its a heatwave

[wellington1869]

its not as bad as they predicted but its bad enough.

broke down and bought a new AC from bestbuy.  My old one was a glorified dehumidifier when i got it, and is currently a glorified window fan.

Problem is the fuse in our apartment keeps blowing cuz everyone's got their ac's blasting.  I'll be adding mine to the mix, and together my roommates and I will ensure that no one gets to use their ac, lol.

I'll have to set up a schedule where we turn on our ac's one at a time in shifts!  If someone doesnt follow the schedule, easy -- just turn yours on anyway and the fuse blows and no one gets ac
Lol.

Bought an 'energy star' model. Feeling very environmentally friendly, tho truth be told I was forced to look for a low-current-draw model because of that fuse problem, lol.

[TheSoulhunter]

This sucks, but I know the problem well...
Washing-machine, water-heater, vacuum-cleaner, microwave,
if I turn on more than one of those, our fuse flips as well! >_<

[lmnop]

why don't you buy a fuse that has more amperage?

[itlnstln]

Pussies.

[hyperlinked]

Pussies.

It's not dry heat.

One of my summers in Boston I spent riding out a heat wave in a very hot and very poorly ventilated apartment. It was so hot that I barely got more than a hour or two of sleep 15 minutes at a time for three days. When I finally was so exhausted that I slept for a full hour, I woke up to the sound of splashing water when I rolled over.

I jumped straight out of bed. "What the ****!! I pissed in my pants? I can't believe I pissed my pants!"

Then I patted my pants. They were damp, but not all that wet. I took a sniff. Nope, didn't smell like I used my bed as the loo. It was so hot that a puddle of sweat gathered on my bed.

Gross at it might sound, I was so tired that I splashed back into bed and slept for another hour.

[itlnstln]

It's not dry heat.

It isn't here, either.  90%+ humidity pretty much every day. We get the Gulf air coming in from the south.

Our living spaces, offices, etc. are setup to better handle heat, though.

[gr1m]

I might take my computer and set up at the local mall that has AC. I hope nobody minds my interval masturbating.

[phillip]

i'd die without a/c

[itlnstln]

I go out and play disc golf in this.  It's no biggie.  Just make sure you have plenty of water with you.

[TheSoulhunter]

why don't you buy a fuse that has more amperage?

1. I live in a flat for rent, so the landlord would kick my ass when I tinker with his electro installations without authorization...
2. Even worse, if the house burns down, the insurance wouldn't pay a single cent, and I had to pay like a million dollars on my own

[Computer-Lab in Basement]

I go out and play disc golf in this.  It's no biggie.  Just make sure you have plenty of water with you.

Why not play real golf?  Just hope they are watering the greens when you are playing.

[itlnstln]

Why not play real golf?  Just hope they are watering the greens when you are playing.

Real golf isn't as fun.  Besides the lack of greens in disc golf, we don't have any water in this part of the state, either.

[wellington1869]

why don't you buy a fuse that has more amperage?

well i have to assume this amperege cutoff is in there for a reason... and that if we increase it the place would burn down from an overloaded outlet somewhere...

[wellington1869]

This sucks, but I know the problem well...
Washing-machine, water-heater, vacuum-cleaner, microwave,
if I turn on more than one of those, our fuse flips as well! >_<

another plus here is this AC comes with a remote control (my first remote control AC unit, feels decadent). I usually have to turn off the AC when I turn on the microwave  and the remote makes it a lot easier to do that.

[wellington1869]

It's not dry heat.

One of my summers in Boston I spent riding out a heat wave in a very hot and very poorly ventilated apartment. It was so hot that I barely got more than a hour or two of sleep 15 minutes at a time for three days. When I finally was so exhausted that I slept for a full hour, I woke up to the sound of splashing water when I rolled over.

omg that was me last night. My bed was soaked. I got like 2 hours of sleep. Picking up my ac unit from BB this afternoon, cant wait.

yea, not a dry heat

I looked into dehumidifiers but they're just as expensive as AC's. Also dehumidifiers heat up a room cuz their heat exchange isnt sitting outside on the window sill. Its too bad because their current draw is probably somewhat less than an AC.

