@blakamin is probily chuckling right now??

MileHighKiwi: 31 currently in Silverstream, Upper Hutt. Our train took 90 minutes to get to Petone (10 mins usually) due to overhead wires sagging from the heat (what?!), and then we were booted off and told to wait for buses. One arrived in the 20 minutes it took for my Uber to arrive.

I remember going from auckland to wellington by train years ago a couple of times, once it took 8 hours, pretty normal, and another time it took more than 20 hours because of the heat :S

MileHighKiwi: 31 currently in Silverstream, Upper Hutt. Our train took 90 minutes to get to Petone (10 mins usually) due to overhead wires sagging from the heat (what?!), and then we were booted off and told to wait for buses. One arrived in the 20 minutes it took for my Uber to arrive.

Aredwood:

MileHighKiwi: 31 currently in Silverstream, Upper Hutt. Our train took 90 minutes to get to Petone (10 mins usually) due to overhead wires sagging from the heat (what?!), and then we were booted off and told to wait for buses. One arrived in the 20 minutes it took for my Uber to arrive.

The wires for the trains in Auckland have a system of weights and pulleys fitted. So they stay at the same height and tension regardless of temperature. Why doesn't Wellington have the same system?

Surely they would be more worried about the risk of the rails buckling due to the heat.

Commuter trains are great when they are running.   Sadly, in NZ there seem to be far too frequent failures in service putting aside issues with drooping wires and rail expansion due to heat.  Buses have many advantages such as being able to get back into service quickly after an earthquake.  Christchurch would have been screwed if the city had relied on trams and light rail.  There were many streets in Eastern Christchurch which were quickly brought back into use with graders.

My old heat pump decided to retire itself from active service a day or two before Christmas - I thought God was extracting some sort of revenge on me with that timing!

Booked a new install (labour only, already owned a replacement unit) immediately - of course the holidays made sure it wasn't immediate. So yesterday morning the installers van finally pulled up, 2 hours later the job was done. 

On the hottest day in recent memory, my new heat pump was installed & now delivers some serious cold air. 

1024kb:

My old heat pump decided to retire itself from active service a day or two before Christmas - I thought God was extracting some sort of revenge on me with that timing!

Booked a new install (labour only, already owned a replacement unit) immediately - of course the holidays made sure it wasn't immediate. So yesterday morning the installers van finally pulled up, 2 hours later the job was done. 

On the hottest day in recent memory, my new heat pump was installed & now delivers some serious cold air. 

DjShadow:

 

I'm glad our HRV has a smart in it so when the roof cools down overnight it sends cool air down if its warmer in our hallway. Feeling tempted still to get the summer kit addon (ducts to the southern side of the house to pull in cooler air)

 

This is what I don't understand about those systems. There is one where I live, and it's currently showing 50 degrees in the roof, and 30 degrees in the house. Fortunately in the lounge where I'm sitting it's about 20 degrees due to the heatpump. My bedroom is about 29 degrees and drops to 25 by the morning. So at what point is the HRV which is set on 20 degrees actually able to do anything? 

There must be the slimmest margin for them in Auckland where you'd actually want your roof temperature pumped into the house. In winter, the roof is too cool so it turns off. In summer, it's too hot, so it turns off. 

Coincidentally, tonight I was watching an episode of The Twilight Zone (The Midnight Sun) followed by the British film The Day The Earth Caught Fire. Not quite as drastic as the events in those two works, but still...it might not be too far removed either.

the best thing we did - heat pump in the bedroom - we use it more in summer than winter, go to work and work mate complaining about heat overnight - I go what heat, look at our website recording temperature and humidity for the night - oh yeah, did not drop below 23c last night and 95% humidity, you right i would suck to not have aircon.

We don't have air con in the bedrooms, but in a room nearby with fans, running them for 3-4 hours, the bedrooms stay cool enough. I'd love a ducted system though.

I'm averaging $5 of power per day, 22kwh, including during the heat wave. Heat wave made no difference to our power usage, even though air con was on from 2pm instead of maybe 5pm, and used more / cooler. Is a bit odd. Sitting on 25% of power in free hour with EK - that's hot water (takes a few hours to heat), 2 x air con, dishwasher, clothes drier sometimes. In winter we pay about $9 per day in power.

Geektastic: There is a Japanese drink called, in inimitable Japanese style, Pocari Sweat which is commonly available in Asia (but never seen it here) and it is without a doubt the best drink for weather like that I have ever found. 

When in Thailand, I like drinking coconut milk from fresh coconuts (măprao - available from just about every street vendor). Loaded with electrolytes and very thirst quenching. You can get these type of coconuts in supermarkets here. Unskinned they're quite smooth and a mottled green in colour.

Many years ago, when I went to live/work in the Solomon Islands for a 6 month period, the squad I was deployed with had an overnight stop in Brisbane (late autumn) and we walked around in shorts and t-shirts and commented on the heat while the rugged-up locals looked at us like we were idiots. Another overnighter in Brisbane on our return trip (late spring) saw us wandering around rugged up and commenting on the cold while the locals in shorts and t-shirts looked at us like we were idiots. It's amazing how well the body can adapt to heat over a relatively short period of time - not gonna happen in a week obviously... :-)

Dratsab:

 

Geektastic: There is a Japanese drink called, in inimitable Japanese style, Pocari Sweat which is commonly available in Asia (but never seen it here) and it is without a doubt the best drink for weather like that I have ever found. 

 

When in Thailand, I like drinking coconut milk from fresh coconuts (măprao - available from just about every street vendor). Loaded with electrolytes and very thirst quenching. You can get these type of coconuts in supermarkets here. Unskinned they're quite smooth and a mottled green in colour.

 

 

 

Many years ago, when I went to live/work in the Solomon Islands for a 6 month period, the squad I was deployed with had an overnight stop in Brisbane (late autumn) and we walked around in shorts and t-shirts and commented on the heat while the rugged-up locals looked at us like we were idiots. Another overnighter in Brisbane on our return trip (late spring) saw us wandering around rugged up and commenting on the cold while the locals in shorts and t-shirts looked at us like we were idiots. It's amazing how well the body can adapt to heat over a relatively short period of time - not gonna happen in a week obviously... :-)

 

I think it's coconut water not coconut milk.

Batman: I think it's coconut water not coconut milk. 

Meh.