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I've often wondered: How much work would get done today if offices were not air-conditioned? What if the only air-con we could enjoy was only in shopping malls and supermarkets? Images of stuffy offices fill my mind. Despite the availability of fans to circulate air, the oppressive heat and humidity will lower our productivity. Many of my colleagues and I experienced this in our previous office, where the ancient air-conditioning system would have a monthly breakdown. For two days, the entire office would feel sauna-like due to the combination of people (we give off heat) and computers. The air would turn thick and stale even before 11am. It didn't matter if you had a desk fan either, because all it did was circulate bad air. (Image: Nathan Dumlao, Unsplash) Fortunately, nobody had body odour. If anyone did, he or she would have been called out in no time. We're polite, but under these conditions, we expect everyone to maintain hygiene! During these occasions, we tried opening the windows for fresh air, but since the building was located next to the junction of an arterial road, all that did was allow noise and dust in. So, the windows stayed shut. Air-con = comfort Air-conditioning reduces ambient temperature and humidity. According to this WebMD article, humidity is the main reason for our discomfort because it interferes with the sweating process. If you recall, sweating cools us down because it removes heat as it evaporates. But in humid conditions, it takes longer for this to happen, so we continue to feel hot and sticky. But with air-con, we can be more productive because our bodies spend less energy on keeping us cool. (Image: Towfiqu barbhuiya, Unsplash) The inevitable downsides Spending so much time in an air-conditioned environment isn't healthy for us. While lower humidity is great, some people are more affected by drier air, which can lead to stuffy or runny noses, dry eyes and even a dry throat. Dry skin can also be an issue. For some, this means needing to use more moisturiser. Surprisingly, some will also complain that the dry air is causing their oily skin to become oilier. Apparently, this is the skin attempting to retain moisture by causing the oil glands to work harder. And while an air-conditioned office is preferable to an outdoor one, we all know that these spaces facilitated the spread of COVID. The combination of being in proximity to others, along with the lack of air filtration, undoubtedly contributed to people falling ill. Constantly being in an air-conditioned environment can also lessen our ability to deal with heat stress, especially if you don't exercise outdoors. And with record temperatures that only continue to rise, being able to bear with and thrive in such conditions is more important than ever. (Image: Iryna Kozhyna, Unsplash) Turn it on or switch it off? Some people take their need for air-conditioning to the extreme and constantly keep it switched on at home. Others swear that keeping it off helps them manage skin issues and prevent respiratory conditions, while also lowering their utility costs. As with most things, it's best to find a balance between both extremes. Personally, I only switch on the air-con at home before bed (unless there's a monsoon surge and cooler weather) or if it gets unbearably warm. The rest of the time, I rely on my ceiling fans. – Jeremy (Main image: Alexandre Lecocq, Unsplash)

AC was not cold a few days back so went to a car ac shop near my workplace. Mechanic checked and said ac gas not enough and need to top up. However he also told me that it’s usually a leakage somewhere as car do not need to top up ac gas at all. Ask me to monitor. Is what he said true on the car do not need to top up ac gas at all if there is no leak?

Hi all, Thesedays, my aircon sometimes blow out warm air when engine is idling, but it will be ok when the car is moving. I suspect that the condenser fan is not running well. My question is, how often does this fan cuts-in and run? When I first on my air-con (while car is stationary), I realise that this fan doesn't run. Then it suddenly comes alive (together with another fan (radiator fan?) next to it) maybe 5 minutes later. Then after running for like 3 minutes, it will stop again....and won't come back on again until like 10 minutes later. How to check if this fan is performing as it should?

To provide our customer with the best air-con maintenance and repair. KGC Workshop has brought in the best Air-Con Machine by Kooltec to diagnose and service your air con system KGC recommend all our customers to do a regular air-con servicing with us every 40,000km or once every 2 years. TELL US ABOUT YOUR AIR-CON PROBLEM AND GET A QUOTE FROM US!

Driving a Nissan Sylphy. Lately I noticed a vibrating noise coming from the engine at low revs (intermittent) whenever the air-con is switched on. At higher revs, the vibrating noise disappears. Without the air-con switched on, there is no vibrating noise heard. Any idea what could be the problem? Is it serious? Car COE is expiring in May 2016, so I don't want to spend too much money on it.

