Does anyone here not have central AC?

[Chef Jim]

Of all the places we've lived in CA have not had air.  The couple that did we rarely use.  Right now we live about 3 miles from the ocean so it's cool.  We just bought the retirement home out in Palm Springs area so yeah we'll need it there.  

[Buffalo_Gal]

I didn't in my old house in Buffalo. It was horrible some nights for sleeping during the summer.  My son just bought a house in Buffalo that has radiator heat, so they will be looking into splits for next summer.

We do have central air. The only (very slight) negative is if we lose power and the whole house generator goes on, one of the units has to be shut off (we have one for upstairs, one for downstairs) so as not to draw too much from the generator. It is a large(r) whole house generator, but running two  air  conditioner units (and/or a hair dryer) is a bad idea. 

edited to add: at our ocean front condo in Florida we had central air. Being on the ocean may have been 10 degrees cooler than even 5 miles inland, but we still needed the air conditioning. No way were ocean breezes enough. 

Edited July 5, 2019 by Buffalo_Gal

[Augie]

Atlanta is the farthest point north I have lived since 1982. Life without AC just seems unimaginable! 

 

When we visit my sister in Rhode Island they always bring the window unit to our guest bedroom.  It makes us feel pampered, and I don’t need sweaty nights. 

 

We bought our house in Atlanta a year before moving here (with a son a senior in HS, we gave in after selling in Sarasota). My wife used it as her hotel room for a year. We literally had sofas standing on end just to pack stuff in as we downsized and figured stuff out. Anyway, the very first night we moved here for real......we find the AC has gone out and we’re having 95 degree days. We spent one night sweating to death, called Cool Ray first thing in the morning, then drove to Hilton Head for a long weekend with AC. 

[mead107]

Go it 

[Augie]

13 hours ago, mead107 said:

Go it 

 

Would you like to spend a Meadcoin on a consonant? 

 

?

Edited July 6, 2019 by Augie

[Punching Bag]

We replaced the AC unit with a larger unit when we bought our house and had ducts expanded to kitchen extension but it is still too hot in summer.

Our house has a 2 story garage/office/double master bedroom addition but AC was not sufficient for summer so we have wall unit AC units for them.  Not run them very often but sometimes when I nap in afternoon I use wall unit AC for I find I will I will go to sleep faster.

 

We bought house on bank foreclosure and it is a very strange house.  Two additions off two different parts of house going different angles with two driveways on two different streets and two level deck going to two different doors on two different levels in two different parts of house.  Think of it as J shaped with top bar of J being two story bedroom addition and the bottom curve the kitchen.

I think sometimes I am Two Face.

[KD in CA]

Very few houses had AC in the 70s or prior, even in warm climates.  My dad and grandfather installed an attic fan in the house we grew up in.  Worked great, even in a 5 BR house.

 

My parents didn’t put central AC in that house till the early 90s, and that was primarily because they knew it was mandatory for eventually selling the house.

[SoTier]

16 hours ago, Seasons1992 said:

 

Good god you're old..........?

 

My first two cars not only didn't have AC, they only had AM radios. 

 

I have central air in my current home.  I put it in 16 years ago when I had the furnace replaced.  I replaced the furnace two years ago, but I use the AC infrequently (less than 2 weeks a year on average), so it probably has been used about as much as a 2-year-old unit in other parts of the country.

[LewPort71]

Our house in the mountains of  S WV had no A/C until 3 years ago.  That's when our grandson and daughter moved in with us.

We got a heat pump and it has been a blessing. The biggest savings is in the winter since the electric baseboard heaters were

replaced.  We  had an attic fan that helped cool the house in the summer.

 

NO A/C growing up in Lewiston either.

[davefan66]

Baseboard heat, so no.  Never had in any of the three houses I’ve lived in, just a duplex I rented for a year.

 

Hate window units.  Noisy and not great coverage without fans.  Wish I had bought those wall units a few years ago, much cheaper.  Now would run me about 8 grand or more.  Not worth it.

[Tierlifer]

Window units here and no central AC. Maybe someday. 

[IslandBillsFan]

Up until I just moved to Virgina, I lived in Puerto Rico for 8 years.  I did not have central AC there.  It was rare for buildings to have central AC due to both the old buildings and the price of electricity.  

