Cooling

[hellymedic]

The weather in the South of England seems to have turned HOT. It's a Bank Holiday weekend so opportunities for personal overheating through exposure or exertion are increased.
My MS symptoms are MUCH worse when I'm hot and I can't move away from the heat as easily as some.
I am even more useless than usual when I'm too hot so I thought the time might be ripe to share thoughts, hints and tips about keeping cool, so here are a few of mine.
Drink enough and ensure you're getting enough salt; if you're doing something which REALLY makes you sweat, consider electrolyte supplements like Nuun.
Hands and feet are good heat exchangers; immerse them in cold water. Consider washing dishes in cold water to get a productive outcome.
Evaporative cooling is effective. A wet hat or T-shirt can make you much more comfortable. You might like to take a cool shower.
Ice packs on the hands, thighs and tummy can be helpful.
Eating ice is nice! Ice cream, Slush drinks, iced drinks.
Immersion: a cool not cold bath or swim can 'sink' a lot of heat.

I have certainly experienced times when I have been overheated and miserable without realising that this was  an issue until after I had cooled down.

Please share any thoughts about heating and cooling!

PS: Take off your helmet if you are wearing one as soon as you get off the bike!

[Ham]

If I only had Bobb's hair.....

I'm in the camp of people that have studiously ignored all nutrition and hydration practices for years only to find that, regardless of how I might feel OK without, I feel more OK with.

[matthew]

I bludered today and left work at 2pm with an empty biddon on the bike 

25 minute ride to my eye test and the 50 minutes home at 4pm still no water. Fortunately i had drunk plent of water at my desk so was well hydrated at the start.

Still needed a long cold drink of lemon squash and a bowl of icecream when i got home before i could even think about a shower or dinner.

[mrcharly-YHT]

If you have hair, dampen it.
If you are bald, wear a damp buff or damp cotton cap.

A white helmet can help keep your head cool in the blazing hot sun (DON'T wear a dark coloured helmet).

Damp clothing cools you very effectively, but a soaking in ice cold water can have a bad effect.

Loose clothing is cooler than tight clothing.

[Kim]

A white helmet can help keep your head cool in the blazing hot sun (DON'T wear a dark coloured helmet).

That's a point - albedo of clothing generally.  Of course, the gotcha here is that human eyes are only sensitive to a small part of the EM spectrum, most of the energy in sunlight is in the infrared, dye chemistry is a non-trivial subject and technical clothing manufacturers are aware of these things.

Here I am modelling a BLACK YACF jersey for an IR camera:



As the image suggests, that hair is brilliant at absorbing radiant heat.  A wet cap can be very effective.

[hubner]

I think the following is for people who don't like hot weather:

don't go out when it's hot and sunny if you can avoid it!

stay indoors with windows opened and curtains/blinds closed.

don't do any strenuous activities.

If you have to be outside, stay in the shade whenever possible.

If you have to ride when its sunny and hot, keep the sun off your head by wearing a cap.

[Veloman]

stay indoors with windows opened and curtains/blinds closed.

No!

Agree with the curtains/blinds closed and mine have been closed for the last 3 days, but DON'T open the windows as it just lets all the warm air in and heats the house. You keep it cool during the evening and then open the windows during the day and let 30 deg C air rush in to your house leaving it too hot in the evening.

Had 2 windows wide open on opposite sides of house last night as I knew the temperature was dropping and high probability of rain.  Lovely through draft of cool air, but will close again as it warms up and keep the house cool.  Why have windows open to let all the heat in?

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Evaporative cooling?

[Polar Bear]

In my extensive experience open windows and keep internal doors open to allow airflow through the house.   Best way to cool the house imo.   I like to keep our blinds partially down or curtains partially drawn depending upon windows on the sunny side of the house* to reduce solar gain on warm and hot days.   

We get a very nice airflow through the house which I am at this moment enjoying.

* which changes during the day of course.

[Asterix, the former Gaul.]

Riding a bike in hot weather is good for evaporative cooling.  Long hill climbs on a sunny slope, not so good - that's when you need water to tip over your head, it's easy to drink too much thinking it'll cool you but it doesn't IME.  It's 25C at the moment and tomorrow they say it'll be 31C (but they keep saying that).    Am just off out when I've had a bit to eat.

Keeping windows shut only works until the walls get warmed up, after that you might as well enjoy the draught. 

[hellymedic]

I realise I have not mentioned fans.
This is because I HATE them so they aren't part of my mindset.
I appreciate other people find them helpful.
But they have not emerged in this thread.

[Polar Bear]

I have a tower fan which I do use but it only really helps to move the air, not to really 'cool' per se.   I set it oscillating in the corner and leave it to do it's stuff.   

I see it as a very low level assistance though every bit of relief is welcome.

[Kim]

I have a fan.  It's currently pointing towards the open window (although switched off, because today we have wind).  This is the hottest room of the house, and by blowing air out of the window cooler, drier air is drawn in through other rooms.  It achieves a sensible amount of air circulation in here without having to sit in the airstream.

In general, fans heat rooms and cool humans (or electronics etc).  If they're not moving air of a better temperature around, or cooling your skin, they won't achieve anything useful.

More generally, I'd suggest that where air circulation strategies are concerned, it's going to be a case of your house may vary.  There's going to be a huge difference in insolation, insulation, airflow and so on between different houses - not to mention security requirements - and it's hard to generalise.  This turn of the century terraced house has no insulation to speak of, only gets strong sunlight on one side in the afternoon, and there's usually a 2-4C difference in temperature between downstairs and upstairs (more in really hot weather).  The key to making it liveable is to get rid of the hot air from upstairs without letting too much pollen or sunlight in.

