Heat wave. Do you have AC?

[pmax]

Forget the AC. Do you have power ?

https://www.kcra.com/article/california-blackouts-2020-pge-heat-wave-august-15/33614032#

California ISO declared a Stage 3 Electrical Emergency around 6:28 p.m. due to increased demand, as well as the loss of a 470-megawatt power plant.

They also cite the loss of nearly 1,000 megawatts of wind power.

As of 8:20 p.m., there were nearly 70,000 residents still without power, according to the California Office of Emergency Service dashboard.
At its peak, 67,401 customers in San Joaquin County experienced the outage.

[pmax]

Bay area

https://twitter.com/i/status/1294987565833965572

https://twitter.com/kayylachan/status/1294985346388594688

Out in the open.

[hcoles]

There are some new DIY mini-split systems on Amazon and I guess other places as well. Anyone have first hand experience? What if you need a leak fixed and a recharge, who will come and work on it? Thanks.

[rwest]

I have central air here in MN I would run it less except that I have a dog here; normally I would leave it off while at work, now it runs as needed.

We have a fair amount of humidity here, so to be comfortable you really need the AC or a dehumidifier.

I suppose if you wanted to be tough, but not super tough, you would really only need it a few months during the summer, we only have a few weeks were it doesn’t cool down into the low 70’s at night.

Most of us grew up without AC at home, work, school or cars, now we “demand” it everywhere.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by rwest

I have central air here in MN I would run it less except that I have a dog here; normally I would leave it off while at work, now it runs as needed.

We have a fair amount of humidity here, so to be comfortable you really need the AC or a dehumidifier.

I suppose if you wanted to be tough, but not super tough, you would really only need it a few months during the summer, we only have a few weeks were it doesn’t cool down into the low 70’s at night.

Most of us grew up without AC at home, work, school or cars, now we “demand” it everywhere.

You are correct, of course but it’s also getting hotter every year. Our part of the country is having a nice summer, (I’m in WI), everywhere else is getting cooked. Every year for the last 15 years or more has been the hottest year ever. Death Valley recorded 130 deg. yesterday, thought to be the hottest temp on earth since recorded weather.

[Baz]

Originally Posted by hcoles

There are some new DIY mini-split systems on Amazon and I guess other places as well. Anyone have first hand experience? What if you need a leak fixed and a recharge, who will come and work on it? Thanks.

I doubt you would have any problems getting a repair done by most any local HVAC company.

FWIW, I have been known to enlist the help of various HVAC techs who moonlight on the side for extra cash. They don't do it on their employer's time mind you. After hours and/or weekends. I did this a couple times and it worked out great for both parties. Obviously there are limitations in going this route.

[Saadi996tt]

The summers are brutal here in central California and we’re used to running the air conditioning 7-8 months out of the year. Stay cool everyone...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[look 171]

Originally Posted by hcoles

There are some new DIY mini-split systems on Amazon and I guess other places as well. Anyone have first hand experience? What if you need a leak fixed and a recharge, who will come and work on it? Thanks.

Baz is correct. I want to install one for the family room where most of us gather. When I remodeled this section of the house, I was being cute and installed a whole wall full of very large windows big sliding doors and a 4'x4' sky light. Luckily, they have extremely good Low E ratings. On the extremely hot days where the temp is over 103-104, that room can use a little extra help if all of us are in there with the kids electronics in full swing. I am waiting for the solar technology to run those get a bit better in a couple years so I can add one in that room. Screw Socal Edison.

Have you seen the blower that mount between the rafters instead of the big box on the wall? Its a little more money, but it sure looks so much better.

[mattdavis11]

We dipped to 68F this evening, now it's 78F, but it was as high as 103F.

AC is a must here. Texas, east of SAT. No insulation, central air, and 3 window units. 70 inside now!

[ckelly78z]

I also have one of the LG portable A/C units that does an OK job of cooling the downstairs, but creates a large volume of water that must be dumped every few hours.

For the last 2 Summer's my wife has worked/stayed in our 32' travel trailer in our back yard (she works from home) where it is comfortably air conditioned. I have no problem with an 80* house, and actually prefer it it to A/C. I also make a daily trek to our backyard pool to cool off.

We will most likely get a wall mounted mini-split (or two) before we retire. The furnace is water baseboard heat from a boiler, but we use our woodstove almost exclusively.

[red-beard]

Originally Posted by Baz

I doubt you would have any problems getting a repair done by most any local HVAC company.

FWIW, I have been known to enlist the help of various HVAC techs who moonlight on the side for extra cash. They don't do it on their employer's time mind you. After hours and/or weekends. I did this a couple times and it worked out great for both parties. Obviously there are limitations in going this route.

We found an apartment complex "super" who moonlights as an A/C technician. He installed two condenser units for us in 2011.

I always keep spare contactor and capacitors for our units. I even salvaged them from my dead units, since some were only a month old. I also kept the fan motors.

[3rd_gear_Ted]

Here in SoCal, the San Onofre debacle is being felt.
The idiots in management, the stupid engineering group & the operations folks ran a newly replaced steam generator into a failure mode due to excess vibration.
It should be renamed the "Dolly Parton" monument.

My black plaster pool is @ 88 degrees

[vash]

Originally Posted by Saadi996tt

The summers are brutal here in central California and we’re used to running the air conditioning 7-8 months out of the year. Stay cool everyone...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

wow...i would grow rice in my armpits at those temps.

[JackDidley]

We are having a non-heatwave. Usually in the 90*s in August and we are having low 80*s this week. Probably be 100* next week.

[Tidybuoy]

Yes, I have A/C.

Ohh goodie, the cooling trend starts tomorrow


But it's a dry heat..

[Evans, Marv]

Originally Posted by Tidybuoy

Yes, I have A/C.

Ohh goodie, the cooling trend starts tomorrow


But it's a dry heat..

Sent the Bakersfield weather to my H.S. buddy living in Clovis, since his daughter & family live in Bakersfield. He told me about the 111 temp. today in Clovis.

[Scott Douglas]

We're sitting at 105* right now in the backyard.

[Scott Douglas]

Might have had a short power outage as I see the clock is off a little.



Not exactly a dry heat either.

[red-beard]

82F and 53% RH is a little bit high for me. I'm rocking 76 and 48% RH WITH a ceiling fan!

[GH85Carrera]

Central Oklahoma has been below normal temperatures all summer. Of course normal for this time of year is low to mid 90s. It has been very high humidity this summer.

OK, use your geezer voice: I never went to a single school with air conditioning. That includes 11 different schools from 1st to 12th grade. We did not have an air conditioned house until I was in 11th grade. End Geezer voice.

When I was looking for my first house I told the real estate agents, I had to have a garage, and central AC, don't show me anything else. This was in the early 1980s so no internet.