Hot Nights

[idun]

It has been very warm here for the last week or so. Early in the year and still not 'hot' long enough to warm the house up. As I snuggled under my duvet last night the memory of those awful hot nights in summer came to mind.

I know lots of people love the idea of living in hot climates and we certainly did for many years. I suppose apart from the canicules we had, I could cope with the hot days, but those nights, I just look back on with complete revulsion.

Now some of you will have la clim. And some will live in old homes with stones a meter thick so probably do not feel the effect too much of hot summers, but how do the rest of you cope?

I hate fans whirring away in a bedroom, although I learned to live with them, no choice.

[mint]

No clim, definitely not!  I don't know what it is but it makes me sneeze and makes my nose run.

What I have here is a house with a glassed-in verandah the whole length of the south side.  Then every single door, window, etc have good-fitting shutters.

As long as I leave the shutters on the latch when the sun comes up, I do not have direct sunlight on my doors or windows.  All the rooms are cool and could be, say, at least 5 degrees cooler than outside.

Mind you, idun, I don't know if the same conditions apply if it were to get hotter.  This is our new house, as you know, and I think we need to spend at least 4 different seasons in it before we can be confident about how the property works. 

[idun]

Where we used to live could often be as hot as anywhere in France in mid summer. Have you moved further south Sweet17?

[mint]

No, idun, further east or further inland but slightly further north if anything.

Mind you, the range between night time and day time temperatures is quite large.

[Kitty]

Dispense with the duvet and just have a cotton sheet?

[AnOther]

In a hot climate you have to rethink the traditional Brit attitude to

throwing all the windows and doors open at the first sign of Summer. In our 70's house if we keep the bedroom windows, shutters, and doors

closed in the heat of the day they stay very cool for the night. Take your cues from what the French do, they have far more experience !

On one occasion, before we actually moved, we arrived from UK in the middle of summer in 35-40deg temperatures but walking into the house was like walking into an air conditioned shop, it was beautifully cool. Unfortunately before I realised 'er indoors had run around opening every single window with the result that the whole house was up to outside temperature in minutes with no way to cool it down again so that was it !

Regarding fans, a small frantic one will always make a noise but a big

ceiling fan turning lazily makes virtually no noise at all. Also I find

it better to have air drawn away rather than blowing. I don't

mind a bit of noise but can't abide having air blowing on me when in

bed only 1/2 covered with a cotton sheet, even worse if it's from a

reciprocating fan so coming and going.

[Chrissie]

We, too, play the shutter game - opening everything wide early in the morning, and closing windows and almost closing shutters as soon as the sun gets to each wall.  The house stays beautifully cool.  At night, providing the temperature isn't too warm, we open the windows wide and just have the mossie screens closed.  Not sure how people cope if they live in areas where they would be frightened of being burgled though.......

Chrissie (81)

[woolybanana]

Would you please stop talking about hot sweaty bodies, as it puts me in mind of hippos mating![6]

[idun]

Yes a cotton top sheet and that is what I'll do here if it gets too hot too. Nothing on the bed is not good.

We had a well insulated house and good shutters and when the canicule that did for all the old people started we got a ceiling fan for the bedroom, it was noisy, I suppose because it was there and I was used to it not being there.

We did everything we should have done. I have no idea what a 'brit' mentality would be, the heat was so alien to me that I instinctively watched what others did with shutters and followed suit. Then when I could discuss this problem that actually everyone had, I was doing as they were anyway. I lived as french neighbours and friends did and it was HOT even when it was just an ordinary summer. I suppose the other thing that we would get in our alpine summers that we didn't get in winter was humitdity, we often got bad storms which cleared the air and were a relief for a while.

Just the thought of those months of it make me shudder, never want to be anywhere where it is so hot in mid summer again. I like being under my duvet, I love the cosiness and comfort of it. So yes, I perhaps could put up with day time heat, but hot nights, not for me.

I wouldn't have dared just leave the shutters open and an insect net at the window. We did have pretty 'normal' crime rates in our area and I have friends who were burgled.

