How To Survive The Heat If Your AC Is Malfunctioning
The spring and summer temperatures in Arizona can be unforgiving, even a threat to your health. Younger children and the elderly in particular are especially at risk of health concerns caused by high heat and caregivers advised to take precautions during extreme temperatures. Heat can be particularly detrimental to you and your family’s health when your AC unit is not functioning properly during a heat wave.
Make use of these tips to stay cool if your AC feels like it’s not functioning properly or you experience a surprise breakdown and are waiting on a technician for repairs.
Stay Hydrated
Being overheated can lead to heat stroke and potentially death. Water moves heat from your organs, out to your bloodstream. Once the heat reaches the skin, you will sweat. Sweating causes evaporation, cooling you down and keeping your body temperature within a healthy range.
- Drink plenty of water before you become thirsty. Don’t wait until your mouth is dry. Stay regularly hydrated throughout the entire day.
- Avoid alcohol. Alcohol dehydrates you, making hot temperatures feel even more unbearable.
- Drink water before you fall asleep. If you sweat and toss and turn while trying to sleep, this may cause dehydration. Having water in your system will aid against this.
Keep Your Air Vents Opened
There is a belief that closing AC vents in unused rooms will save energy by redirecting the flow of air to other vents, but this is far from the truth. Whether your AC is functioning right now or not, you should always leave all of you air vents open so that the air can flow through the channels freely.
Closing them will raise your energy costs, increase pressure in your air ducts and reduce the efficiency of your system leaving you with even less cold air flow. This pressure and inefficiency will also put more strain on your system, putting it a risk for a shortened life span.
Use Ceiling Fans
Having your ceiling fans running won’t actually make the temperature lower, but the circulated air will make your body think that your home is cooler than it actually is. In fact, using ceiling fans can make the temperature feel as much as 10 degrees lower than it actually is, which can make all the difference to a hot room.
More Ways To Stay Cool
- Thin clothing goes a long way. Wear soft cotton clothing that is loose fitting so that body heat can escape more easily.
- Decrease your body’s temperature by taking a cool shower.
- Avoid cooking with a stove which raises temperature in your home. Use a grill outdoors instead.
- Apply an ice pack or cooled wet cloth to pulse points such as your neck, wrists, feet or elbows. This will help your temperature drop faster than normal.
Call the friendly Hobaica technicians at (602) 633-9555 for expert AC maintenance and AC repairs. Our qualified and experienced technicians work to bring you high quality services that keep your home and family cool during extreme temperatures.
