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

[zyphodb]

Windows open 24/7 with mozzie screens, fan 24/7 when inside, air con 24 degrees for 20 minutes before bed at the hottest times in April/May, works for me...

[jak2002003]

Been here full time nearly 12 years.  At first the heat was a real problem for me.

 

Now I am at the stage where I rarely use any air con. usually only in the hot dry season in Chiang Mai at night in the bedroom.  Then I have it set to 26 C.  

 

I always have a fan on for sleep though.  And windows open.

 

I noticed its the humidity with the heat that I don't like. So using the air con will dry the air out, then I turn it off and get a good nights sleep.

 

I get cold easily now... and have to take a jacket when I go to any shopping malls to stop me shivering!!!  

 

 

[KittenKong]

Obviously it depends a lot on where you are, but I find Jomtien to be hotter and more humid than I like so I have my air-con running constantly and set to 27 degrees. I also have one ceiling fan on the lowest setting that also runs constantly and is just enough to move the air around a little and so avoid any hot/cold pockets.

 

I invested 250B in a desk thermometer which shows that the temperature only varies between about 26.5 and 27.5 degrees, and the humidity is almost constant at around 55%. I find this very pleasant. It also means that rubber and fabrics stay in good condition for longer, without getting mouldy or disintegrating.

 

Never had any chest problems, but I do get the aircon cleaned two or three times a year, and I spray it weekly with either vinegar solution or a anti-mould spray to keep it clean.

 

Electricity use is reasonable at around 1400-1800B total for my entire condo, including oven, fridge-freezer, PC on constantly, water heater, washing machine, large TV etc etc.

[wotsdermatter]

Have you tried filling a couple of 2-litre pop bottles with water then freezing them?  When the water is frozen, place the bottles on a chair and put a fan behind them.  Turn on the fan and voila, cold air without the dryness. In Canada, I get bloody noses because the air is drier after my stays in Thailand where the air is much more humid.

 

'nuf sed

[steve73]

During the day it's easy to keep a few windows & door open to keep a through-draft, but at night (especially in a small condo) it's probably not practical (or desired) even if you do have a door chain.

Don't underestimate how much heat your fridge pumps out....   So unless you're actually removing that heat either using an A/C or a through-draft the air temperature will increase.  Try moving the fridge to the outside balcony if possible. 

Also fans actually generate heat although they cool YOU down by evaporation from your skin, and this relies on low humidity.  Mopping down your shower after use - especially in the evening will help, and put any damp towels out on the balcony as well. 

But if there's two (or more) of you going hammer and tongs then you'll still probably need the A/C to stop overheating.....

[lvr181]

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.

[1FinickyOne]

cold showers - - a swim in a cool pool... keep the body temperature down... through the many years here, my tolerance has changed.. if I ever return to my igloo it will surely feel too cold.

[lvr181]

3 minutes ago, steve73 said:

Try moving the fridge to the outside balcony if possible. 

If the fridge is in a warmer area it will increase it's electricity usage to keep cool. But I guess that could be cheaper than running aircon.

YMMV. 

[NCC1701A]

i tell my two girlfriends to stay on their side of the bed. that helps a lot. and wearing anything is counterproductive.

[CGW]

You may think your body will get used to the heat and humidity but you will never get good quality sleep when its too hot, you cant change how your body works, it likes to be cool when sleeping rather than working to keep your body temp down.

I'm sure the reason so many locals are so lethargic and sleep whenever they can is due to the poor quality of sleep they get!

Through drafts when the weather is 30 - 40c are a complete fallacy, if you open the windows then close the insect screens you block off 95% of the airflow, why would you want hot air blowing through the house anyway?

[Old York]

For years I have used a fan to blow cool outside air through the screen door and into the bedroom. It works very well in Chiang Mai except at the peak of the hot season in late April early May.

[Surasak]

I only use Air con at night and keep to 25c. As air con dries the atmosphere in a room, I also keep a small dish of water on a stand under the unit. This stops the air from drying out and leaving you with a very fry mouth in the mornings.

[NoshowJones]

4 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........

My AC is always set at 28c anytime it is on, I never need to change it.

[NoshowJones]

2 hours ago, georgegeorgia said:

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

28 is actually quite cool on my unit. Never need to change, even in the hottest weather.

[blinkers]

3 hours ago, Jeffrey346 said:

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

Its not actually the air cond unit that gives sore throats and infections, its breathing in the cold air.

[Moonlover]

2 hours ago, owenm said:

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.. 

I clean our A/C every month. Wash the filters as suggested above and I use a cleaner spray, available from Big C, to cleanse and disinfect the coil. You'll find it in the same aisle as insect sprays and similar household products. (See photo below)

 

Regarding the O/Ps ambitions, it's all a matter of acclimatization. I lived in Singapore for 2 years without A/C in the house, although I did work in a cool environment. And I lived and worked in Cyprus for 3 years without A/C at all, not even in the car! The body adapts in time and one adapts ones lifestyle to suit.

