery power during a blackout would be (1.) bypassing the fan's existing connection to residential AC wiring, and (2.) finding a pure sine wave inverter that was reasonably efficient when powering a tiny 5 watt load. (IME, ceiling fan motors are not well-suited to operation on cheap "modified sine wave power".) |
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Posted: 5/24/2022 10:49:01 PM EDT
[#33]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Doesn't work so well here in the desert southwest. Summer sun heats the ground so much the water comes out nearly boiling! Water line is buried in the ground where it freezes so that helps. Why people in Arizona don’t all have basements baffles me. |
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Posted: 5/25/2022 11:24:59 AM EDT
[#34]
I remember being a kid in the early 70's in Western OK, all we had was a water cooler in the living room. We had box window fans in every room and depending on the time of day or weather, we had them either blowing into the room or turned around sucking air out.
We have gotten soft and I am first to admit it. |
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Posted: 5/25/2022 1:22:16 PM EDT
[#35]
Luckily nights still cool down pretty well for us so I open the windows and run a fan or two. My only AC unit is a small one we use in our bedroom during the peak of summer.
With that being said we have already seen some 90+ days in a row which is very abnormal for the month of May in our AO. I can deal with 80~85 degree temps in the house but once it tips 90 and humid I like to run AC in the bedroom for sleeping purposes. In a grid down situation our basement rarely goes above 70 even when we have long weeks of 90+ so we could just use some cots and sleep down there. Its normal temp is less than 60 which requires bundling up if your going to spend any time down there. On the flip side during winter we heat with a woodstove in our basement so the temps down there in the winter are always 80+. With all that said I would never bother trying to run even our small AC unit on generator power because our basement stays so cool. |
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Posted: 6/12/2022 5:02:21 PM EDT
[#36]
We got these when we went out west last summer and they work very well for cheap.
[4 Pack] Cooling Towel (40"x12"), Ice Towel, Soft Breathable Chilly Towel , Microfiber Towel for Yoga, Sport, Running, Gym, Workout ,Camping, Fitness, Workout & More Activities https://a.co/d/6kpAuQm |
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Posted: 6/12/2022 5:17:37 PM EDT
[#37]
Inverter generators and 3 windows unit and 1 portable AC is my summer extended outage plan. For no gas situation, 4- 8D batteries and various inverters and charge via inverter generators. I need to get a basic solar setup.
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Posted: 6/12/2022 10:08:41 PM EDT
[#38]
A few O2 cool fans can run on D cell batteries…….USB powered fans bought some off Amazon and they are AMAZING, can be charged by solar, wall, power bricks etc.
(2) propane/gas inverter gennys 3000 watts each will run in parallel…..(3) midea 5000 watt btu window units light and efficient, draw a little over 4 amps to run. $140 each. Keep them boxes and in attic ready to go. That AC from ecoflow looks awesome. |
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Posted: 6/13/2022 12:35:41 AM EDT
[#39]
Quoted: With summer soon upon us and all the talk about potential blackouts/brownouts in places like TX and IN, I thought it might be a good time to discuss how people are planning on staying cool. Normally we seem to lose power in the winter months so cooling isn't a big concern. We're fortunate enough to have a screened porch that has worked for our needs in the past. Even with just a mild breeze it's still significantly better sleeping there than in the house. I'd like to find a way to rotate our existing ceiling fans w/o power. In my mind I have this idea to mount a battery powered motor with maybe an RC plane prop to a fan blade and use that to rotate the ceiling fan. I'm not sure if that is a sound idea or not though. Long term, I have enough ropes, pulleys, and spare odds n ends to rig up a rudimentary punkah like out of colonial India:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oVWnTwRkogGot a basement? |
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Posted: 6/13/2022 8:15:08 AM EDT
[#40]
Quote HistoryQuoted: A few O2 cool fans can run on D cell batteries…….USB powered fans bought some off Amazon and they are AMAZING, can be charged by solar, wall, power bricks etc. (2) propane/gas inverter gennys 3000 watts each will run in parallel…..(3) midea 5000 watt btu window units light and efficient, draw a little over 4 amps to run. $140 each. Keep them boxes and in attic ready to go. That AC from ecoflow looks awesome. @Vdab890 got a link to the ones you use?^^ |
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Posted: 6/13/2022 1:46:51 PM EDT
[#41]
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Posted: 6/13/2022 3:34:12 PM EDT
[#42]
Another option to consider…..you can get a semi truck AC unit that runs on 12v DC. Typical size is 10k btu. You will need to have a way to charge the batteries because the draw is pretty high. Set up properly, it would easily cool a single room. It’s a permanent install so that solution won’t work for everyone.
