Urgently seeking portable AC advice for a vulnerable family in a scorching London flat

[MissLux]

Hi all

I have exhausted all my search capabilities and options in a hope to find a portable AC as right now it’s not even 28-29C outside but it’s 34C at home. I live in an old flat above a cafe (West London), with my nan (80yrs old), my son who’s 5, and my cat. The last heatwave 2 weeks ago it reached 38/39C at home and my nan became extremely unwell (many comorbidities too). The heatwave coming it will reach 40C outside in London so that means 45C at home 😩 My little one is also due surgery mid heatwave 😞

Right now the prices on eBay are over £600 for a 7000BTU ACs. I tried getting one from Amazon but all that are allegedly in stock are undeliverable to my address for whatever reason.

Ive looked into hiring one but all out of stock as well.

Can anyone advise if they know where I can get one urgently please.

I know this isn't an ac unit as such but it's more than just a fan and it's cheap and in stock @MissLux, can you get yourself a few of them? I'm so sorry you're going through this.
The other thing I'd suggest is contacting Age UK and seeing if they can help you access funds or acs through any agency or help for your nan. They should be able to get her some assistance I hope.
Very very very best of luck and I hope the surgery goes well, too. 💐
https://www.lidl.co.uk/p/tronic-portable-air-cooler/p10050884

Have you looked on Vinted?

We're not getting the heatdome effect this time if that helps, and the night temperatures are due to be cool so it won't be anywhere near as stifling especially overnight. That really was a rare phenomenon. Fans will be OK and try to shut the windows/curtains as soon as the heat starts to rise, leaving windows open overnight to let the heat back out.

I sympathise OP. We used to live in a London flat which was always at least 5-10+'c hotter than outside. Our portable air con is 15yrs old. I don't know about modern ones, but ours is incredibly heavy. DH and I had to get a neighbour to help get it to the 1st floor when we bought it, so its something to consider IF you can find one.

Have you tried having those cooler blocks you use in cooler boxes in front of a fan? You can also use ice, but ice melts quicker than those cooler block things. It really does take the edge off. A cold flannel around the neck is good too.

I can't help with AC advice I'm afraid, but where have you seen that it's due to reach 40? BBC and Met Office both showing a peak of 34 to me (I'm London also) and I know that will still be hot but not as hot as last time. And as pp said, the nights will be cooler so if you can open windows at night that will definitely help cool the space down

@catonthebeds In this article (and others) says 16/17th could go to 40C in London 🙁

Flats can be up to 10c hotter than it is outside.

@7238SM thank you 🙏 Haven’t tried the cooler boxes or the ones that use ice as our freezer is not big enough to accommodate what we have right now AND additional ice packs.

and yeah, I’ve seen most weigh roughly 29-33kgs and I definitely won’t be able to bring it up the stairs alone IF I manage to even get one, I suppose finding one is first then problem solving the logistics would be second 🥲

Others have given you good cooling tips.

But my tip is not to read the Express. This isn’t a political point (it’s different to all the times you’ll see posters say they hate the Daily Mail or whatever).

The Express has a long and ridiculous history of silly weather stories - they’re famous for it. Every summer they say stuff like this, every winter they predict blizzards. If it rains they predict that people’s cats will be carried away by floods.

By all means plan for the future. But for today, look at the BBC etc rather than get in a tizzy about this.

@JenniferBooth and our flat also has a skylight in the hallway but it’s a high ceilings flat, and the skylight is an outward one and not flat with the ceiling, so my ladder that I have although it’s quite big doesn’t reach high enough for me to cover it from the inside and I have no way of getting on the roof 🥲 It just gets to inhumane conditions once the sun is on top 😭

we have blackout curtains, I create a draft whenever feasible and also covered all The windows with the reflective film from a poor renters perspective 🙁

We got a black and decker one from littlewoods, was £125 so not cheap. Costs 2p per day to run apparently (so husband says). Comes with little packs you freeze too for extra coolness. You can work it with your phone too. We bought it outright but you can also get a credit account and pay it monthly if that suits you better. ❤️

As a pp says, it shouldn't be quite so bad this time as it will be cooler at night.

