DU Challenge

[Aerows]

In the South, such systems as evaporation cooling do not work because the air itself is heavy with water, and that water itself is so warm, it contributes to the heat, and fans even cease to work.

You are hot, and if it gets too hot, even subsuming in water doesn't help, because it is hot, too - or there is a lack of unspoiled water to do so.

You just boil. Unless you can devise a refrigerant system that works under extreme humidity and extreme heat, you will not survive.

This is my challenge.

You possess no generated electricity.

What do you do in the deep South high humidity climate?

And this is, indeed, a challenge.

Options?

[Are_grits_groceries]

1. We will survive.

We did it for centuries.
Walk slow. Wear as little as possible. Drink water even if it's warm.

I remember when there was no air conditioning.

Houses had high ceilings in rooms for a reason. Houses were built in certain directions-Southern feng shui.

I would have to re-acclimate to a high humidity/heat environment but I would adjust. It would begin to make it more bearable.

Stay out of the noon day sun.

There are many other old practices that have been forgotten that would be brought back.

[marions ghost]

22. Right that's how it's done in the Old South

Start work very early in the day. Siesta from noon to two. Sit on the porch or under a tree, fan yourself and re-hydrate. I remember the older ones in my family doing this. Move around slowly--slow but steady. Eat ice cream and lemonade and watermelons.

[misterhighwasted]

26. And Fans everywhere. Ceiling fans, personal sized fans, decorated, monogramed or just a newspaper.

However one moves the air around them.
Gotta have a fan.

hey ya Grits!

[Are_grits_groceries]

44. Yep!

We had those church fans that were Bible pictures on cardboard attached to a stick. Whatever worked.

[misterhighwasted]

49. LOl..even Bible sticker fans. Work with whatever ya got.

I used a small baking sheet last summer.
Kitchen was getting kinda warm. ha

[bemildred]

2. Plenty of insulation, a de-humidifier, and a heat pump.

It's going to be expensive.

But I've heard that running around buck naked helps.

[B Calm]

4. How will you power a de-humidifier without electricity?

[bemildred]

5. Oh, right.

Well, I guess you have to run around buck naked.

[el_bryanto]

9. This has always confused me - what's the difference between buck naked and regular naked? nt

[Glassunion]

13. Here

Regular Naked:



Buck Naked

[leveymg]

41. Are we allowed a wind or water turbine? With or without a generator attached?

What's happened that technology has become unavailable - Zombie Apocalypse? EMP knocked out the power grid? Just broke and off the grid? Which assumption you pick will change the answer.

[bananas]

3. Passive wine cellar.

http://www.forresidentialpros.com/blog/10522577/passive-wine-cellars

To make a passive wine cellar, you first need a basement. Using a corner of your foundation here is a must because you need two exterior walls for ideal cellar temperature. These two walls, along with the floor, are essentially your cooling devices. They should be as dry as possible so if your home is not fairly new, you may have to address excessive moisture or perhaps even water issues.

[LWolf]

6. Thick walls.

I'm not sure what else.

[Brother Buzz]

38. Coupled with high celings

[H2O Man]

7. Move.

[Brickbat]

8. There are many reasons I live in Minnesota. One is the weather.

[Glassunion]

14. Funny. Weather is the one reason I don't live in Minnesota.

I'd die from the winter.

[misterhighwasted]

28. Yup. Same here. I grew up freezing for 7 months of the year.

Shoveling snow & freezing, starting cars & freezing, walking to school, work or the grocery & freezing, haulling kids to school functions & freezing, did I say shoveling snow & freezing?
My fingers, today, turn white at 40 degrees.
From too much freezing.
I don't mind 2-3 months of heat where I live today.
At least I am not freezing.

[Atman]

10. We lived in my mother's house in central Florida...

It was an old, old Spanish-style bungalow. Never had AC, didn't need it. It had high ceilings, and all the exterior walls were super thick. I think stone covered in stucco. The stone basically stored the cooler night air temps and kept the place reasonably comfortable. Plus, it was situated under huge shade trees. The minimal/no clothing thing helped a lot, too.

[MannyGoldstein]

11. Alcohol

Pour it on, not drink it. OK, drink some too.

Or something else that will evaporate.

[Octafish]

12. Get a Yakhchal ancient refrigerator. Keeps ice in the summer.

http://www.eartharchitecture.org/index.php?/archives/1045-Yakhchal-Ancient-Refrigerators.html

[misterhighwasted]

32. Well that's is interesting & informative. I have never heard of it.

DU is a great place.
Bookmarked for further study.

Thanks

[Octafish]

37. I'm fascinated by simple and ancient remedies for modern and complex engineering problems.

Take desalinzation: Perhaps we can envision a way for evaporating sea water and letting the breeze carry it inland? I'd suggest large lenses to focus sunlight on pools that fill at high tide.

After the water evaporates, Bush, Cheney and the rest who lied America into war for profit can haul the salt and ash to their prison quarry.

[misterhighwasted]

39. Fascinating indeed. Oh and the image of your last line...superb.

"After the water evaporates, Bush, Cheney and the rest who lied America into war for profit can haul the salt and ash to their prison quarry."

What the gods intended.
Enjoy your day Octafish

[B2G]

15. If you have no electricity, sweating will be the least of your problems.

[MrScorpio]

16. Find the nearest crick and sit in it. nt

[mmonk]

17. Lots of shade trees around the home plus good insulation.

[Lars39]

18. Dog trot architecture....

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_trot_architecture

[Are_grits_groceries]

45. I lived in a house like that.

People still do.