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Posted: 6/13/2022 11:06:05 PM EDT
[#43]
Zone cooling is an option. My plan is to use a window AC in the master bedroom and run it with a Honda EU2000i inverter, quiet type generator. One gallon of gas runs the AC for about 6 hours, even longer at nighttime.
Second option is to sleep in my travel trailer. I installed a MicroAir soft start board on the 13k BTU roof AC. Now the HOnda generator can run and start it in Eco mode. The trailer is also equipped with 400watts solar and LIthium batteries. There is a large, powerful roof fan in the trailer. It can keep the interior relatively cool at night. |
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Posted: 6/14/2022 8:54:56 AM EDT
[#44]
had a dry run yesterday.... 105* here in Ga and humid as fuck. Power surge in the morning blew up the AC breaker box and capacitors. My wife didn't notice until I got home at 4 and the house had crept up to 80. Fired up the portable AC and tried to keep the 3 and 6 year olds cool and entertained in the living room. Fucking shit show. Hot house, took forever to cool the room down, the kids jumping around made it hotter. They kept opening the door to the room for whatever fucking reason despite yelling and trying to lock them, letting all the cool air out. Coupled with the fact that it was the hottest part of the day and I was tired from work, it was miserable.
Not sure I want to prep and survive anything much worse anymore  The electrician was able to fix it by about 9pm, so the house started to cool down, but it made for an absolutely miserable night all around. Even the whisky on ice didn't help. Also I'm now $604 farther from night vision cause I learned young I'm just good enough with electricity to get hurt and triple the price of repairs. |
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Posted: 6/15/2022 8:48:17 AM EDT
[#45]
Summer heat waves make me wonder how people back in the day got through things.
I know they slept outside on porches (if you had one) - but screen material was a game changer. I imagine this is what kept so many people from living in the south - mosquitoes and oppressive heat. It is not quite this bad ALL of the summer, but there is always a week or two where your sweat doesn't evaporate and feels like you are inhaling an oven. An outdoor living space, screened in, is on my list of preps to do - so many useful in every day but also when the grid goes down. My wife grew up having a summer kitchen - the old ways seem very practical. |
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Posted: 6/15/2022 9:11:42 AM EDT
[#46]
^Homes were designed for summertime comfort - High ceilings, plenty of openable windows, breezeways, located for minimal sun exposure...
As soon as electricity became available, many homes had whole-house attic fans to draw in cool air at night. Nowadays, they just design whatever is currently trendy, and put in whatever size air conditioner will handle the heat load. |
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Posted: 6/15/2022 2:04:00 PM EDT
[#47]
comment on hot weather clothing... I'd suggest nylon fishing shorts, moisture wicking (quick evaporating) polypropylene tee or caped back flats nylon fishing shirt... I use long sleeved if I plan on being in the sun, and short sleeved if I'm likely to be under cover... wide brimmed hat with venting at the crown... good sunglasses...get rid of the cotton stuff..
cool drinks help... I'd recommend only water, but at the time I drank a lot of iced tea... during the 9 day outage in 2004 I filled one of the 7 day coolers with frozen gallon jugs of water and a couple bags of ice... by the 5th day school was back in session as we were on a priority power connection, and I could get ice from the machines with a small cooler daily.... made a tremendous difference changed my shower schedule...I've not lost city water since the mid 60s, but still fill a 33 gal trash can in my shower, so I can use it to flush and shower with still having use of the shower drain.... I have a dedicated garden sprayer, painted black, for solar hot water (my water heater held heat for about 2 days) and took a shower when I got home at about 4:00, and did not worry about toweling off... I heated water to shave in the morning by 4:30 or so there was shade in the lee of my garage, and it became the living and cooking area until the house got below 85F, which was close to mid-night... made sleeping tough even with the small tent fan (pre ceiling fan motor use)... I keep 3 gallons frozen routinely, and while I don't really have a lot of perishable refrigerated food, my old 5 and 7 day coolers can still keep my drinks chilled |
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