[wellington1869]

I go out and play disc golf in this.  It's no biggie.  Just make sure you have plenty of water with you.

I used to play tennis in this, back in the day. I could never do school work in this tho. Or sleep well. Just came from a long weekend at my friends place in jersey, having experienced central air for 3 days, I guess I got spoiled

So I have high hopes for this ac unit.  Its got "low starting voltage" feature, and a low power "economode". Draws about 4.5 amps, which is low (at 5000 btu's, most units drew over 5 amps). I hope it works.  

According to the guv'ments energy star table, this model is "13%" more efficient than the norm. (Damn, big guv'ment knows everything).  I did see two models that were "20%" more efficient, which sounds like a lot, but they cost $400. (I got this one for a mere $123).

[wellington1869]

I might take my computer and set up at the local mall that has AC. I hope nobody minds my interval masturbating.

hell they'd probably join you.

[Nonmouse]

omg that was me last night. My bed was soaked. I got like 2 hours of sleep. Picking up my ac unit from BB this afternoon, cant wait.

yea, not a dry heat

I looked into dehumidifiers but they're just as expensive as AC's. Also dehumidifiers heat up a room cuz their heat exchange isnt sitting outside on the window sill. Its too bad because their current draw is probably somewhat less than an AC.

A dehumidifier is just a smallish AC unit- they just condense the water out on the cold side of the circuit.  Many (most?) ACs have a dehumidifier setting these days.

100° and 90% humidity here yesterday.  Had to keep the AC cranked to keep my reef tank from boiling its inhabitants.

[wellington1869]

I think this unit has a dehumidifier mode (unclear from the description tho i've seen that feature on the latest window AC units). That might allow me to keep it running constantly (lower power draw?) and still get some cooling effect from dehumidification. Fingers crossed.

[Nonmouse]

Does it have a powersave mode?  On mine, when it's on "Energy Saver", it switches the fan off when the compressor goes off, instead of running it constantly, so it uses less juice

[phillip]

I go out and play disc golf in this.  It's no biggie.  Just make sure you have plenty of water with you.

well you're a crazy dude

[wellington1869]

Does it have a powersave mode?  On mine, when it's on "Energy Saver", it switches the fan off when the compressor goes off, instead of running it constantly, so it uses less juice

I think it does. That might be the economode. Its got like a dozen modes.

One interesting mode is "sleep mode" where it raises the temperature by a few degrees an hour while you sleep. I think the idea is that as the outside air cools down overnight it will reduce its power consumption that way.

Not that the outside air has been cooling overnight these days.

I actually came in to work early just so i can sit in the freezing cold of my office  They crank the ac in here.

[Computer-Lab in Basement]

Just to add some picture evidence:



And that was after the car was sitting in the shade for 6 hours.

EDIT: I fixed the pic.

[wellington1869]

How long do your window AC units last?  (ie, effectively cool down a room).  I've never had one that lasted more than 2 years. (Even when diligently cleaning the filter). Is it because i've always bought the inexpensive ones? Does that make a difference?

I dont get that because refridgerators use basically the same mechanism and those last for decades.

[wellington1869]

Just to add some picture evidence:

Show Image

And that was after the car was sitting in the shade for 6 hours.

cant see pic

[microsoft windows]

I don't have an air conditioner. Up here in CT there's no need for one.

[wellington1869]

I don't have an air conditioner. Up here in CT there's no need for one.

how can that be? you're between ny and boston and right in the middle of the heatwave!

[Computer-Lab in Basement]

Just look at the evidence:



That was in CT.

[kishy]

How long do your window AC units last?  (ie, effectively cool down a room).  I've never had one that lasted more than 2 years. (Even when diligently cleaning the filter). Is it because i've always bought the inexpensive ones? Does that make a difference?

I dont get that because refridgerators use basically the same mechanism and those last for decades.

We had a sleeve type unit (sleeve != window, but similar build style), a late 1980s/early 1990s Electrohome.

