Im trying to get used to no A/con any tips

[georgegeorgia]

I hear stories and talk to guys at bars about how they save on electricity room rates etc by not using Air Con as well as some say of saving their health .

 

I did try when I was last in Thailand a few weeks ago , the heat there is far different from where I live in Australia though where the heat is a dry type of heat in which it is very hot but you dont sweat as much as in Thailand wher its a moist heat.

 

Everytime i use Air con in Thailand i get throat or chest infections,have even ended up in hospital, i dont uually get thatin Australia

 

Unfortanetely today is so dry scorching hot in Australia with this dry heat I have put the AIr on , when im trying to train myself not to.

 

I last stayed in the Flybird apartments in Patttaya and rented a wonderful apartment never had Air con but was so cool inside with a great breeze.

 

I am looking at training myself not to have Air cond because i plan to buy my Nirun apartment next year in Pattaya,will be a 1 bedroom with balcony but no Air Con

 

i plan to buy a large industrial fan .

 

did any of you guys manage to acclimatise yourselfs not to use Air Con,is it possible?

 

 

 

[OneMoreFarang]

Personally I like ac and I like it cold.

But I know a farang who had to live without ac for 4 years and he got used to it at that time.

But that changed after a while because he visited lots of places (shopping, restaurants, etc.) with ac so he got used to ac again and now he lives like "everybody" with ac.

I think you can basically only get used to it if you don't go to places with ac - and that might be difficult.

 

In general: Are you sure you have a problem with any ac? Or maybe only with all those acs which are not clean and which (can) make you sick?

[blinkers]

I have 5 air conds in my house, Like the poster I get chest infections with the use of air, and my son got Legionairs after staying at a hotel in Chiang Mai, so we are both anti about using the air conds.

So the bedroom air goes on while I shower before bed, (10 mins max) then turned off, the room has cooled down and I have a fan, during the day its fans only, you get used to this and anyhow after a while you get used to the warmer weather, anything under 28c now and I need a jacket.

 

It's a bit like looking at the weather forecast each night, when they say something like 40c tomorrow, you feel worse thinking about it, I am Australian and learnt never to look at the forecast, just take it as it comes, if you get too hot, a swim or a shower works wonders.

[BritManToo]

In the hotter weather I have the aircon set at 28c during the night.

But mainly just have a fan blowing across the bed.

Too cold for either now brrrrrr........

[Lacessit]

Use a fan instead. Except on the hottest days in Thailand, air blowing across your body will be all the cooling you will need.

Shed clothing. I get around my apartment and my GF's house in my underwear, and sleep naked.

Even in the hottest months, I find I only need aircon for about 8 hours in a month.

[Lacessit]

19 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

In the hotter weather I have the aircon set at 28c during the night.

But mainly just have a fan blowing across the bed.

Too cold for either now brrrrrr........

You're from the UK, and you're complaining it's too cold here?

[westsail]

I found that two fans placed on opposite sides of the room work better than a single fan.

[onera1961]

1 hour ago, georgegeorgia said:

Everytime i use Air con in Thailand i get throat or chest infections,have even ended up in hospital, i dont uually get thatin Australia

Same here. I am also trying to live without running Air/Con. I run the fan of the air/con (fan settings) and also run a floor fan. But sometimes humidity is just not bearable and I had to run air/con for 30 min to cool the room

Edited November 3, 2018 by onera1961

[Thian]

There are also aircons with a UV-light inside that kill all germs...maybe that's good for you guys? Or just a separate aircleaner with UV?

 

I don't use ours much (only at night) and drink a lot of water with ice....always have a fan running though.

 

But in May it really gets hot and i will turn it on although i can stand it without. Never had infections but i'm a smoker, maybe that's the trick?

[worgeordie]

I don't like A/c,never used it ,because I don't have any installed in the house,

instead I have lots of trees,water around the house,sleep with the windows

open,in the nude,only wear a sarong around the house, in the day time,if it

gets too hot,have wall and ceiling fans,I am from the UK so don't have a culture

of using A/c,while any American tenants we have its an appsolute must have,

turning them on full blast even at this time of year,it's a bit chilly up here in

Chiang Mai,so have had to put a shirt on this morning.

 

I understand the need for a A/c if you live in a condo,but in a house not so

much.

regards Worgeordie

 

[chicowoodduck]

Been in LOS for close to 15 years at this point and have not used either my AC or TV in the last 10.....????

 

You might conside placing a fan at the foot of your bed on the lowest speed and sleep naked.......seems to work for me....lol...????????????

[thailand49]

It is all mental, the hardest thing when I moved here was adjusting to the heat. Today I'm told more Thai than a Thai?

Personally, as a back up you should have an A/C,  just for an emergency. I use today a fan only and sleep the majority of the time using no covering. There are times like Marc/April very hot I use it to cool the room down.

The problem I've found when I use to stay at a hotel the A/C hasn't been cleaned and many are positioned incorrectly right over the bed directly as you lay and snoring sucking in all the air, just push the flap up towards the ceiling I've found that to work and you don't need it at 18,  start it at 24 and work your way up like many I have it set at 28 plus believe me if you don't think too much your body will adjust.

[Jeffrey346]

Anyone getting an infection from an aircon unit should have the unit professionally cleaned and sanitized. 

[Antonymous]

It is stupid to argue one way or the other. It is really a personal decision, and your decision is to try to do without a/c. Respect.

 

I also choose not to use a/c and for the same reasons as you. I get sniffles and coughs in a/c rooms. Another very good reason to try to acclimatise to the weather here is to save a considerable amount of money.

