There is a joke that states what Palm Springs residents are afraid of the most – more than sharks, gators, snakes or even hurricanes – is their AC going out. Granted, it can be devastating to lose the delicious coolness in a region with humidity and temperatures often in the 100s. it’s inevitable for ACs to go out. Unfortunately, they will go out at one point in time. When they do, it’s important to adequately be prepared.
Before looking at what you should do when your air conditioner goes out, let us first look at the types of AC outages you can suffer from:
- Mechanical issues
- Age related
What to do when your AC goes out
This is what you need to do in case your AC goes out:
- Pull all the blinds or curtains to darken your home. Ideally, you might have blackout curtains on the windows to assist fight the heat of the sun. If not, you need to cover the windows as much as possible.
- Leave the windows closed for extended periods of time. Do you already have cool air in your home? If yes, then you can be sure that it is less humid compared to outside. If the AC outage is because of electricity, you need to open your windows. However, be sure to cling to the drier air in the home for as long as you can.
- Rinse a sheet or towel in cold water. Place it over yourself as you sleep. This will help to keep you cool through the night.
- Switching to cotton is always magical. You can change your clothes to the coolest or loosest cotton that you may have.
- The other thing you need to do once your AC goes out is to make sure you remain hydrated. Hydration means that you need drink plenty of water. Other beverages and/or liquids might not be hydrating. Whenever it is hot, you can lose plenty of hydration through sweating. For that reason, it’s highly important to replenish it.
- Most Palm Springs residents have tiles in their homes. While it might not be comfortable, sleeping on the floor is cool. It does not retain heat like your mattress does. Always remember that hot air rises. Consequently, if you have several floors in your home, you should stay on the first one.
- Finally, if you system goes out, it might be because it is faulty. Therefore, AC replacement would be the prudent thing to do.
In summary
Summer in Palm Springs can turn out to be quite hot. You must find ways of remaining cool when your AC goes out. The above are some of the things you can do.