 

Like anything, I got used to it.  However, fans were a must and individual AC units in bedrooms were also needed.  

 

The three months after the hurricane with no power were brutal.  Very hot and sweaty.

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

Me

[\GoBillsInDallas/]

Obviously, we have AC in our house.

The trick down here is to run the AC as little as possible.

About 10 years ago, we had a handyman go through out house and attic and caulk/seal every joint, as well as adding insulation to the attic. We also added hotel-quality blackout curtains to most of the windows (in addition to the blinds that were already there).

The results have been astounding. Even in the hot summer, the electric bill rarely gets above $150.

[Royale with Cheese]

My compressor went out last summer in Atlanta.  The inside of my house was 88 degrees at 2:00 pm.  It's not possible in Atlanta not to have AC.

[Not at the table Karlos]

We have 4 window ac units. Wish we had forced air so we could get central air

[row_33]

AC on wheels, keeps things at 80 in the apartment, I try to not use it until forced to, last weekend was the last straw.  The cat is more active as well.

 

 

[Royale with Cheese]

1 hour ago, row_33 said:

AC on wheels, keeps things at 80 in the apartment, I try to not use it until forced to, last weekend was the last straw.  The cat is more active as well.

 

 

 

You keep your thermostat at 80?????

 

Are you trying to live like someone in Kuwait?

[row_33]

16 minutes ago, Royale with Cheese said:

 

You keep your thermostat at 80?????

 

Are you trying to live like someone in Kuwait?

 

 my apartment building is set to 80 for fall and winter and my business office tower is set to 80 all year round

 

the office has AC which takes out the humidity while keeping it at 80

 

 

Edited July 9, 2019 by row_33

[Royale with Cheese]

12 minutes ago, row_33 said:

 

 my apartment building is set to 80 for fall and winter and my business office tower is set to 80 all year round

 

the office has AC which takes out the humidity while keeping it at 80

 

 

 

This really sounds awful.  I keep mine usually at 68-70.

[transplantbillsfan]

I've never had any AC.

 

Not central.

 

Not split.

 

Not window units.

 

Wife and I are finally investing in a split AC system for our house after 14 years of living together in Hawai'i without it.

[row_33]

10 minutes ago, Royale with Cheese said:

 

This really sounds awful.  I keep mine usually at 68-70.

 

i keep telling people at work that's its 80 and they don't believe me or the indoor thermometers in the office

 

if you take out the humidity it is very pleasant

 

 

[teef]

Oh yeah. We have it. I have a wife that likes to be freezing...all...of...the ...time.   It’s a source of arguments for us. We actually have two units with two different thermostats.  One for the upstairs and one for the downstairs. I get ***** with on two different levels. 

[Royale with Cheese]

2 minutes ago, teef said:

Oh yeah. We have it. I have a wife that likes to be freezing...all...of...the ...time.   It’s a source of arguments for us. We actually have two units with two different thermostats.  One for the upstairs and one for the downstairs. I get ***** with on two different levels. 

 

You know she's doing it because she wants to see your nipples.

[teef]

2 minutes ago, Royale with Cheese said:

 

You know she's doing it because she wants to see your nipples.

I could do that just as easily with ice cubes. The rest of my body would still be warm then. 

[Royale with Cheese]

41 minutes ago, teef said:

I could do that just as easily with ice cubes. The rest of my body would still be warm then. 

 

Yeah but ice cubes will make you wet......glistening wet.

 

[teef]

1 minute ago, Royale with Cheese said:

 

Yeah but ice cubes will make you wet......glistening wet.

 

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

On 7/5/2019 at 10:51 PM, KD in CA said:

Very few houses had AC in the 70s or prior, even in warm climates.  My dad and grandfather installed an attic fan in the house we grew up in.  Worked great, even in a 5 BR house.

 

My parents didn’t put central AC in that house till the early 90s, and that was primarily because they knew it was mandatory for eventually selling the house.

 

are you my lost brother??? 

 

never had AC as a "kid" but my pops did have Central AC installed in the late 80's or early 90s

otherwise in the summer you had to wear this to stay cool

 

 

[Misterbluesky]

1 hour ago, row_33 said:

 

i keep telling people at work that's its 80 and they don't believe me or the indoor thermometers in the office

 

if you take out the humidity it is very pleasant

 

 

And some people in our area (wny/Niagara region) and across the states refuse to believe B-low gets much more snowfall than Toronto does.