I wonder if this is real and works. If it does, it will be wonderful for our climate. A living room standalone aircon plus compressor costs close to 2K already, maybe can give this a try instead. Stay cool. http://observers.france24.com/en/20160602-bangladesh-air-conditioner-plastic-bottles-technology This air-conditioning unit is made out of plastic bottles and works without electricity (all photos provided by the GREY group) BANGLADESH 06/02/2016 How Bangladeshi inventors are making eco-friendly air conditioners from plastic bottles Become an Observer LoginContribute Forgot your password? What can you make with old plastic bottles? A vase? A flowerpot? … an air-conditioning unit? Believe it or not, you can. When inventor Ashis Paul came up with an innovative way to draw cool air into homes using plastic bottles, his whole company got on board to help teach people living in rural Bangledesh to do the same. Since February this year, they’ve helped people to install these units-- which don’t need electricity to function-- in more than 25,000 households in developing areas of the country. “Most people live in tin huts… in the summer, it’s like being in sauna in the Sahara” Jaiyyanul Huq Jaiyyanul Huq is a creative director with the Grey Group, the advertising company that spearheaded this social project. We are a flood-prone nation, so in rural Bangladesh, most people build their homes out of tin, instead of mud. About 70% of Bangladesh's population lives in these homes. But the problem with these tin huts is that they get unbearably hot in the summer, especially in northern and central Bangladesh. I’ve been in these huts. It’s like being in a sauna in the Sahara. One of our creative supervisors, Ashis Paul, started thinking about ways to bring relief to these people. He was turning it over in his mind when one day, he overheard his daughter’s physics tutor explaining to her how gas cools when it expands quickly. Ashis has an "inventor" mentality and he’s always been fascinated by science. So, he started experimenting. He told us about his idea of making an air-conditioner out of plastic bottles. The simplicity of the Eco-Cooler is incredible. Ashis Paul designed the Eco cooler. How to Make an Eco-Cooler To make an Eco-Cooler, you cut plastic bottles in half and then mount them on a board. Then, you place the board over a window, with the bottlenecks facing towards the inside of the house. The change in pressure that occurs when air enters the wider part of the bottle and comes out through the bottleneck cools the air. It seems uncanny, but the principle is simple. Blow on your hand with your mouth wide open. The air feels hot, doesn’t it? Now, blow on your hand with your lips pursed. It feels like a cool breeze. The Eco-Cooler doesn’t require any electricity to function! "We finalised it just as the weather was getting hot" The Eco-Cooler can decrease the temperature by 5°C immediately. When it goes from 30°C to 25°C, I can tell you that it makes a difference. The Grey group decided to take it on as a pro-bono project. We like to give back -- it’s core to our company. We decided to make and distribute these units for free. We designed the first prototype in March last year and finally finalised it at the end of February this year. That’s just when the weather starts getting hot in Bangladesh. “The streets here are littered with bottles, so the raw materials are easy to find” To distribute the Eco-Coolers, we teamed up with Grameen Intel Social Business Ltd. because they work in a lot of villages in Bangladesh [Editor’s note: Grameen Intel is social business platform that’s a partnership between NGO Grameen and the company Intel]. We sent our teams out to the villages where Grameen Intel works to teach people how to make our Eco-Coolers. The beauty of it all is how easy these units are to make. First of all, the raw materials are easy to find: people don’t recycle here, so the streets are littered with bottles. We show people how to make them and then ask them to both do it on their own and to teach others. We also made a how-to pdf that’s up on our website and includes an easy step-by-step process. It’s free and people get immediate results!

Hi All.... I did a air-con flush around july and a few days after that, my air-con seems to be blowing out a kind of funny smell, something alike a herbal/bitter smell. Only at low speed and engine start-up would i get the smell and its only coming out from the front passenger side air vent. Anyone has faced the same situation before? Please advise. Thanks a million!!!!

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You might have tried cleaning your car interior with disinfectant, or clip air fresheners to your air-con vent, and realise there is still a slight odour. This is because, the problem most likely lies inside the air-con vent. It's not a pleasant experience especially when you turn the air-con blower up on a hot sunny day, and realise theres an odour. This is due to bacteria growing inside the ventilation system, or bacteria that died due to unfavourable conditions. Moisture in the system, coupled with our warm weather, provides the two basic necessities needed for bacteria to thrive. Sometimes, the conditions inside the ventilation system change due to a variety of factors, making the environment no longer suitable for the bacteria's survival and it dies. When this happens the stink given off is the same as when food rots. It's almost impossible to try and prevent bacteria from living inside the aircon filter. Turning the heater up isn't going to 'burn' away the smell, neither is turning the air flow to FRESH AIR. A moderately effective method is to spray deodorant or disinfectant 'into' the vents. Another solution that might be more effective, is using mustard powder and water (vinegar mixed with water can also be used) and spraying it into the vents. After spraying, run the blower heater at maximum heat for 4 - 5 minutes (Open all the doors while you do this). After which, there might be a strong vinegar smell (If you used vinegar), spray the inside of the vents with air freshener or even a little bit of water, and let the blower run on full power for a few minutes, just to dry it up. Be sure to repeat these steps if your car has rear cabin vents. There's actually not much you can do to prevent it from coming back. But one thing you can do is to check and make sure the drainage opening for the AC unit is not blocked, If it is, moisture will accumulate and give the bacteria a reason to live. You should see a fair amount of water dripping out from under your car right after parking. If the smell you're getting isn't like bad breath or rotting food and doesn't seem to be coming from the vents, it could be a leak from your exhaust system, causing exhaust fumes to get into the cabin. Exhaust gases contain carbon monoxide, which you really don't want entering your cabin. If you don't already know, Carbon monoxide is colourless, odourless and initially, non-irritating. Inhalation of the gas can cause "light-headedness" and headaches, and on rare cases, can be fatal. 'Oily smells' however, suggests something might be wrong in the engine bay while excessive braking. Very poor use of the clutch with a manual transmission will also give off smells. So, make sure you get your vehicle inspected and serviced regularly and if you aren't confident with dealing with the odour from your vents yourself, get your trusted mechanic to do the job for you. And most of all, keep you car cabin clean.

This is the second part of some crazy modification/alteration photos that I saw on the internet and I wish to share it with everyone. In this instalment, we get to see more photos of repair work done on cars instead of modifications. In the first photo (above) we see a SUV with a wooden plank door. Judging from the dents and the missing side skirts, this vehicle was involved in some form of accident. The original door probably could not be used anymore and the owner replaced it with this. Apparently the owner got a wooden plank, some metal hinges you normally see on gates and a fancy golden door latch with a matching coloured door knob. A few drilled holes later and this is what you get. This probably doesn