I'm so sick of being poor

[jtuck004]

100. Plain white cotton towels, run under cold water. Wring it out a bit then

grab it by the end and swing it around a few times, this evaporates and cools the surface.

Then twirl it tight (like you were preparing for a towel fight) and lay it around and over the back of your neck. Ice in a bowl in front of a fan helps. Ice cubes in the water bowl might help keep the dog cool. A water bottle sprayer helps them as well.

As far as the AC...

Is there a vocational school nearby? When I went to one years ago we would do calls like this for free just to learn. I wonder if Catholic Charities or one of the nonprofits that do home repair might know a maintenance person? And sometimes other churches will help.

BTW ->> I wouldn't suggest you work on it unless you know how to make it safe. There is a capacitor on there that holds electrical charge even with the unit off.

There is a relay in the condensing unit outside that comes on when the t-stat is lowered. Ants like to nest in it, also spiders, sometimes dirt blows in. It could very likely be a burnt wire at that relay - that would keep anything from starting outside while the inside comes on just fine. So if the unit makes no sound or movement when power comes on, possibly that. Not real cheap, but not a compressor. If the fan runs but no cool, the compressor didn't start. The compressor might start but the fan won't come on, and that could be a bad fan..

If the humidity is high where you live it may not work well, but a "swamp cooler" - just a box that holds water which is pumped to the top and runs down the sides with a fan to pull air through - is cheaper and does a fairly good job if you stay in front of it in the same room. They are just a motor, a pump, and a box, and I think they are too pricey for that, so look around if you decide that might be the answer. Usually mounted on the wall through an outside window, some of them are a pretty big box. They sell some for inside, but I didn't think much of their ability to cool.

Works better up North where the humidity is lower, you see them a lot in New Mexico. We grew up with one in OKC, but the humidity makes it less efficient on really hot days.

I really hope whatever you are taking in school actually has some openings.

Good luck.