We got it used and ran it all day, every day, every summer of my life until 2-3 years ago (I'm 20 now), and it now does similar duty for a family friend.

It won't stand up to all day abuse anymore as the compressor is worn to crap and it'll drop into some sub-functional really noisy condition if run for more than a few hours at a time, but it still runs. It's been serviced a maximum of 5 times in those 20 years.

It does happen to dim every light, CRT TV and monitor, and digital clock upon being turned on, so probably not the most energy efficient unit...but damn, that's longevity.

Gave it away upon moving into a house with central air. Unfortunately, the unit here is a good 15 years old, and apparently that's on the high end of central air life expectancy.

[wellington1869]

We had a sleeve type unit (sleeve != window, but similar build style), a late 1980s/early 1990s Electrohome.

We got it used and ran it all day, every day, every summer of my life until 2-3 years ago (I'm 20 now), and it now does similar duty for a family friend.

It won't stand up to all day abuse anymore as the compressor is worn to crap and it'll drop into some sub-functional really noisy condition if run for more than a few hours at a time, but it still runs. It's been serviced a maximum of 5 times in those 20 years.

It does happen to dim every light, CRT TV and monitor, and digital clock upon being turned on, so probably not the most energy efficient unit...but damn, that's longevity.

Gave it away upon moving into a house with central air. Unfortunately, the unit here is a good 15 years old, and apparently that's on the high end of central air life expectancy.

hmmm, maybe i should put a sleeve on the unit. (thats what she said). Wonder if that makes a difference.
I know folks who've had window units that lasted a decade. I've had like four AC's so far, each lasted only about 2 years. I must be doing something wrong or buying the wrong kind.

[kishy]

'Sleeve' being the metal box in the wall specifically designed for air conditioners, necessitating an air conditioner which has no side vents...using a window unit (especially one of decent size) in a sleeve is likely to result in death within 2 years.

I'm having a hard time finding a photo of one though, a lot of results for 'air conditioner sleeve' don't look like the right thing. It's basically a metal box, permanently mounted in the wall, with the inside and outside parts removable so the a/c can stick through. You then fill in the space around the unit with foam insulation.

[wellington1869]

'Sleeve' being the metal box in the wall specifically designed for air conditioners, necessitating an air conditioner which has no side vents...using a window unit (especially one of decent size) in a sleeve is likely to result in death within 2 years.

I'm having a hard time finding a photo of one though, a lot of results for 'air conditioner sleeve' don't look like the right thing. It's basically a metal box, permanently mounted in the wall, with the inside and outside parts removable so the a/c can stick through. You then fill in the space around the unit with foam insulation.

home depot sells just the sleeve, i think they have one for window units. Though you're right, the placement of the vents would be key.

When i move out into my own place I'll spring for a more expensive unit, just to see if it lasts longer.

I just walked outside, it was like a furnace blast in the face. Its like standing under a magnifying glass being held over you by some 50-foot kid.

Less humid than yesterday though.

[wellington1869]

i got a zipcar, by the way.  looking forward to taking one for a spin soon. Maybe i'll take one to pick up the AC.

got a discount on the annual fee thru my school.  The zipcar parking spot is like a block from my house.

They have some neat models to rent, too. Including a bmw (never driven one, i'm going to rent the zipcar one just to drive it), a mini (ditto), a mazda 3 (ditto), and some cool suv type stuff.

Cheaper than a cab... $8/hour, gas included, insurance included, 180 miles included. Not bad at all.  Road trip, anyone?

[microsoft windows]

Yesterday was gorgeous. It was warm, but there was a little bit of a cool breeze. Wasn't too humid either.

At least here in CT, it's more humid than yesterday, but it hasn't gotten to 100 degrees outside (It's 102 in the office I''m working in right now).

[wellington1869]

Yesterday was gorgeous. It was warm, but there was a little bit of a cool breeze. Wasn't too humid either.

At least here in CT, it's more humid than yesterday, but it hasn't gotten to 100 degrees outside (It's 102 in the office I''m working in right now).

lol, dude, you're so full of ****. If i cant trust your weather reports, how will i ever trust your views on the good society?

