Beat the heat - suggestions required

manaa45 · 4th April 2009, 13:43

Kalpesh, I am just back from Baroda and the heat is hellish. One observation though, the place I was staying is a ground floor room and then there is terrace above. All our relatives sleep on the Gaddas put up on terrace. They remain there the whole day too thus not letting the room below not heat as much. Though the other room which was not insulated with gaddas was boiling hot.

so you might want to try this option too. Everyone in Gujarat has Godlis as we call it. So just spread it out on the terrace. will bring down the temparature by 6 to 7 degrees atleast.

All the best. phew.

Mansi

Sam Kapasi · 4th April 2009, 13:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by kalpeshc

Bowing just won't cut it. We need another blog ...soon. This is not for fun sake - it's for information and knowledge as Navpreet put it

lol OT: I'm going back to Europe in 2 weeks. I'll write about that OK?

My poor father is in Bikaner right now, travelling. He must be boiling right?

justROYal · 4th April 2009, 17:18

Given that your kid is 5 months old, I am going to get a little paranoid and suggest the whole nine yards and one for spare...upto you to mix, match and scrap.

1. For top end:
The radiation that hits your roof accounts for about 80% of the heat inside the room. This has to be tackled in a 2 layered theory. People have already suggested the layers, but separately. Hay on the roof slab, and asbestos sheets, like a false top slab, supported on parapet walls. Since you have family there, it shouldn't be extremely difficult to arrange for some asbestos-on-hire. The hay on the slab just makes sure the entrapped air between the asbestos and the roof doesnt heat up the slab.

2. For the windows:
Even when you have tackled the roof, Kutch wind will give you trouble. I suggest khus with white cloth on the outside which you can sprinkle with water periodically during the hottest hours of the day. make sure that under no circumstance is your kid exposed to the hot air draughts. And try keeping him on plenty of fluids at all times. You can also try heavy drapes.

With the two working together, I am sure you would have a 29-30 degrees situation inside the room. Thats manageable.

A no-no for two things: Do not keep a desert cooler on for extended periods of time with a kid around. The constant moisture spray is not what his lungs are ready for. Also, thermocole heated up is carcinogenic

. So stay away from those ideas.

Having said all that, I am about to embark on a 1500 km ride on my Enfield from Hyderabad to Kolkata tomorrow morning. Some of the hottest parts of the country. Lets see how I manage to beat the heat

kalpeshc · 5th April 2009, 17:48

Quote:

Having said all that, I am about to embark on a 1500 km ride on my Enfield from Hyderabad to Kolkata tomorrow morning. Some of the hottest parts of the country. Lets see how I manage to beat the heat

A dude who can do that is already a super cool guy. All the best for your trip and thanks for the detailed suggestions.

lejhoom · 5th April 2009, 18:22

kalpeshc:
Hi,
Have you sorted out the problem? I happened to live in an outback somewhere close to Haryana-Rajasthan border. I am actually from down south. The place I lived becomes extremely hot as your hometown. What I saw people, the locals, do was that they build their homes with thick walls. However, the new homes are plain concrete with flat roof. But they spread hay on top of the house.

I found coolers most effective in dry heat. You need to have good ventilation while running the cooler. Ideally it would be the cooler installed in one window and another window kept open which ensures proper circulation with no moisture condensation in the room.

In your home probably you can buy some lenght of shade net (the woven net that is used in the garden, comes in various colours such as green, most common, to black. It is also available with various sunlight-blocking capability like 50% to 90% or so.) and fix it on top of your roof. Use four poles to rig it and buy some lenght of stay-wire (available in hardware stores) and tie it up in criss-cross manner. Spread the net on top and secure it with some more stay-wire on top of it. It will easily withstand wind. The whole contraption will be easy on your pocket and it will be long lasting too. I use this in my Hyderabd home now. Found to be very effective.

I humid places ac is the best choice. Coolers can only add to the woe.

binoyjude · 6th April 2009, 01:12

For Dry heat i think its best to opt for the Cooler.Evenings you can try spraying water at the top.that would cool things.You can also try some heat reflecting paints.i dont think cool cement would help reflect the sun.heat reflecting ceramic powder is good option!!

Hey i forgot to add.The best option would be to use some ceramic paint additive at you mix in with ordinary house paint to insulate and reflect heat.Try this!!

kalpeshc · 6th April 2009, 11:19

Update.

