When the weather turned off chilly the week before last, Jilda was giddy. She stripped the cotton sheets from our bed and put on flannel sheets. Those sheets feel like the red and green shirt I wore when I was a kid. We put out the fall decorations. With steaming mugs of hot cocoa and blazing-blue hickory logs snapping in the fire pit, we were ready for cooler weather. But then last week, it got hot again, and that’s when the “real fun” began.
On Thursday night, as we got ready to hit the sack, I checked the thermostat. The digital reading said 76 degrees. Flipping the unit from heat to cool, I dropped the setting to a comfortable sleeping temp. A click coming from the outside unit was a sound I’d never heard before. Hmmmm — that didn’t sound right, I thought.
We went to bed, and just before midnight, I woke up. My pillow was as damp as a dishrag. I’d been sweating. Stepping into the hall, I flipped on the light. The fan was still blowing, but the temp showed 75 degrees. Not good. I went through the process of resetting the unit but no biscuits, and no cold air, either.
The next day I called Glenn Sargent with Sargent Heating and Cooling. He’s helped us out in the past when ants ate our outside unit. He knows I’m pretty handy at fixing stuff, so he gave me a few things to try. None of them fixed the problem. He told me he’d run by and have a look. The old unit had been in place since Clinton was in the White House, so I wasn’t encouraged that a simple solution was in the cards. It wasn’t.
After some tests and a lot of head scratching, Glenn said, “We’re going to have to replace this unit.” Apparently, the old AC used a type of coolant that the government outlawed just after the dinosaurs left the planet.
He checked his sources and quoted me a price. He said he could get started as soon as I moved the water heater. WHAT?????
The old unit has co-existed with the water heater since we built the house in 1983. But the new inside part of the unit would need the space where the water heater was sitting. He said something about air flow and bla, bla, bla. I didn’t hear much after the water heater bombshell.
I whipped out my phone and called my nephew Haven, who is a plumber. “I have some bad news for you buddy,” I told him. “You have to move my water heater.” I think that is the point where he dropped his cell, or maybe he hung up on me. But he called back later.
This past Sunday, he and his dad showed up with pipes, tools, and new-fangled fittings and moved the tank. The job was a beast, but he didn’t whine. I can’t tell you how thankful I am that I was kind to that kid.
Well, kind might be a stretch, but I treated him right most of the time, and he’s always been there for me.
Glenn juggled his schedule and showed up a day before he said he’d do the work. When he handed me the bill, it was a little less than his estimate. I admire people who “under promise and over deliver.” And I love the fact that our air conditioner is now blowing cool air through the vents. Did I mention that the temps dropped like a stone the day after we replaced the unit?
On Thursday night, as we got ready to hit the sack, I checked the thermostat. The digital reading said 76 degrees. Flipping the unit from heat to cool, I dropped the setting to a comfortable sleeping temp. A click coming from the outside unit was a sound I’d never heard before. Hmmmm — that didn’t sound right, I thought.
We went to bed, and just before midnight, I woke up. My pillow was as damp as a dishrag. I’d been sweating. Stepping into the hall, I flipped on the light. The fan was still blowing, but the temp showed 75 degrees. Not good. I went through the process of resetting the unit but no biscuits, and no cold air, either.
The next day I called Glenn Sargent with Sargent Heating and Cooling. He’s helped us out in the past when ants ate our outside unit. He knows I’m pretty handy at fixing stuff, so he gave me a few things to try. None of them fixed the problem. He told me he’d run by and have a look. The old unit had been in place since Clinton was in the White House, so I wasn’t encouraged that a simple solution was in the cards. It wasn’t.
After some tests and a lot of head scratching, Glenn said, “We’re going to have to replace this unit.” Apparently, the old AC used a type of coolant that the government outlawed just after the dinosaurs left the planet.
He checked his sources and quoted me a price. He said he could get started as soon as I moved the water heater. WHAT?????
The old unit has co-existed with the water heater since we built the house in 1983. But the new inside part of the unit would need the space where the water heater was sitting. He said something about air flow and bla, bla, bla. I didn’t hear much after the water heater bombshell.I whipped out my phone and called my nephew Haven, who is a plumber. “I have some bad news for you buddy,” I told him. “You have to move my water heater.” I think that is the point where he dropped his cell, or maybe he hung up on me. But he called back later.
This past Sunday, he and his dad showed up with pipes, tools, and new-fangled fittings and moved the tank. The job was a beast, but he didn’t whine. I can’t tell you how thankful I am that I was kind to that kid.
Well, kind might be a stretch, but I treated him right most of the time, and he’s always been there for me.
Glenn juggled his schedule and showed up a day before he said he’d do the work. When he handed me the bill, it was a little less than his estimate. I admire people who “under promise and over deliver.” And I love the fact that our air conditioner is now blowing cool air through the vents. Did I mention that the temps dropped like a stone the day after we replaced the unit?
A story to remember - don't lose the copy.
ReplyDeleteJoy
Of course the heat spell ended!
ReplyDeleteEchoing joeh. It is almost a rule.
ReplyDeleteWe all have our stories about what went wrong. I'm glad you got a new A/C unit that cost you less than expected but I wonder if Glenn gave you a higher quote just to make you feel better when he presented you the bill with a lower amount.
ReplyDeleteI hope the temperature is more seasonal by now.
Hugs, Julia
Now we'll be hopeful the furnace does it's job for you and doesn't go the way of the A/C. I'm very thankful mine is working just fine as it has gotten very cold here and it's not going to get any better for several months to come.
ReplyDeleteAin't nothing like an EPIC event. (and a comment that STICKS!) Good read, even brought a smile. ;-)
ReplyDeleteThat's the way it always works. Air conditioner is fixed, temperatures drop. Furnace fixed, temperatures rise. Oh well. Now you can look forward to next summer.
ReplyDeleteDear Rick, thanks for this story, which touched home because I've been having to replace a front door and it's been difficult finding someone to do it. Last Friday two men did the job wonderfully well. I felt safe for the first time in five weeks.
ReplyDeleteAs to your story, this line--"Apparently, the old AC used a type of coolant that the government outlawed just after the dinosaurs left the planet."--made me laugh out loud. Thanks so much for that healthy chuckle! Peace.
Of course it turned cool as soon as you had AC again. The good news is that when it heats up again next summer, your AC will work.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
It figures that the temperature would drop just as you made the change.
ReplyDeleteI chuckled when I read that the ants ate your outside unit.
ReplyDeleteLisa
That always sucks when a big thing like the a/c decides not to work. Next year, when it is nothing but hot, hot, hot, you will feel blessed that it is working. I hate when temps go up and down...you never know how to dress or If heat or cold is needed.
ReplyDeleteAm I experiencing deja vu? I thought I had already read about a repairman charging you less than his estimate!!
ReplyDelete