It's also hard to be really scientific about this sort of thing, unless you're geeky enough to have temperature and humidity sensors in all your rooms.

[hellymedic]

That's really useful, Kim!

I am geeky enough to have thermometers in most rooms and some scattered hygrometers.

This is a thirties semi, which has had loft and wall cavity insulation added later. Front of the house faces ENE and gets strong early morning sunshine this time of year; the back faces WSW and always gets afternoon sun. Our bathroom faces the 'free' wall, which faces NNW and gets little direct sun. Upstair frazzles...
... Around 26C at the timesI am dressing/undressing at present.

[Jakob W]

In really hot weather fans are good for evaporative cooling - I keep a damp flannel to hand at my desk and have a fan pointed at me. OTOH, my OH is very sensitive to the feel of the airflow over her, so she tends to use them to provide cooling air in/out of the window depending on outside temperatures.

[perpetual dan]

More generally, I'd suggest that where air circulation strategies are concerned, it's going to be a case of your house may vary. 

Indeed. Downstairs in Perpetual Towers is concrete floor and the rear in the shade. Naturally nice and cool, warms up if you get air flow on a hot day. The further up the tower you go the greater the need to have open windows to achieve a nice temperature on a hot day. The loft is best avoided in summer.

As for my approach to these things when out and about ... long but loose and light clothes (cf people that live around deserts), something to drink, keep out of the early afternoon sun (cf southern Europe), ice cream, dip in the sea but don't cook too long on the nudist beach to dry off.
 

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

My cat was getting too hot in the sun yesterday and cooled himself by the very practical means of going for a lie down in a cardboard box.

[Asterix, the former Gaul.]

I realise I have not mentioned fans.
This is because I HATE them so they aren't part of my mindset.
I appreciate other people find them helpful.
But they have not emerged in this thread.

Me too. Apart from disliking the sensation, they make my ears ring (tinnitus?) luckily it does wear off after time.

I have been for my bike ride and survived. No sunburn either altho my legs are paler then my arms.  Was certainly clinging to the shadows on the climbs. 

In my experience you want 2 layers if the sun is fierce.  The inner a good wicking T-shirt and the outer a jersey you can unzip. If you have only one the sun is too much on the back.

[BrianI]

If you are able to roll your tongue (and don't have issues with asthma etc), do try Yoga Sitali breath:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4B_Kestynw

it may look silly while doing this, but it actually works somewhat well!  (Excepting if your genetics means that you cannot roll your tongue...)

[Pedaldog.]

If you are able to roll your tongue (and don't have issues with asthma etc), do try Yoga Sitali breath:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4B_Kestynw

watched the video, tried it and it is really good, thanks Brian.

[rr]

A white helmet can help keep your head cool in the blazing hot sun (DON'T wear a dark coloured helmet).

That's a point - albedo of clothing generally.  Of course, the gotcha here is that human eyes are only sensitive to a small part of the EM spectrum, most of the energy in sunlight is in the infrared, dye chemistry is a non-trivial subject and technical clothing manufacturers are aware of these things.

Here I am modelling a BLACK YACF jersey for an IR camera:



As the image suggests, that hair is brilliant at absorbing radiant heat.  A wet cap can be very effective.

Very interesting, my yacf Jersey is black on the outside, white on the inside, on the other hand my shorts are black all the way through. I wonder if that makes a difference.

Hair is interesting, I keep mine at about 15mm in the summer, I'm a bit thin on top so wear a hat in the sun, as soon as I get to shade I take the hat off and rub my head spreading the sweat through it -- instant cooling.

Sent from my XT1562 using Tapatalk

[T42]

In my extensive experience open windows and keep internal doors open to allow airflow through the house.   Best way to cool the house imo.   I like to keep our blinds partially down or curtains partially drawn depending upon windows on the sunny side of the house* to reduce solar gain on warm and hot days.   

We get a very nice airflow through the house which I am at this moment enjoying.

* which changes during the day of course.

Depends on where you live/how hot it is.  It took us years to teach Mrs. T's parents not to come in out of 33° outside into the 25° house and open a window to cool down.

Re fans: we have a ceiling fan in the lounge, which is very effective.  I find that the best way to use tabletop fans is to put them on max and point them obliquely at a wall with the oscillating gear disengaged: that way they move a slow current of air round the room. You hardly notice a draught but the air becomes more breathable.

In the supermarkets here you can buy big spray cans of water, which blow out a fine mist. You spray them anywhere that's exposed to supplement normal sweat.

[seraphina]

I bring a stash of Buffs with me and give them a good soaking, then pop over head pirate styleeee and wrap them around my wrists for evaporative cooling.

[Salvatore]

I've used one of these on walking holidays in the Sahara and cycling in Italy in temperatures above 40 degrees C. It uses evaporative cooling, but unlike a buff or cotton cap the crystals dry out very slowly so it keeps cool for longer (2 or 3 days before it needs refreshing).

[Jakob]

If you are able to roll your tongue (and don't have issues with asthma etc), do try Yoga Sitali breath:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4B_Kestynw

it may look silly while doing this, but it actually works somewhat well!  (Excepting if your genetics means that you cannot roll your tongue...)

 And that magically increases the cooling of the body?