Tips for surviving Tisha B'av without an air conditioner

amother

Maroon

Wed, Jul 11 2018, 6:49 pm

Very sensitive to heat, and a.c. broke. Please share tips.

simba

Wed, Jul 11 2018, 6:52 pm

Go to somewhere with air conditioning. Do not try and make it through without. A friend, neighbor, shul, hotel lobby, hospital waiting area.. nyc has cooling centers.

amother

Teal

Wed, Jul 11 2018, 7:13 pm

Try to spend the day at relatives/friends.
If not possible, it's a nidcha so ask a Sheila what you should do.

pesek zman

Wed, Jul 11 2018, 7:13 pm

But a new one! Tisha bav is several days away!

Cmon be nice

Wed, Jul 11 2018, 8:45 pm

pesek zman wrote:

But a new one! Tisha bav is several days away!

Its 10 days away! Any chance of getting it fixed or replaced?

amother

Mistyrose

Wed, Jul 11 2018, 9:24 pm

The Monsey View actually has an article about surviving the heat without an AC this week. Not sure how much can be actually implemented in this day and age, as its more historical, but maybe you'll get some ideas...

themonseyview.com

page 103

SpottedBanana

Wed, Jul 11 2018, 9:55 pm

simba wrote:

Go to somewhere with air conditioning. Do not try and make it through without. A friend, neighbor, shul, hotel lobby, hospital waiting area.. nyc has cooling centers.

Or a library, a train station...

veiznisht

Wed, Jul 11 2018, 11:08 pm

Cmon be nice wrote:

Its 10 days away! Any chance of getting it fixed or replaced?

Get a window unit at least from Bingo! It's worth it!

Ruchel

Thu, Jul 12 2018, 4:08 am

We started with window units before splurging on the real thing.
They had to be emptied every few hours. You imagine the problem on shabbes. For TBA I got an out of the box psak then. Please ask a shaila.

HonesttoGod

Fri, Jul 13 2018, 12:13 am

My husband went to buy a new AC unit for our bedroom ON 9Av one year because the one we had was so bad.
I recommend buying one even if its cheap and small.

amother

Saddlebrown

Fri, Jul 13 2018, 12:17 am

1- fix it
2- buy some window units
3- go away

Fri, Jul 13 2018, 7:12 am

I got into the habit of pouring some cold water down inside my shirt when in remote places with little or no a/c. Aaaah mechaye.

watergirl

Fri, Jul 13 2018, 7:48 am

veiznisht wrote:

Get a window unit at least from Bingo! It's worth it!

Great tip, but Bingo is a Brooklyn store Smile

OP, can you go to walmart/target/other appliance store and get a window unit? Some neighborhoods have AC window unit gmachs for short term loan while you’re waiting for yours to be fixed, that may be something for you to consider also. See if anybody has fans that you could borrow as well. The other suggestions of going to cool areas are great also. Is there a library near you?

PinkFridge

Fri, Jul 13 2018, 7:50 am

First of all, let's hope Moshiach's here by then so this will be moot.
I hope you're able to manage and are in a position to replace or repair the AC. And that it will be cooler than we expect it to be.
And I second talking to a rav when the time comes especially because it is nidche. This isn't to be taken lightly, but it's also important not to forget this.

amother

Maroon

Fri, Jul 13 2018, 10:52 am

Thank you for all your suggestions.
Working to fix AC situation, but it may not happen in time.
Cooling centers not an option because cannot go out in heat or sun without a drink.
Any tips to make home environment more tolerable?

amother

Smokey

Fri, Jul 13 2018, 10:59 am

Cold wet towel on a fan can help or lots of wet towels/ laundry hanging in the room on hangers and laundry rack with the fan blowing. Wash on gentle so they stay wet longer or wet by hand wring it out and hang. I would only use it as a last resort if you can't find somewhere with ac to hang out. Try it next week to see if it works for you at all.

amother

Mistyrose

Fri, Jul 13 2018, 11:04 am

amother wrote:

Here's the workable tips I found from that article:

Many years later, when the English occupied India, they used this same method by leaving the ends of cotton/linen curtains in a bucket of water. The curtain wicked up the water and the breeze would filter through it, creating a cooling sensation.

While we’ve all been taught that white reflects the sun’s heat, we were never told that it also reflects our internal body heat — causing it to come right back at us. Black, on the other hand, absorbs both the sun’s heat and our own heat. The trick to dissipating those heats is to wear loose-fitting clothing, like bedouin robes. This captures breeze and pushes heat out of the clothing, leaving you feeling a lot cooler. can use a fan for breeze, of course. add sa spritz of water. Spray into fan and it will blow back at you.
You can also put a block of ice in front of a fan to get similar cooling.

Hand fans

ICE PACKS
Freeze a large bottle of water, put it in a pillowcase, and cuddle it like a teddy as you drift off to sleep. This cools the core temperature, leaving you more comfortable.
Alternatively, you can use regular ice packs on the neck or other areas to bring relief.
WET LINEN
It’s probably not a great idea to completely soak your bed, but slightly wetting linen when in a situation of no AC can help you manage the heat.

keym

Fri, Jul 13 2018, 11:17 am

Just want to point out that some of these solutions involving shpritz fans, pouring cold water on your body, etc MAY be a problem of rechitza- one of the inuyim of the day.
Ask your LOR.

watergirl

Fri, Jul 13 2018, 11:23 am

amother wrote:

I’ll repeat some of my suggestions. AC unit gmach. Borrow fans. Buy window unit. Borrow window unit.

And a new one: spend 9av at someone elses house.

das

Fri, Jul 13 2018, 11:26 am

Where do you live? I have some ac window units in my attic that I had in my summer home before we put in central. You can borrow it if you live in my city. Pm me.