Are you able to open windows on two sides of your flat? If so, in the evening/early morning, try directing a fan out of one open window to draw cool air through from the other side. Sounds crazy but it works.

After about 9am close all windows and curtains. If possible, cover the windows from the outside with sheets or similar to keep the heat off the glass. We have insulating foil on the outside of our windows... I'm sure we look like nut cases but it actually makes a difference.

We aren’t vulnerable but our bedroom is in a Victorian loft conversion; it’s hot.

I also can’t source air con and from what I have read, the air coolers are not effective in humid conditions. I know that this heat isn’t due to be as humid, but the uk is a pretty humid country full stop. I’m not sure how beneficial they are.

I sympathize
My housing association flat
Window restrictors........tick
Fire door that must be kept closed at all times............tick
Black cladding tick.
,,,,there used to be a tree on the patch of grass near my bedroom window. The tenant opposite complained about the branches getting in the window so instead of cutting the branches back and then coming back to do that when needed, THEY FELLED THE WHOLE TREE So a source of shading destroyed because they are lazy and tight and couldnt be bothered. Along with the other things they have done to turn this place into a sweatbox Im on the top floor of a low rise I have now developed a bilataral ear infection due to the heat and have been in a lot of pain

Im sorry you and your family are experiencing the same. Its very stressful

Haven’t tried the cooler boxes or the ones that use ice

Sorry, what I meant was that you sit the ice in a bowl or the cooler block on a plate in front of a regular fan. The air goes past the ice/block and makes it a little cooler. I realise you don't have freezer space though. Could you clear anything out?
There are cooler units which you can put water and/or ice inside which have a similar effect, but I wouldn't bother with the expense having tried one previously. Are there any relatives your nan could stay with for a few days?

I’m not able to recommend one either OP. But have you tried the freezer blocks behind fan method? A friend who lives in a loft converted room (also London) said it worked for her.

By the way my forecast is currently only saying 32 max for next week. Where is it predicting 40 ?

I feel that advice has its limits but not basing that on fact. Our loft bedroom faces south and we have 2 large velux windows. It’s literally like an oven if we don’t open the windows. We have another bedroom opposite that faces north and we open both doors and both windows to try and get any draught we can.

Not sure what to for the best to be honest.

Have you tried cooling towels? They are about £5 each on Amazon. They work really well and you can lay under them in bed.

I’ve been recommended dog cooling blankets - has anyone come across these? Apparently if you get an extra large one and put it on your bed, it works wonders?

This may sound a bit random but my elderly neighbour sits with her feet in a plastic washing up bowl of water with ice cubes in it and says that works a treat to keep her cool. Ditto a frozen flannel around her neck.

Again not portable AC...
We've got these from JML. Small but do produce a nice cool breeze, especially if you freeze the blocks. Out of stock on JML website but also sold via supermarkets and Robert Dyas.

https://www.jmldirect.com/at-home/home-personal-cooling/chillmax-air-pure-chill-2-0-new-improved-personal-air-cooler-and-humidifier

Just seen your update. Can you get a longer ladder? Or even a telescopic pole and use masking tape to stick white card to the inside of the skylights?

Yes but OP is saying 40o outside and therefore hotter in her flat. It's still going to be hot and it sounds like a really tricky flat to cool, I was just trying to maybe reassure her it shouldn't be worse than last time in terms of the outside temp. And since nights will be cooler her flat should at least have a chance to start cooling. Last heatwave we had high night temps so the buildings just got warmer and warmer.

A dehumidifier can help by cutting the mugginess in the flat - it won't necessarily make it cooler, but it will feel less oppressive.

You needca decent dehumidifier though, so read reviews.

The advice to contact charities supporting older people is a very good one.

Can you find out if there is anything open nearby with air conditioning on, where you could spend a few hours?

I was in France during the last heatwave and spent the afternoon in a gallery which was lovely and cool - the entry fee was waived due to the heat wave. There will be activities for kids, even if it's just tables to draw at.

I hope the surgery goes well.

If you can't get Aircon in time, look up your local area on the London cool spaces map and take your nan to one of those for the day.

https://apps.london.gov.uk/cool-spaces/