[microsoft windows]

It actually is 102 in the office I've been working in today. I'm working on a computer in an office in a school, and there is no air conditioning. There are just big windows and closed doors (Heard of greenhouse effect).

[lmnop]

well i have to assume this amperege cutoff is in there for a reason... and that if we increase it the place would burn down from an overloaded outlet somewhere...

3 summers ago I had 2 window units installed and a fuse was blown so I bought a pack of fuses but they kept blowing because the amperage was to low so I bought a pack of fuses with double the amperage, closed one eye and screwed it in.

I haven't had a problem since and my apartment hasn't burned down. I run 2 computers and 2 5000 BTU window units on 1 fuse.

it's 44'c today with the humidity.

[kishy]

Typical circuits are given 10 or 15A breakers/fuses.

Going beyond that is a fire risk - the limit is 15 for a reason. Air conditioners are ideally given their own circuit with nothing else on it. If not possible, just put as few things as possible on the same one.

[ch_123]

Remember folks, wires are only rated to take so much current over them. If a circuit in your house was given a certain Amperage of fuse, it was probably done so for a good reason.

[lmnop]

yeah remember folks italians have more balls than brains.

I don't know much about electrical. my fuse box is labeled 1, 2, 3, 4 I had to guess which one was which. 1=Living Room and Kitchen, 2=Kitchen Oven, 3=Bedrooms, 4=Bathroom.

[microsoft windows]

I made an air conditioner the office. I put a fan inside a refridgerator that was turned on.

[kishy]

yeah remember folks italians have more balls than brains.

I don't know much about electrical. my fuse box is labeled 1, 2, 3, 4 I had to guess which one was which. 1=Living Room and Kitchen, 2=Kitchen Oven, 3=Bedrooms, 4=Bathroom.

Simplistic circuit breakers suck.

Our old 2 bedroom apartment had no less than 10 breakers (15A for all the normal circuits). Very well set up, if we'd wanted to we could have run a LOT of stuff without issue.

[microsoft windows]

My house doesn't have circut breakers. I still use fuses.

[Computer-Lab in Basement]

I think the forum moderator should consider banning MS Windows.  His input is utterly worthless...

[lmnop]

I like him he is nostalgic

[Computer-Lab in Basement]

I don't have any issue with him, he just says some of the most useless information sometimes.

[muchadoaboutnothing]

What it's like when microsoft windows joins a thread (he's in the back):

[Computer-Lab in Basement]

Good one muchadoaboutnothing.  Now we just need to wait for him to say something about all this.

[lmnop]

seniority is a *****

[ch_123]

yeah remember folks italians have more balls than brains.

In Italy, electricity was originally distributed in houses in two circuits until the 1970s - one for appliances, and one for lighting. The reason being that the government deemed electrical lightning an important need and appliances were seen as a luxury, so the electricity for lighting was charged much cheaper than the electricity for appliances.

The result? Lots of appliances were hooked up to light fittings...

[muchadoaboutnothing]

In Italy, electricity was originally distributed in houses in two circuits until the 1970s - one for appliances, and one for lighting. The reason being that the government deemed electrical lightning an important need and appliances were seen as a luxury, so the electricity for lighting was charged much cheaper than the electricity for appliances.

The result? Lots of appliances were hooked up to light fittings...

Makes sense. Why pay more?

What was the pricing difference anyways? Was it twice as much? More?

[wellington1869]

I made an air conditioner the office. I put a fan inside a refridgerator that was turned on.

if you leave the fridge door open, you can counteract global warming

[lmnop]

that was informative.

[ch_123]

Makes sense. Why pay more?

What was the pricing difference anyways? Was it twice as much? More?

I don't know the specifics. Apparently in addition to the rate being different, there was some sort of taxation which was less for lighting.

[wellington1869]

The result? Lots of appliances were hooked up to light fittings...

thats hilarious.

[wellington1869]

I regret to report there were no donuts at my meeting.