 

Can it be done? Of course. I've lived in Thailand for almost 30 years and I can't remember when I last turned on an aircon in my house or hotel room. I always use a fan instead (ceiling fans are best) and when conditions allow I open windows and doors (with mozzy screen) and let the air flow through the room/ building. I sleep naked and wear light cotton clothing during the day.

 

 

 

 

[attrayant]

Thanks to this discussion, I am getting a disturbing visual of naked, sleeping retirees.  Thanks for that.

 

I agree that the a/c needs attention if it's making you sick.  

 

As a general rule, humans are most comfortable at temperatures between in the mid twenties (°C) and a relative humidity between 30-70%.  We don't need it to be as cool if the humidity is low, so perhaps the OP may want to consider getting a dehumidifier.  However dehumidifiers can get nasty too, and need to be cleaned periodically.  Any warm, moist environment is an ideal place for life, whether it's human life or microbial life.

 

Keep your bathroom floors dry for the same reason.  Areas left damp and warm become slimy and unhealthy in short order.

[Laza 45]

We live without ac but have fans in every room .. also the downstairs addition to our home has cavity walls and verandas protecting the walls from direct sun..  During hot weather we open the windows at night to let that area cool down and close it up during the day.. it stays relatively cool and is comfortable all day with a fan.  I'm from Australia too and I agree.. the humidity here is a challenge.

[attrayant]

9 minutes ago, Laza 45 said:

During hot weather we open the windows at night to let that area cool down and close it up during the day.

 

Can you come talk to my Thai inlaws?  They open the windows during the hottest part of the day and close them up tight around 9 pm, just before bedtime.  Mind-boggling.

[edwardflory]

I have the aircon set at 28 / 29 during the night and day.

Runs ( cooling mode ) average of 5 to 7 minutes about 8 times during the day - also have lined drapes I keep closed.  My place stays comfortable, not hot not cold. 

28 on hot days, 29 on other days.  Fan set on auto.

[bignbad]

2 hours ago, BritManToo said:

In the hotter weather I have the aircon set at 28c during the night.

But mainly just have a fan blowing across the bed.

Too cold for either now brrrrrr........

Same for me, even when we go to a hotel the first thing to do in the room is adjust the thermostat to 28c

[georgegeorgia]

Can i ask why you guys set it to 28 ? Isnt that still hot.?

[baansgr]

Giant used air con in two years but I get a lovely  breeze 24hrs from jomtien  beach.  OP may struggle  as Nirun is enclosed so doubtful  gets much breeze. For a small condo shouldn't need indudustrial sized,  standard standing fan will be sufficient 

[dotpoom]

Like everything else...Just do it... "One day at a time"...most of us can put up with anything, if it is just for one day. I recovered from Alcoholism...doing it one day at a time. Or start with one hour at a time...up to you really 

  PS. I never use A/C...even when it is provided in a hotel room.

[poanoi]

first year in thailand, i was so happy to see the sun

so i spent all time outdoors, that means no fan and no ac,

and i had no issues at all, i remember a western woman

had to touch my skin to make sure she wasnt hallucinating cause i didnt sweat, at all.

later on i bought a computer and began to spend my life with it,

and now i cant make it 5 minutes even without a fan,

you just adapt to whatever you do, spend a few weeks outdoors and

it wont even come to your mind you would want an ac

[Kurtf]

Stupid. Go bake in a sauna everyday until you get to enjoy being over heated.

[owenm]

Five years ago and staying in a small boutique hotel off Sukhumvit in Bangkok and I contracted pheumonia and legionella, which only became evident 10 days later after returning to Australia.. 5 days in ICU, 10 days in hospital and 3 mths off work.. Later was told that I was very lucky to survive.. 

 

Very stuffy aircond that probably hadn't been cleaned and serviced in years with airborne mould spores most likely causing my condition.. 

 

Now every condo or hotel I stay in I check the aircond filters, and in most cases have to clean them with the bum gun.. Two minutes of the let them dry, taking photos of before and after to show to management to have them aware of regular cleaning.. 

 

Anywhere in SE Asia have the same issues, and particularly so with the high humidity.. Aircond can be very dangerous to your health if not regularly cleaned.. 

[Laza 45]

26 minutes ago, georgegeorgia said:

Can i ask why you guys set it to 28 ? Isnt that still hot.?

I find 28 comfortable.. but I need a fan..

[Nyezhov]

I havent run the AC in about a 9 days, all the windows open, one fan  going. I ran the AC a lot in September and October but cool air keeps the moss from growing in the crevices

[Lacessit]

1 hour ago, attrayant said:

Thanks to this discussion, I am getting a disturbing visual of naked, sleeping retirees.  Thanks for that.

 

 

My GF undoubtedly would photograph better. Sorry, I'm not going to change my sleeping habits to allay your anxiety. I suggest Xanax.

[kannot]

yep  dont  bother  keep  using it

[owenm]

Now I've been living in Bangkok for past 3 years, renting a 2 level townhouse with one aircond, which I never use.. Large 18" floor fans in each room as well as two Hatari air water coolers, one small and one large.. The large unit cools the bedroom with a drop of 2-3 degrees and makes for pleasant sleeping.. But these also need to be maintained.. A five minute clean monthly, more economic to use, and much healthier if correctly maintained.. The smaller unit just under 3000bht, and the larger 5000bht.. Not cheap, but in combo with a fan very pleasant.. But must have good airflow, windows open etc..