 

[Royale with Cheese]

13 minutes ago, teef said:

 

It moved.

[row_33]

23 minutes ago, Misterbluesky said:

And some people in our area (wny/Niagara region) and across the states refuse to believe B-low gets much more snowfall than Toronto does.

 

 

it's like they built the 401 across Southern Ontario to mark the maximum snowfall belt

 

 

[ExiledInIllinois]

1 hour ago, row_33 said:

 

i keep telling people at work that's its 80 and they don't believe me or the indoor thermometers in the office

 

if you take out the humidity it is very pleasant

 

 

It's 83° here with 40% humidity.  I have the central air cranked to 74°

 

Yesterday... Had windows open.  Wife chilled the house... Only got to 68°.  House got to 81°, that's bearable... But doable.  Thought we'd make it to middle week without having to run AC.  Ooops I was wrong!

[Misterbluesky]

1 hour ago, teef said:

Oh yeah. We have it. I have a wife that likes to be freezing...all...of...the ...time.   It’s a source of arguments for us. We actually have two units with two different thermostats.  One for the upstairs and one for the downstairs. I get ***** with on two different levels. 

Early sign of menopause.

Best of luck to you...

[row_33]

25 minutes ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

It's 83° here with 40% humidity.  I have the central air cranked to 74°

 

Yesterday... Had windows open.  Wife chilled the house... Only got to 68°.  House got to 81°, that's bearable... But doable.  Thought we'd make it to middle week without having to run AC.  Ooops I was wrong!

 

my portable unit would have to struggle to get things down to 76 degrees on a very humid day

 

I'm happy

 

 

[coloradobillsfan]

I believe there are more swampers out here than a/c, due to the dry climate

 

The main wall in my living room faces West - I have hit 90 degrees every month of the year due to greenhouse effect.  

Got a small window a/c unit that I affectionately call my 'cool breeze machine' because you really can't feel it unless you're right in front of it.  But as soon as the sun goes down the temp drops quickly and just a window fan is all I need to be comfortable enough to sleep.  

[ExiledInIllinois]

7 minutes ago, row_33 said:

 

my portable unit would have to struggle to get things down to 76 degrees on a very humid day

 

I'm happy

 

 

My 23 year old Rheem does struggle to 74° on humid days because my windows are original and 23 years old too.

 

Now... Today.  My AC kicked on... And went off 40 minutes ago.  But humidty is low.  Condensay still pisses strung and A-Coil kept clean and dirt, rust free... With a good slope. I added cleanout doors to my A-Coil  @ duct.

 

On humid day... It woulf struggle to keep 74°... Which with +3°setpoint is 77°.  I probably should run 75°/78°(+3° setpoint on humid days).

 

Just my windows... BUT now, I prefer the AC to run more constant and longer.  It's fan/compressor startup that is the energy draw.  Running longer is better for the fan/capacitor combo.... Then all that modern high-efficiency BS on/off/on/off crap.  That's what arcs the contactor and causes pre-mature wear!

[teef]

1 hour ago, Misterbluesky said:

Early sign of menopause.

Best of luck to you...

she's 33 so i hope not.  she just runs hot.  she always has, and i've know her since she was 26.

[Misterbluesky]

Just now, teef said:

she's 33 so i hope not.  she just runs hot.  she always has, and i've know her since she was 26.

You guys are kids..damn.?

[KD in CA]

On 7/6/2019 at 4:35 AM, SoTier said:

 

My first two cars not only didn't have AC, they only had AM radios. 

 

AC in cars was a big time luxury.  My parents cars didn’t have AC when I was a kid.  We had a ‘72 Vista Cruiser with the auto roll down back window.   That provided plenty of air while cruising on I-80 on our way to Minnesota in the summer.

 

In in the mid-80s, my brother an I drove his ‘78 Datsun 510 from San Antonio to SF in July.  No AC required.  We just made sure to get through Death Valley early in the morning.

 

As for radios, I’m sure I’m not the only one who had an FM converter in their first car.

[teef]

9 minutes ago, Misterbluesky said:

You guys are kids..damn.?

i'm a couple of months shy of 42, but i'm the eye candy in the relationship.