Is Phoenix worth it if you don't like the heat? (Sierra Vista: homes, scorpion)

[Cornelius61]

Phoenix has an intense amount of heat from June to October. There is no humidity and I think that makes it livable. It's that humidity that makes life so difficult in other places. But every year you can look forward to 100 degrees, at least, for summer. So if you really hate heat that much, forget it. The rest of the year is very nice here. No snow, ice, blizzards, tornadoes, freezing, snow drifts, shoveling snow, frozen batteries in the car, etc.

[fcorrales80]

Originally Posted by Cornelius61

Phoenix has an intense amount of heat from June to October. There is no humidity and I think that makes it livable. It's that humidity that makes life so difficult in other places. But every year you can look forward to 100 degrees, at least, for summer. So if you really hate heat that much, forget it. The rest of the year is very nice here. No snow, ice, blizzards, tornadoes, freezing, snow drifts, shoveling snow, frozen batteries in the car, etc.

True; but from personal taste, I think the intense heat last from late June-early September. It only froze 5 times last year in Phoenix (literally). However, some spots do so more often, this is just at the airport.

[cmist]

Originally Posted by AliveandWell

Yes, I have actually heard that the heat in PHX never lets up, that its relentless. You're right about L.A. cooling off at night, that is a huge difference from PHX and its obvious that it makes it more manageable. However, in the summer, I have to open the windows otherwise I won't be able to sleep because it will be too hot. Although PHX is usually hot and dry, this will be something I really have to think about before making the leap

Its still nice to have the option of opening your windows to cool off at night. Thats impossible in Phoenix in the summer. Opening your windows offers no relief in the evenings here either, it will just blow hot dusty air inside. When it is possible to open windows (spring and fall) you need to draw it inside with fans since its usually pretty still air and the dust gets pretty thick quickly. This isn't a complaint, it doesn't really bother us, but some people are irritated by the dust and should know.

You are extremely dependent on AC in Phx at all times in the summer for comfort unless you are swimming, or getting wet in some way.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by cmist

Its still nice to have the option of opening your windows to cool off at night. Thats impossible in Phoenix in the summer. Opening your windows will just blow hot dusty air inside. When it is possible to open windows and draw in air with fans, the dust gets pretty thick quickly. This isn't a complaint, it doesn't really bother us, but some people are irritated by it and should know.

You are extremely dependent on AC in Phx at all times in the summer for comfort unless you are swimming, or getting wet in some way.

While I'll admit the area is generally dust-challenged and you have to learn to accept a certain level of dust on surfaces in the house, certainly more than a rainy climate, this statement is nothing short of absurd. The dust doesn't get "thick" with the windows open. Maybe if you live on a dirt road.

We keep our front door open most days during March, April, May, and October (with a security door of course and we lock up at night given the kidnappers that are everywhere around here). The scorpions come in but I haven't noticed any increase in dust.

And, one gets extremely dependent on HEAT in most other places during fall, winter, and spring (and in places summer too). It's all relative.

[fcorrales80]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

While I'll admit the area is generally dust-challenged and you have to learn to accept a certain level of dust on surfaces in the house, certainly more than a rainy climate, this statement is nothing short of absurd. The dust doesn't get "thick" with the windows open. Maybe if you live on a dirt road.

We keep our front door open most days during March, April, May, and October (with a security door of course and we lock up at night given the kidnappers that are everywhere around here). The scorpions come in but I haven't noticed any increase in dust.

Why do you keep the kidnappers around? LOL

[cmist]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

While I'll admit the area is generally dust-challenged and you have to learn with a certain level of dust on surfaces in the house, certainly more than a rainy climate, this statement is nothing short of absurd. The dust doesn't get "thick" with the windows open. Maybe if you live on a dirt road.

Allow me to elaborate. I am not saying that it piles up on the floor and you are wading through muck, and scraping it off your kitchen table...

Have you never seen a crack of light glaring through your glass patio door or from your window blinds that illuminates a razor thin line of bright light? Then you see a wild amount of particulates floating all around? Its like shining a laser beam through smoke. That dust is still there even when the sun isn't illuminating it, and I do NOT live on a dirt road.