 

Here, we only have A/C in the bedroom and use fans around the rest of the house.

[Stevemercer]

I don't use the AC during the day (fans are OK for me), but turn it on in the bedroom if it is over 30 degrees when I go to bed. I normally set it to switch off at 2:00 am.

 

Sometimes mossies are a problem and they seem to be discouraged by the cooler air from the AC. The alternative is a high fan setting to keep them away, but this is sometimes uncomfortable for me.

 

Some nights there is a lot of noise from parties, religious celebrations etc. I might turn on the AC to mask to worst of this noise.

 

So...a combination of outside noise, bad mossies and a warmish night (over 28 degrees) might see me also use the AC.

 

Other times, I just want to snuggle under a warm doona and might turn on the AC.

 

Of course, the Thai wife cannot now survive without AC (despite having lived her first 40 years without it). Her reference would be to have it on 24 hours a day. This is an ongoing argument for many of us, I suspect.

Edited November 3, 2018 by Stevemercer

[Lacessit]

1 hour ago, NCC1701A said:

i tell my two girlfriends to stay on their side of the bed. that helps a lot. and wearing anything is counterproductive.

TWO girlfriends? At the same time? You are a glutton for punishment.

[Lacessit]

2 hours ago, owenm said:

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.. 

Sorry, you only think you are getting cooler with those con jobs called evaporative coolers. They only work in low humidity environments, and Bangkok is definitely not low humidity.

Yes, you get the drop in temperature. However, they also boost the relative humidity. So when your body sweats to stay cool, it's battling against an increased humidity.

IMHO you would be better off just sticking with the fans. They do have several speed settings.

[Moonlover]

19 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

2 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

i tell my two girlfriends to stay on their side of the bed. that helps a lot. and wearing anything is counterproductive.

 

19 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

TWO girlfriends? At the same time? You are a glutton for punishment.

Sounds more like a glutton for attention seeking to me!

[NCC1701A]

19 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

 

Sounds more like a glutton for attention seeking to me!

not really. the three of us hardly go out in public together.

[Brewster67]

When I started to move away from running the A/C relentlessly at home i would basically take a shower at noon, and that would cool me off for a while until I got used to little or no A/C....

 

In the warmer months two showers at noon and 4pm would see me through until about 6pm when the temps start to drop back.

 

Also I would still get an A/C fitted, you can run it while in the shower and it will be lovely and cool when you get out... turn it back off and you are good for an hour easily.

 

A/C for a few 10 minute stints per day is going to make your life bearable and won't hardly cost much per month... maybe a few hundred baht.

 

 

[Dick Crank]

Grow a set of balls and use a powerful floor fan. Move it around so it's always blowing on you, or get one that rotates.

 

let me know if you need help plugging it in.

[attrayant]

1 hour ago, blinkers said:

Its not actually the air cond unit that gives sore throats and infections, its breathing in the cold air.

 

You can't be infected by cold air because it's not an infectious agent.  You can only be infected by opportunistic germs.  If what you meant was the dry air desiccates your sinuses and bronchial tubes, allowing germs to slip in unfettered by sticky mucous that normally lines these passageways, then you'd be right.

 

Don't fall for that old wive's tale that you can catch a cold from simply being cold.

 

4 hours ago, georgegeorgia said:

Can i ask why you guys set it to 28 ? Isn't that still hot?

 

 

Not if it's dry enough and you have a breeze.  If you can get the humidity down to 70-75% (from over 90%, which is what it almost always is in Bangkok), that'll shave 3-4 degrees off the temperature.  Don't just aim for coolness; aim for comfort.  The drier it is, the more comfortable you'll be.

[attrayant]

7 minutes ago, Dick Crank said:

Grow a set of balls and use a powerful floor fan

 

Fan ownership is linked to masculinity?  I must have missed that study.

[BigT73]

At my misses parents place (Thai style) in Isaan during the hot months its unbearable to sleep comfortably all night due to the heat, but after 8 yrs I finally worked out if I hosed the outside walls and roof once the sun went down the room cooled and with the fan blowing you nearly needed to use a sheet.

[mserror]

Being slimmer keeps me much cooler, BMI 22. (I was heavier when I lived in Tasmania.)

[sead]

Change clean/ aircon and your problem is fixed.  I usually also leave the window a bit open when using aircon. You have many areas in Thailand where the climate is much colder in nighttime and you would want to have a heater instead..

But your sore throat is all about getting a better aircon. 

[how241]

Try setting the a/c  at 28-29.  It will mostly be only the fan running.

[DavidB1960]

53 minutes ago, sead said:

Change clean/ aircon and your problem is fixed.  I usually also leave the window a bit open when using aircon. You have many areas in Thailand where the climate is much colder in nighttime and you would want to have a heater instead..

But your sore throat is all about getting a better aircon. 

Nonsense, just prevent it from blowing on you directly.