I am still in Mumbai but have already requested my brother (who stays at our Surat home) to get a particular 'chemical/paint/solution' applied which apparently is quite popular in Surat. This solution (for want of a better word) actually is supposed to be extremely effective to reduce the heat - it is more like a paint than cement.

Basically, one of my maternal uncles had been to some Swaminarayan temple in Gujarat (don't remember the place though), where they had beautiful gardens and a marble walkway leading towards the temple. The marble walkway used to heat up a lot in the afternoons and since you were not able to wear any footwear inside the premises, it is quite impossible to walk on that hot walkway in the afternoons. It seems that that wide walkway has a white mini walkway incorporated in the center which is this particular solution applied on top of the marble. That path is actually quite cool and you can easily walk barefoot even at noon on that solution applied patch!

Will try and get more details on the name of the solution/paint/chemical..

Rocky_Balboa · 16th April 2009, 14:08

@kalpesh, Were you able to get more details on the product!

kalpeshc · 16th April 2009, 22:11

Sorry for the delay in the update.

It was actually an anticlimax. The product is just a simple variant of 'chuna' which is called 'Thanda Ghar' in the shops around here. Unfortunately, I did not see the packet so cannot confirm whether that is the brand name or just a slang used for this product. But it is extremely white and reflect sun rays off the roof. It does not actively cool your room below the roof but it does prevent it from heating up abnormally.
So I feel both my ground floor and first floor rooms having similar temps. In the past the first floor rooms were like a furnace in the summers. The 'chuna' costs around 60 rupees per packet and covers around 22*10 area. You just have to wash your roof and apply it using a brush or a hard plastic broom (more quicker and effective). Extremely cheap for the value it provides.

mmmjgm · 17th April 2009, 04:06

someone on this forum has an excellent 3 star hotel in VApi. a/c with genset. nice food and very nice hospitality.

Vapi - Surat = andheri Churchgate. not bad.

Cheers

Rocky_Balboa · 17th April 2009, 07:50

Thanks for the info Kalpesh.
If the product prevent heat building-up, its definitely a vfm. Hows the Kid doing amidst the weather!

4th April 2009, 17:18	#33
justROYal BHPian Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Manipal Posts: 69 Thanked: 0 Times	A Civil engineer's opinion Given that your kid is 5 months old, I am going to get a little paranoid and suggest the whole nine yards and one for spare...upto you to mix, match and scrap. 1. For top end: The radiation that hits your roof accounts for about 80% of the heat inside the room. This has to be tackled in a 2 layered theory. People have already suggested the layers, but separately. Hay on the roof slab, and asbestos sheets, like a false top slab, supported on parapet walls. Since you have family there, it shouldn't be extremely difficult to arrange for some asbestos-on-hire. The hay on the slab just makes sure the entrapped air between the asbestos and the roof doesnt heat up the slab. 2. For the windows: Even when you have tackled the roof, Kutch wind will give you trouble. I suggest khus with white cloth on the outside which you can sprinkle with water periodically during the hottest hours of the day. make sure that under no circumstance is your kid exposed to the hot air draughts. And try keeping him on plenty of fluids at all times. You can also try heavy drapes. With the two working together, I am sure you would have a 29-30 degrees situation inside the room. Thats manageable. A no-no for two things: Do not keep a desert cooler on for extended periods of time with a kid around. The constant moisture spray is not what his lungs are ready for. Also, thermocole heated up is carcinogenic. So stay away from those ideas. Having said all that, I am about to embark on a 1500 km ride on my Enfield from Hyderabad to Kolkata tomorrow morning. Some of the hottest parts of the country. Lets see how I manage to beat the heat

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4th April 2009, 13:43	#31
manaa45 BHPian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: nerul, navi mumbai Posts: 338 Thanked: 4 Times View My Garage	Kalpesh, I am just back from Baroda and the heat is hellish. One observation though, the place I was staying is a ground floor room and then there is terrace above. All our relatives sleep on the Gaddas put up on terrace. They remain there the whole day too thus not letting the room below not heat as much. Though the other room which was not insulated with gaddas was boiling hot. so you might want to try this option too. Everyone in Gujarat has Godlis as we call it. So just spread it out on the terrace. will bring down the temparature by 6 to 7 degrees atleast. All the best. phew. Mansi