Its absurd to try and tell someone that they will not have more dust in their home when opening their windows. No matter where you live, there is desert all around. Sucking the dusty air inside is going to carry more dust than you would have coming in through your air conditioning filter. I said it doesn't bother me and it apparantly doesn't bother you either, but some people will be bothered by it, and if they are, why would you try and call that an absurd statement?

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by cmist

The reasons we have the amazing sunsets we do is because of the excess dust in the air and those sunsets are seen from everywhere not just dirt roads.

I hate to be difficult but the dust in our air has NOTHING to do with why we have lovely sunsets. It happens way up there, far, far above the dust bowl we live in. Using your own logic, if it did then the sunsets would be better along dirt roads.

Anyhow, I never told anyone they would not have dust in their houses whether they opened windows or not. The dust here is a challenge and woe be it to any homemaker who insists on taming it. I objected to your characterization of dust coming in the windows as "thick" which I did and continue to believe is a gross exaggeration.

We have a place in the mountains and have been going there for years and keeping our windows open using a fan for cooling if anything. We rarely if ever dust the place. There is less dust there after all these years of neglect than we accumulate in a week or so in Phoenix. Oh, and the sunsets there are just as nice as they are in Phoenix. Better even because the air is cleaner and the colors are sharper.

[cmist]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

I hate to be difficult but the dust in our air has NOTHING to do with why we have lovely sunsets. It happens way up there, far, far above the dust bowl we live in. Using your own logic, if it did then the sunsets would be better along dirt roads.

Anyhow, I never told anyone they would not have dust in their houses whether they opened windows or not. The dust here is a challenge and woe be it to any homemaker who insists on taming it. I objected to your characterization of dust coming in the windows as "thick" which I did and continue to believe is a gross exaggeration.

We have a place in the mountains and have been going there for years and keeping our windows open using a fan for cooling if anything. We rarely if ever dust the place. There is less dust there after all these years of neglect than we accumulate in a week or so in Phoenix. Oh, and the sunsets there are just as nice as they are in Phoenix. Better even because the air is cleaner and the colors are sharper.

I don't consider you being difficult for correcting me about the sunsets. I did a quick google on sunsets and saw its a common misconception on dust causing sunsets. I stand corrected on the cause of sunsets.

I hope I clarified that I was using thick in terms of the visibility in the air. Usually its not visible, but typically around sunset we get annoying beams of light shining through the cracks in the blinds of our living room and they just so happen to land right on our television too making it hard to see the screen... so I have to twist the blinds the other way in order to see something other than floating rays of dust. And its much worse when the windows are open than when we are running AC.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by cmist

I don't consider you being difficult for correcting me about the sunsets. I did a quick google on sunsets and saw its a common misconception on dust causing sunsets. I stand corrected on the cause of sunsets.

I hope I clarified that I was using thick in terms of the visibility in the air. Usually its not visible, but typically around sunset we get annoying beams of light shining through the cracks in the blinds of our living room and they just so happen to land right on our television too making it hard to see the screen... so I have to twist the blinds the other way in order to see something other than floating rays of dust. And its much worse when the windows are open than when we are running AC.

Curious, do you have carpets? We got rid of them for tile and hardwood and the dust is much improved - still there of course but noticeably better especially with the light beam test. The carpets seem to be a dust reservoir.

[cmist]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

Curious, do you have carpets? We got rid of them for tile and hardwood and the dust is much improved - still there of course but noticeably better especially with the light beam test. The carpets seem to be a dust reservoir.

Yes you are 100% right on that. Not only the carpets but the furniture as well. The kids love to plunk down on the couches hard and watch plumes of dust getting released into the sunbeams. We clean them regularly but it still doesn't take long to buildup.

I completely agree that carpets and upholstery will be reservoirs and see it first hand. I'm sure it could be minimized to a great extent with wood/tile/granite/linoleum floors and maybe leather/vinyl furniture.

My main point to the OP was that not only will you fail at bringing in cool air at night in the summer, but you will also bring in high levels dust. Might sound obvious to us, but these are the things some people don't think about. I only brought it up because he might think he can open his windows at night here for relief in the summer since he does that in LA