[microsoft windows]

If useless commentary warranted banning, Ripster would be long gone.

[microsoft windows]

Aww that's too bad.


There was a shindig going on though in the air-conditioned cafeteria, so I stole some cream puffs. They were good.

[wellington1869]

Aww that's too bad.


There was a shindig going on though in the air-conditioned cafeteria, so I stole some cream puffs. They were good.

I could have used some cream puffs. it was a 2 hour meeting.

[wellington1869]

I don't know the specifics. Apparently in addition to the rate being different, there was some sort of taxation which was less for lighting.

everything i know about post war italy comes from watching Bicycle Thief.

[microsoft windows]

I could have used some cream puffs. it was a 2 hour meeting.

Was there air conditioning?

[ch_123]

I learned that (IIRC) from Wikipedia's page on electrical plugs, a page that any self-respecting nerd should read before they die.

Comes in useful in the most unusual of places. In my first year of college, we had to do a course that covered the physics of electricity amongst other things. The lecturer for said course was a washed-out idiot who admitted to us that he hated his job and was stuck in it, a fact that he would take out on his with mind-numbingly boring lectures, and refusing to give us notes, so forcing us to pay attention to him.

In one lecture, he was talking about plugs for some reason or another, and said something to the effect of "Whereas we have a three-pin plug, many other countries only have two pin plugs, such as the US". Being as much of a troll in real life as I'm online, I raised my hand and pointed out to him that there are three-pin US plugs, and that their sockets are designed for them. He then went on a tirade about how he never had seen a US plug with three pins on the various occasions he had been in the US. Between all this, we were spared several minutes of him trying to teach us stuff we'd never need.

He then goes, "Well, they don't have three pin plugs in Germany". So one of my friends goes in for the finishing blow, and raises his hand to point out that Germany does in fact have three pin plugs, it's just that the third 'pin' is a contact on the top of the plug. Cues more waffle from the lecturer about how he had never seen a three pin plug in Germany.

After that, he gave up, and ended the lecture about 5-10 minutes early.

[wellington1869]

After that, he gave up, and ended the lecture about 5-10 minutes early.

so it does pay to troll
I should have raised my hand several times in this dumb ass meeting. Instead I did experiments on myself to see if I could actually sleep with my eyes open.

[wellington1869]

Was there air conditioning?

yes, thank goodness. No shindig though. I enjoy a good square dance in mid afternoon.

[wellington1869]

so i'm about to pick up my first zipcar. very exciting.
i wanted the mini convertible or the bmw, but of course they're taken. The hybrid is out too (wanted to try it out, oh well). So I got a volvo s40.  Volvos aint what they used to be, but heck I guess it beats a nissan sentra.

[microsoft windows]

yes, thank goodness. No shindig though. I enjoy a good square dance in mid afternoon.

It wasn't litterally a shindig with square dancing, but it was a party to celebrate retiring staff members.

[Nonmouse]

everything i know about post war italy comes from watching Bicycle Thief.

Sheesh, you haven't at least seen La Dolce Vita?

[wellington1869]

Sheesh, you haven't at least seen La Dolce Vita?

i actually havent! I know its supposed to be great, but i never got into fellini. Havent seen 8 1/2 either. They're in my netflix queue tho.
But I really liked bicycle thief

bicycle thief was one of those movies that i liked before i knew what it was.  They were showing it at a movie course at my old college and i was walking by.  Poked my head in the auditorium to see whats going on.  I was hooked in 30 seconds and stayed till the end and left the place seriously impressed with 1940's european cinema.

It was only later that I found out what it was called (and then found out that, geez, everyone and their grandmother liked bicycle thief).  Its like coming across central park and going home and reporting that you've discovered a really neat huge park in new york. Sheesh.

