Why don’t we use radiators as heat sinks in the summer and pump cold water through them?

florge@feddit.uk to No Stupid Questions@lemmy.world – 133 points –
47

You are viewing a single comment

Lots of correct answers here, but this is probably the best.

The real benefit of ac is dehumidifying. That's the most important part. The cooling is a side effect of that, which does also improve comfort.

There's a very good reason that people say "but it's a dry heat".

I've been in 115°F dry heat in Paso Robles, California. I was comfortable outside until my feet started burning through my shoes. Totally unexpected, being from a place where the common 90°/90% days just knock me out

A few years ago, I had an argument about this with a buddy from Arizona. He was claiming that his 115° heat was worse than my Dallas 105° heat. I pointed out that his was at like 20% humidity, while Dallas was at like 70-80%. He didn’t believe me. Swore up and down that it wasn’t as bad.

Then he flew in to visit for a week, and got heat exhaustion on the second day of his trip. He went to an amusement park when it was like 105° and humid. He originally wanted me to tag along too, since I live in the area. I told him he was crazy, and that he shouldn’t go. He called me a pussy and went. A few hours later, I get a phone call asking me to come pick him up, because he’s so hot that the on-site EMTs don’t trust him to drive back to his hotel.

He hasn’t talked shit about humid heat ever since. Wet bulb thermometers don’t lie.

Humidity fucking sucks. Inescapable heat, feels like you're wrapped in a soggy blanket, bleh. No thanks.

I worked at a golf course in Florida in college. People would come from much hotter places and start out walking. After 9 holes (or less) they were begging for a cart.

Spent the day in Alamogordo, New Mexico visiting White Sands desert. It was 110°F and basically no humidity. I stayed hydrated, wore a hat and sunnies and was fine. Now, where I live it is like 85-90° and 90% humidity. I feel worse in that when sitting in the shade than I did in the middle of a literal desert.