[Lars39]

48. Yep.

Had many family members use that technique. Done right, the breeze is absolutely delicious.

[MineralMan]

19. You sweat. That's about it.

People used to carry large handkerchiefs to wipe their brows in such climate. Without air conditioning, areas like that are sweaty in hot weather. Yet, people survived and lived there. That's really the only answer.

Wear light, loose clothing, avoid strenuous exercise and always wear a broad-brimmed hat when out in the sun. Those are the only suggestions I have.

[Baclava]

20. Ask the people living in the tropics, like in the Amazon - they don't die from a little humidity

Millions and millions of people live without AC all around the world right on the equator.
But very few in the arctic.

Your premise is faulty. Cold is death, warmth is life.

Me, I'd just move to a place on the beach. There's always a breeze.

[misterhighwasted]

31. That pic must be Mrs. Misterhighwasted

Yup that's her.

[Baclava]

52. I'm a Moonchild, all us crabs are drawn to the beach

spawn till you die

[misterhighwasted]

53. Ha that's cute. and true. You Go Crab!!

As a scorp with everything aligning with moon people I know where I belong too.
I hear the surf as I breathe.

[Orsino]

21. Geothermal, wind and solar.

These things are not cheap, and not all are practical everywhere.

[snooper2]

23. porn

[NV Whino]

24. I went back to California

Molding shoes and rusting coat hangers were too much for me.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

25. I've lived in Florida for over a decade and a half now. Honestly, I've never had a problem with it.

Air conditioning has always worked fine for me here.

Beyond that, taking a swim in the pool, ocean or springs has always been a fun and refreshing way to beat the heat.

Honestly, I'm not sure where you are getting at here.

On edit: Never mind. I see the OP was raising a hypothetical situation if there was no electricity available.

Still, I grew up in an area that had hot, humid summers--not in the deep South, but a similar climate--and we didn't have AC in our house. My dad wasn't a fan. We made do with open windows, fans, and an exhaust fan at night. And I survived.

Perhaps that's why Florida's climate doesn't bother me now. I was built for it.

[NCTraveler]

27. No issues with your challenge but I don't have a good answer.

Thankfully we have advanced and this is simply a thought experiment.

[misterhighwasted]

30. Yes a very good thought experiment. I like it.

[NCTraveler]

33. As do I. Although I'm not sure why.....

all opportunities of electrical generation are dismissed.

[misterhighwasted]

36. hmm. a good point. Maybe too deep a thought experiment for a tuesday mid morning

Something I would like to see more input ..perhaps later, as the day moves along.

[yallerdawg]

29. Seriously?

An entire economic system was developed in the South with no electricity, and hard, unending oppressive labor was the backbone of this nation's economic development.

So, is this question directed to just white people?

[MrMickeysMom]

34. I lived in Florida 30 years… the first 5 without A/C

Moving air, ceiling fans, hydration and shade over the home are your survival for oppressive humidity.

You'll find that various Chinese cuisines depend on heat in the source of their meals to effectively move heat away from the central portion of their body.

There are some very good ideas in this thread. I don't think some of the comments here are fair to your question. Slavery in the south was unforgivable for more reasons than being a slave in hot weather.

[Blue_Tires]

35. If I have no electricity, dealing with the heat is the least of my problems...

But in the south, you can

1. just go for a drive with all your windows down

2. go to the beach/water park/public pool

3. spend the hottest afternoon hours in a public air conditioned place (mall, movie theater, airport, library, etc)

4. go visit a friend or relative with an air conditioned home

5. find a shady tree on a breezy hilltop

6. and the list goes on...

Maybe I'm not understanding your question, because there are countless options...

[Shrike47]

40. Trees are a big help. Plant, plant, plant.

[NM_Birder]

42. pray for god to smote the heat/humidity

kidding...nobody FREAK out

[2naSalit]

43. An option that I found useful when I lived in high-heat locations...

Think melons... cucumbers, cantaloup, honeydew, casaba, watermelon. Eat them on hot days... before you get heat exhaustion or heat stroke but absolutely if you start to get heat exhaustion. They not only help to keep you hydrated, they actually have a natural property called "refrigerant" which means they actually help to reduce your body temperature and this is aside from the electrolytes they contain. I found that when I was getting heat exhaustion, if I got into a darker place, like a room with shades pulled, and ate about a third of a cantaloup and rested for a while, I would be fine in an hour or 90 minutes. Then resume drinking water. Stay away from soda and alcohol, they make things worse for and can exacerbate the issue.

Melons also work well if you have a fever, no matter what causes the fever.

My mom swore by salt tablets for the desert heat but I never found them useful myself. But melons were a lifesaver for me.

Humidity is horrible but melons can help you cool down enough to tolerate the heat part.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

46. Florida's springs are divine during summer.

72 degree water year round. Perfect for a nice hot summer day.

[Are_grits_groceries]

47. The slaves got the worst of it.

I never had it that bad, but I did work on a tobacco farm and we worked from can't see to can't see.
We did have a dinner break from 12-2.

Beyond that we were out there working in that heat in those fields. The tobacco plants were nasty and we ended up covered with a black sticky sap full of nicotine and other shite.

[Bluenorthwest]

50. If I had to live there due to guns to my head, I might make an underground home.

Without force, I'd simply leave. Don't like humidity, don't dig the bigoted anti gay laws.

[Blue_In_AK]

51. I hate heat,

which is why I live in Alaska. Seven years in Houston, TX, as a teen/young adult was more than enough hot, humid weather for me.