What To Do When You’re Without AC
There will come a time when your AC will have issues or break down. Furthermore, it will likely happen on the hottest day of the year or right before a heat wave. The first thing we recommend is to invest in our Preventative Maintenance Agreement. We will come each year to clean and maintain your system and make sure it is working properly, but we will also provide you with 24-hour emergency service, a discount on parts and reduced rate on repairs. We’ll take care of your equipment, so it takes care of you!
When I was 5 years old, I moved from the east coast to Southern California with my family. I remember it well because it was only May and already 120 degrees in the shade. Our house had air conditioning, but the system didn’t work, and my parents couldn’t afford to fix or replace it that year. So, we went an entire California summer without AC.
We didn’t have backup as we left our window units behind in Massachusetts. Regardless, they wouldn’t work in the large sliding windows in our new home, so my parents came up with other ways to stay cool. We had a pool which was quite a relief, especially for my father who worked in Los Angeles which was 45 minutes from our home. At the time, he drove a Pontiac Firebird that also had no air conditioning. When he arrived home, after being stuck in the legendary L.A. traffic, he would change into his bathing suit (which he kept in the garage), run through the backyard yelling like Tarzan and cannon ball into the deep end.
Since we couldn’t live in the pool day and night, we would put the window shades down, or draw the curtains and keep the lights off especially during the hottest part of the day. Just keeping the sunlight from coming in really helped to cut down on the heat inside the house. We also tried to avoid using the stove or the oven whenever possible. We often ate cold meals. Salads, sandwiches, ice box chicken and occasionally, as a special treat we would order take out. My mum also made sure we all stayed hydrated. We would drink lots of water, herbal ice tea and as we were lucky enough to have a lemon tree, we would make fresh lemonade.
Here are some other ways to stay cool, so you don’t lose “your cool” without AC:
- Have a backup. Window units or portable units are handy to have on hand.
- Use fans. They don’t change the temperature in your home, but they will cool you down! When using ceiling fans, make sure they are running in a counterclockwise rotation to help pull up warm air.
- Put cold compresses on your pulse points (back of neck, crook of your elbow, back of knees, chest, temples, wrists and feet).
- As a last resort visit your local cooling center, shopping mall or other public place with AC.
We hope that if you are experiencing issues, these tips will keep you more comfortable until we are able to help. Our goal is to provide you with ultimate comfort. Reiner is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week 365 days a year. We’re here for you always.