5th April 2009, 18:22	#35
lejhoom BHPian Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 234 Thanked: 34 Times	kalpeshc: Hi, Have you sorted out the problem? I happened to live in an outback somewhere close to Haryana-Rajasthan border. I am actually from down south. The place I lived becomes extremely hot as your hometown. What I saw people, the locals, do was that they build their homes with thick walls. However, the new homes are plain concrete with flat roof. But they spread hay on top of the house. I found coolers most effective in dry heat. You need to have good ventilation while running the cooler. Ideally it would be the cooler installed in one window and another window kept open which ensures proper circulation with no moisture condensation in the room. In your home probably you can buy some lenght of shade net (the woven net that is used in the garden, comes in various colours such as green, most common, to black. It is also available with various sunlight-blocking capability like 50% to 90% or so.) and fix it on top of your roof. Use four poles to rig it and buy some lenght of stay-wire (available in hardware stores) and tie it up in criss-cross manner. Spread the net on top and secure it with some more stay-wire on top of it. It will easily withstand wind. The whole contraption will be easy on your pocket and it will be long lasting too. I use this in my Hyderabd home now. Found to be very effective. I humid places ac is the best choice. Coolers can only add to the woe.

6th April 2009, 01:12	#36
binoyjude BANNED Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: New delhi Posts: 59 Thanked: 0 Times	For Dry heat i think its best to opt for the Cooler.Evenings you can try spraying water at the top.that would cool things.You can also try some heat reflecting paints.i dont think cool cement would help reflect the sun.heat reflecting ceramic powder is good option!! Hey i forgot to add.The best option would be to use some ceramic paint additive at you mix in with ordinary house paint to insulate and reflect heat.Try this!!

6th April 2009, 11:19	#37
kalpeshc BHPian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 364 Thanked: 41 Times	Update. I am still in Mumbai but have already requested my brother (who stays at our Surat home) to get a particular 'chemical/paint/solution' applied which apparently is quite popular in Surat. This solution (for want of a better word) actually is supposed to be extremely effective to reduce the heat - it is more like a paint than cement. Basically, one of my maternal uncles had been to some Swaminarayan temple in Gujarat (don't remember the place though), where they had beautiful gardens and a marble walkway leading towards the temple. The marble walkway used to heat up a lot in the afternoons and since you were not able to wear any footwear inside the premises, it is quite impossible to walk on that hot walkway in the afternoons. It seems that that wide walkway has a white mini walkway incorporated in the center which is this particular solution applied on top of the marble. That path is actually quite cool and you can easily walk barefoot even at noon on that solution applied patch! Will try and get more details on the name of the solution/paint/chemical..

16th April 2009, 14:08	#38
Rocky_Balboa BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Namma Bengalooru Posts: 536 Thanked: 16 Times View My Garage	@kalpesh, Were you able to get more details on the product!

16th April 2009, 22:11	#39
kalpeshc BHPian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 364 Thanked: 41 Times	Sorry for the delay in the update. It was actually an anticlimax. The product is just a simple variant of 'chuna' which is called 'Thanda Ghar' in the shops around here. Unfortunately, I did not see the packet so cannot confirm whether that is the brand name or just a slang used for this product. But it is extremely white and reflect sun rays off the roof. It does not actively cool your room below the roof but it does prevent it from heating up abnormally. So I feel both my ground floor and first floor rooms having similar temps. In the past the first floor rooms were like a furnace in the summers. The 'chuna' costs around 60 rupees per packet and covers around 22*10 area. You just have to wash your roof and apply it using a brush or a hard plastic broom (more quicker and effective). Extremely cheap for the value it provides.

17th April 2009, 04:06	#40
mmmjgm BHPian Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 392 Thanked: 14 Times	someone on this forum has an excellent 3 star hotel in VApi. a/c with genset. nice food and very nice hospitality. Vapi - Surat = andheri Churchgate. not bad. Cheers

17th April 2009, 07:50	#41
Rocky_Balboa BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Namma Bengalooru Posts: 536 Thanked: 16 Times View My Garage	Thanks for the info Kalpesh. If the product prevent heat building-up, its definitely a vfm. Hows the Kid doing amidst the weather!