How to deal with the heat? (Jacksonville: apartment, house, living)

[LizardBoddah]

I've been in Jacksonville since last November and at first found the weather to be perfect. Little did I know what was coming right around the corner!

Our air conditioning is broke. We've been spending our days sweating constantly and feeling lethargic until late at night when the house finally cools off a little.

How does everyone cope with it? Obviously a cool glass of water, cold shower, etc hold off the overheating for a time but it always creeps back.

I've been trying to adapt, after all I've survived through ice cold snowy winters every year until moving here, but I'm finding the constant heat to be very testing. Sweating all day long is not nice.

Overall I wish the weather was like it was in November which I found very pleasant. The few COLD days we had in the winter were entirely bearable. We had no heating but a few blankets and socks did us fine.

[abvavgjoe]

Welcome to Florida! It gets much worse. Wait until July! Sometimes I spray myself with a squirt bottle filled with water while sitting near a fan. It's the price we pay for not having to deal with snow in the winter.

[madcapmagishion]

Geez this is nothing wait till August and its 106* and 98% humidity get a large bucket of water fill with ice and soak ur feet wont really help but you will feel some cooler

[JagFan27]

How do I handle the heat? I stay inside, with the a/c on.
I recommend you get your a/c fixed as it is only going to get hotter.

[ssclulow]

Drink lots of cold water, turn on fans, close your curtains on the sunny side of the house, sit in a tub of cold water. Your body will acclimate in a couple of years.

[yamahastar]

Maine is nice! This is what happens when people move to "paradise".

[Nightman_Cometh]

You cant deal with it if you dont have a working ac. Get it fixed then it will be worth living here

[BabyBoomers2]

It makes the old JEA bill go up some, but the AC goes on. In the morning, we have the living room window and back door open until it gets unbearably warm inside our apartment. And, you think this is hot, wait til July/August and the humidity really kicks in! We've been her in Jax for almost 2 1/2 yrs now and have pretty much got use to it...........but, to us, it's STILL "paradise"!! Beats the heck out of wearing a winter parka and shoveling inches-to feet of snow! Some folks are luck though, they have two homes, a summer one and a winter one. Not us.

[LizardBoddah]

Thanks for the replies.

True, it beats having to deal with the snow every year. Snow is always beautiful on the first fall when it coats the woods in pure glistening white. After that... not so good.

And I would rather be half-naked in Florida sweating than in ten layers of clothes somewhere else trying to survive the cold.

Your prophecies of the coming months are frightening though! What I don't understand is - how did people manage before air conditioning? What about the natives that lived in these areas for hundreds of years? I guess they found shade and sat in it until night time.

During the late summer heat, are the nights bearable? Do they cool off? I can just about tolerate sweating the entire day through if the promise of a cool night lies ahead. Makes it all worth it, a gift for one's patience.

That's one thing I've come to appreciate here - the natural cycles of day and night, sun and moon. In the day the sun blazes here, an all pervading massive presence. Delirious with heat and light. But the nights are generally calm, cool, subtle breezes shivering the skin nicely. The moon shines silently.

[BlueWillowPlate]

Originally Posted by LoveBoating

It makes the old JEA bill go up some, but the AC goes on. In the morning, we have the living room window and back door open until it gets unbearably warm inside our apartment. And, you think this is hot, wait til July/August and the humidity really kicks in! We've been her in Jax for almost 2 1/2 yrs now and have pretty much got use to it...........but, to us, it's STILL "paradise"!! Beats the heck out of wearing a winter parka and shoveling inches-to feet of snow! Some folks are luck though, they have two homes, a summer one and a winter one. Not us.

Yes.
I know some people who will be leaving town in a month or so, and will not return until the fall.
By August/September, I will be wishing I could do the same. But that's the trade-off for not dealing with snowstorms.
Getting out on the water (boat or beach) helps a lot.
And for people on the coast, there are usually nice afternoon breezes.

Originally Posted by LizardBoddah

Your prophecies of the coming months are frightening though! What I don't understand is - how did people manage before air conditioning? What about the natives that lived in these areas for hundreds of years? I guess they found shade and sat in it until night time.

I've often thought about this, especially when touring historic homes, be they Cracker or mansion. I think about the heavy clothing people wore, and how they had to go to work in long skirts or woolen suits.
If you don't know any different--and they didn't--you just deal with it.

People who built homes back then had to adapt to the environment rather than vice versa.
I take notice of the covered porches (often the length of the house), and windows and doors that are positioned for cross breezes (we have both of these features, and it does help.)
Some homes have "dog trots" (and outdoor hall or breezeway.)
I toured Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings' home in Cross Creek and was very impressed with how she lived. She made the best of it. She did not have indoor plumbing until she had her first major publishing success.

During the late summer heat, are the nights bearable? Do they cool off? I can just about tolerate sweating the entire day through if the promise of a cool night lies ahead. Makes it all worth it, a gift for one's patience.

That's one thing I've come to appreciate here - the natural cycles of day and night, sun and moon. In the day the sun blazes here, an all pervading massive presence. Delirious with heat and light. But the nights are generally calm, cool, subtle breezes shivering the skin nicely. The moon shines silently.

Compared to my former home of Colorado, the nights really don't cool off all that much during the summer, some more stifling than others. We still have to have the AC on, and I have a love/hate relationship with it (I really prefer fresh air, but need a cool bedroom.) Sometime in October, we are able to turn off the AC and open the windows.

I agree with you about the natural cycles.
I swim outside (at the rec center) 12 months a year, and enjoy the way that swim stays the same, but everything else changes: The temperature, position of the moon, timing of the sunrise, the birds I see, etc.

You probably better get your AC fixed, Lizard.
By the end of May you could really be having a tough time, I'm afraid.