It seems that our energy efficient buildings are turning on us and our eco-friendly cars.Who could have imagined that a building that looks like a giant reflector oven would fry things?
I have driven in Vegas and have had the sun reflect off one of these Revere-Ware buildings and blind me for about a dozen stoplights. Vegas is hot enough, the sun beats down "like a heat lamp gone ape." Do we really need to focus this solar-storm on our sunbathers and Priuses?
People from moderate climates can't understand that special southwest sun.
My first initiation was during my exploratory visit in 1973. I was told to go out and cool off the car before we went driving. The hose was lying in the sun and when I turned on the water I noticed this bubble in the hose at the nozzle. I was amazed, as I watched this bubble balloon to the size of a watermelon and become strangely translucent. I turned off the faucet and watched the bubble go down as I opened the hot nozzle using my shirt as a potholder. The water that came out was hot enough to brew tea. I let the water run a minute and then started to hose off the car in an attempt to make the interior temperature down to 99 degrees. As I was hosing it down I noticed the windshield is cracking in a dozen directions.
Occasionally, someone would leave a shiny object like a makeup compact mirror on the seat and that would ignite the dried out roof lining and cause the whole car to burn up. The other hazard was the seat belt buckles that could brand you like a steer.
In New Mexico visitors would go out in the desert after being warned of our unique solar abilities. These visitors would tell me "I'm already tanned". The locals knew you didn't go out in the sun between 10am and 3pm. These solar babies wouldn't listen and would come back looking like a walking Virginia Ham.
They should have asked the locals who have been fighting the sun with Reynolds Wrap and window tinting as dark as a beer bottle for decades. But, as the misguided eco-nuts think "so what if the swimmers are being immolated and the Priusis are melting, we saved a kilowatt." Then again, people who live where the temperature routinely is above 110 degrees
(a place formally inhabited by rattle snakes and scorpions) should expect an occasional spontaneous combustion.
1 comment:
Been there..... hotel's swimming pool like bath water... ambient temp 107 deg F... TOO HOT!! But then again... "Its a dry heat."
By the time we got out of work it was over 110 F. While sitting in our air conditioned car we watched a Harley rider cook while waiting for a signal light. Southwestern US is definately different!
Post a Comment