 

 

[Gemonimo]

As everyone else, I keep my shutters shut but at night to guarantee a cool nights sleep I use a damp cotton sheet over me. Room heat, body heat (sorry Wooly) and a little air and I can guarantee a good night. It's the milk bottle wrapped in a wet towel principal.  I should mention that it's best to be in rude health, though[:)]

[woolybanana]

Where did 'milk bottle wrapped in a wet towel' come from?

[cooperlola]

I lived in Malta when I was a teenager.  It completely cured me of any desire to live in a hot climate.  Like you, Idun, I found the nights really tough, in spite of all the precautions and buildings etc designed for the climate.  The humidity levels there were also horrendous - in the summer most of our clothes were soaking wet when just  hanging in the wardrobe.  Yuk.

I like the bits of France which I've been to further south but the Loire is about as far south as would I want to live - otherwise I'd need a bit more altitude and hopefully resulting cool breezes.

[JSKS]

We spent 3 years in the New Territories in Hong Kong. Jun-Sep 100% humidity, 40 degrees in the day, 32 at night. Air-con is the only way to go. Thankfully, in France these conditions just don't exist but, nevertheless, we would consider an air-con for the bedroom if we lived in a hot area.

[idun]

[quote user="woolybanana"]Would you please stop talking about hot sweaty bodies, as it puts me in mind of hippos mating![6][/quote]

But wouldn't they, like humans slide around in a most alarming manner, putting pay to any activities they had intended upon.[8-)]

[Gemonimo]

[quote user="woolybanana"]

Where did 'milk bottle wrapped in a wet towel' come from?

[/quote]

I don't know where it came from Wooly, but when I was a Girl Guide many years ago[Www] when we went camping, to keep milk (or anything in a bottle come to that) cool, we wrapped it in a wet towel and as it evaporated the milk kept cool.  I keep wine cool this way when I don't have access to a fridge. It works on hot summer nights, too, with the damp sheet.

[idun]

I cannot imagine getting into bed under a  sheet dampened by choice. I know it should work, but the thought of it is very displeasing to me.

[JSKS]

The damp sheet round a milk bottle works because the water molecules with the highest energy evaporate in preference to those with lower energy. The lower energy water molecules are, by definition, at a lower temperature and absorb some energy (heat) from the milk and the cycle continues.

It's why we sweat and dogs pant.

[Gemonimo]

[quote user="idun"]I cannot imagine getting into bed under a  sheet dampened by choice. I know it should work, but the thought of it is very displeasing to me.[/quote]

I quite agree Idun, the thought of it is quite displeasing but I can guarantee that the results when the night time temperatues are in in the 20's are well worth a moments displeasure!

[idun]

I couldn't do it, even though I know that I would probably feel better later. The nearest I could ever get is using a damp flannel to cool my brow and back of my neck.

[Pommier]

When we lived in Lot et Garonne we found hot nights uncomfortable (even though our house was airy with the windows mostly on the shady side.

Now we're right at the seaside, there's always more breathable air, even when it's hot.

[powerdesal]

[quote user="Gemonimo"]

[quote user="idun"]I cannot imagine getting into bed under a  sheet dampened by choice. I know it should work, but the thought of it is very displeasing to me.[/quote]

I quite agree Idun, the thought of it is quite displeasing but I can guarantee that the results when the night time temperatues are in in the 20's are well worth a moments displeasure!

[/quote]

Temperatures in the 20s are quite acceptable, in the 30s ....well, thats getting a bit warm, in the 40s .............thats aircon weather.

Having said that, I do like a cool bedroom and am quite a cold body really, I still have a low TOG duvet even in summer.

[idun]

That is the crux of it, I like a cold bedroom and a warm bed. I like to get into a cold bed in a cold room and I soon get lovely and snuggly and warm under the duvet. And under those circumstances I do sleep well and am off like a light. [:)]

 

[Frecossais]

Looks as if you will be enjoying some cooler nights this coming week, Idun. Summer's over in the UK they say.

When we come to our house in France that has been closed up for the winter, we have an electric blanket the first night or so until we warm up the house. Oh how I love that snuggling down in bed when we are cold. I'm lucky that I can pretty well sleep under most conditions, so hot nights aren't greatly bothersome.And we're in Burgundy, not Provence or anywhere the temperature really rises.