We ordered a new air conditioner. It will be delivered on Friday. It was a lot more expensive than fixing the old one, but it should last longer. This will give me peace of mind over the summer. In other news, we are planning two trips to the cabin this summer. The first in May, where after a New York wedding, we will accompany Anne’s sisters to the cabin. They have big plans for a new water heater and spraying for powder post beetles. We’ll hangout up north until our new windows are ready, then return to Saint Louis for their installation. Between the A/C and the new windows their costs will blow our home improvement budget.
We had our annual, start of the summer air conditioning season health check on our home’s central unit. The whole idea of these health checks is akin to looking for trouble with a flashlight, because we are basically paying someone to find problems that they can then charge us to fix. This video shows the service tech looking for and finding a freon leak in the condenser coil, which is part of the outside half of the air conditioner. The technician proposed $1,500+ to try to solder the leak or $3,000+ to replace the leaking coil. The tech left but also left questions.
I called the operator and tried asking her my questions, but she got flustered and punted, by dispatching a salesman. The salesman did a drive by, but he was gone before I could ask him any questions. After he was gone, I noticed that the A/C unit was not running anymore. It turned out that it had been disconnected, without telling me, which pissed me off. Especially, since their tech had turned it on, left it running, and then just left. I was so pissed at them.
Then I decided to not get mad but get to work. Our unit is ten years and eight months old. Our warranty was only good for ten. On the internet there is the $5,000 rule. On any air conditioner, multiply its age in years times the repair cost. If this exceeds $5,000 then replace. Even with the proposed somewhat dogie repair, we are way over that line. Although we are way beyond ozone eating refrigerants, our current unit uses still unfriendly to global warming gas. A new unit would be more ecological. I’ve already scheduled another bid and are still awaiting the first. The next week looks reasonably cool, so we have time.
The wind began to switch, the house to pitch And suddenly the hinges started to unhitch Just then the witch, to satisfy an itch Went flying on her broomstick, thumbing for a hitch. — Wizard of Oz
First the outdoor sirens wailed and then our phones began to scream. Dueling storm alarms. Checking my weather radar app, yep, we were dead center in the middle of a red box, a tornado box. Turned the TV on and tuned in Scott and Lance, the dancing KSDK weathermen. Both standing in front of their matching green screens, ready to gesticulate wildly at the approaching storm. Long story short. There was a tornado. It wasn’t much and it didn’t last long. Those of us in the path of this phantom tornado were not even advised to go to the basement. For this event, our safe space extended to the couch in front of the television.
Never mind that this storm’s track was following the same path as last year’s real and devastating tornado of less than a year ago. The evening news time arrived, and the anchor and his trusty sports boy were chaffing to begin. So, Scott and Lance packed in their green screens and slunk back into their regular time slot. Don’t worry folks, it is still only April. There is still time left for more.