[wellington1869]

It wasn't litterally a shindig with square dancing

i figured  Thats too bad

[wellington1869]

volvo s40: thumbs up, tho truth be told its like an accord with leather seats.

zipcar: thumbs up, cheaper than a cab but i'll prolly only use it rarely (i've only used cabs rarely).

new AC unit: Rock On!!!! I might actually get some sleep tonight

[Nonmouse]

i actually havent! I know its supposed to be great, but i never got into fellini. Havent seen 8 1/2 either. They're in my netflix queue tho.
But I really liked bicycle thief

La Dolce Vita is enormously more accessible than 8 1/2- though it's been um... decades... <.< >.> since I've watched either of them (just Netflix queued them).  

La Dolce Vita is about late postwar Italy, a very, very different world from just postwar italy that The Bicycle Thief portrays.   LDV is not particularly, or at least necessarily about Italy- it could have been set in New York or London or even (West) Berlin of the same era.  That being said, it does illuminate 1950s Italy and Italian attitudes of the time.

[wellington1869]

La Dolce Vita is enormously more accessible than 8 1/2- though it's been um... decades... <.< >.> since I've watched either of them (just Netflix queued them).  

La Dolce Vita is about late postwar Italy, a very, very different world from just postwar italy that The Bicycle Thief portrays.   LDV is not particularly, or at least necessarily about Italy- it could have been set in New York or London or even (West) Berlin of the same era.  That being said, it does illuminate 1950s Italy and Italian attitudes of the time.

ok, ok, i'll bump it up the netflix queue  Now i'm intrigued. yea, 8 1/2 seemed totally non-accessible. Its like i'd have to borrow a joint from voixdelion just to get thru it.

[wellington1869]

they're doing amazing things with ACs these days. First off I thought my old unit was small and light. It was a really tiny 4500 btu old panasonic model. The new one is literally half the weight. I didnt realize that until I hauled the old one out the window and i was like holy ****.
second, the new one is half the noise, too.

and best of all -- i'm using the new one full blast and the lights havent even dimmed! It truly is low current compared to the old one (three cheers for 'energy star'! Damn, maybe "big guv'ment" is useful after all).  Will be a relief to not have to keep resetting that fuse. So far so good. Slept like a baby last night.

still dont believe it'll last longer than 2 years, but my friend who buys $900 ac units said his last 10 years or more, so maybe next time i'll spring for a pricier one. Apparently it does make a difference as far as longevity goes. My friend thinks the freon leaks out of the cheaper ones and is more securely sealed in the pricey ones. who knows.

[gr1m]

I have something similar for my bedroom. It reaches my knees and is about as thick and wide as a water fountain; in other words, nice and compact. 10k BTUs. I had to remove one of my windows and improvise a ghetto cardboard+nylon replacement to feed the air duct out, but it does the job.

[wellington1869]

Sheesh, you haven't at least seen La Dolce Vita?

ok, just watched it last night.  It was good, for sure, but i'm still not sure what it was about, lol.

but visually its excellent, very striking, right from the very arresting opening sequence.

3 hour movie.

yea i can see how it would have been considered shocking in its time (1960-ish), tho of course tame by today's standards.

not quite neo-realist stuff, apparently with this movie fellini moved from his neo realist roots to more psychological/fantasy stuff. I guess it prepares me to watch 8 1/2 soon.

What was the movie about? clearly its ambiguous and apparently people have made whole careers out of interpreting dolce vita.
There are gestures towards modern alienation and rejecting bourgeoise ordered society and embracing nihilism instead. Again, for 1960's, this might have been a welcome message, today its not good enough (for me anyway) as a liberatory or moral gesture (since i cannot be a nihilist no matter the criticisms about bourgeoise society or modern alienation, all of which are valid, but the alternative needs to do better than nihilism).

that said, was it entertaining? hell yea. Thought provoking? yes. Can I see why its so influential? Yea, I can.  I can also see that woody allen (a confirmed fellini fan) stole so much from this movie (and probably 8 1/2) as he freely admits. (Probably as much fellini in woody allen as there is swedish existentialism and ingmar bergman.) Whole scenes here reminded me of whole scenes in various woody allen movies. The overlapping dialogues, the themes and juxtapositions and comedy of manners type stuff, etc.


Next in my queue, staying with the italy theme: Rossellini's "Rome, Open City". After that, L'avventura.  8 1/2 after that.