I have been afraid of my air conditioning system for 7 years.
Well, now THERE's a statement. I'm a black belt, I am pretty handy with guns, I'm 5'10" and the daughter and grandchild of pro athletes. I'm not afraid of jack most of the time, but I am afraid of the AC system.
When I bought my place, out in the scary suburbs of Fairfax County, it was brand new. I, as a first time home-buyer, assumed everything with it was new too. It was - to a certain degree. The first summer, I breezed through on the 3rd floor, with my cathedral ceilings, and kept it at a nice 70 degrees. I am, after all, from the west coast and thus while not upset by heat, annoyed to no end by humidity. I hate humidity and everything that comes with it; the damp, the crankiness, the sweat running down my back or in between my breasts. HATE it. So I ran the system thinking everything was fine. And it was. Until the next summer.
The second summer is when I again ran it at 70, and learned what a drip pan was and what "builder grade" meant. Hell, I didn't know. Had I ever owned my own place before? No. Had I ever been in charge of water heaters and AC systems and fire alarms and plumbing inside the walls? Nope. So the drip pan filled up and cut the AC off. I called a company, they came out and that was when I learned that the drip pan was at the bottom of a 10 foot drop from a hole in the wall in the loft area. No human way to get to it with a suction pump and a wet vac, unless I cut a very expensive hole in the wall. Nah. So I learned how to blow the lines, and pour hot water and bleach down the system, to ensure that pipes weren't backing up. I learned what Grainger was, and I bought condensation tabs to help the process. I was told my AC system was about the worst of the worst, that the whole complex would eventually all need to be replaced. I cringed and set the system at 76.
I learned fear.
Summers 3, 4, 5 and 6 were hotter than I like, and the damn system blew up at least 1x each year. The compressor blew up, because being on the 3rd floor meant it was working twice as hard. So I replaced it. Then the blower broke. Had to replace that. I got a home warranty, and I joined the Service Contract Club with Michael and Son. I pay $29 a month, but they come out 2x a year and check it, and fixing it costs 3x less. I bought fans, and began to run them constantly, upping the volume inside considerably, but at least helping the air circulate, so I could keep it set at 80. That's right, 80.
Last summer, the system started making a weird noise, as though a pilot light was trying to light. No way to use words, really, to describe it, other than to say if you've ever tried to light a pilot light, and you turn the gas, it makes kind of a "thunk" noise. Well, I'm staring at the inside portion of the system, where the blower is, and it's making this noise. Constantly - about every 2 or 3 minutes. Day and Night. Poor Michael and Son. They got jipped on this one. They had to come out 5 times! 5 flipping times, before someone finally figured it out. First it was electrical. So new wiring. Nope, not electrical, maybe it's the blower again? New blower. 3rd time, the tech actually said to me "I have no idea".
By now, I'm up at night, basically waiting for it all to break and waiting for the condo to burn down. I am a nervous wreck. I'm planning work travel and karate travel, and I'm leaving pets behind, and I'm a flipping wreck. Add to this stress, the 4 days without power we'd all had with the Derecho that blew thru. In my 3rd floor condo, it reached 102 degrees inside without the AC. So needless to say, the 'I have no idea' excuse did not cut it. I pitched a FIT. I demanded a new tech, and by the grace of above, I got a guy who truly knows his stuff. Cut wires that were hooked up to God knows what, and a new circuit board, and lo and behold, a new thermostat. Michael and Sons ate about $1700 by the time it was all said and done. Me? I paid $29. But I think I became "that lady in Fairfax" in their record books.
And so we limped through summer 7.
This year, I loathed turning that damn thing on. I have been afraid for all these years, and frankly, I've never been cool. It is a huge reason why I truly hate summer in Washington DC. I made it until the end of May, almost, but ultimately had to call them up - time for my bi-annual inspection. Same guy came out. He had to put almost 3 pounds of freon in there - more than 2 pounds, you typically have a leak. Oh yeah - I've learned a LOT in 7 years. New compressor again also, other one was shot. He fixed it all, and came back inside and we finally had the Come to Jesus I have been dreading.
Time for a whole new system.
Many of you may know this from painful experience, but for those who do not - AC systems are NOT cheap. Oh my God, they are NOT cheap. Add to that the fact that I live on the 3rd floor, have apparently a VERY old and cheap system in there already, which means some modern carriers don't even make a comparable model that would fit with the wiring I already have, and your options get narrowed down. Way down. Carrier, for example, doesn't make a comparable model. I'd have to literally get permission to REWIRE THE ENTIRE BUILDING if I wanted a Carrier system. Um, yeah, that ain't hapepning.
He gave me a quote for a very good system, good make. Honestly, it was less than what I thought, but still the price of a small island in the South Pacific, or so I thought. I made him explain everything that would happen and how my life would be better. He left. I didnt' sleep. The next day, I called a few other places. This quote, from a company I trust, was actually GREAT in comparison to what else I was being given. One company said they couldn't even come to look at my place until August. AUGUST! Whatever. I tossed and turned a second night. I have spent 3 years paying off debt, getting my credit rating back up to a very respectable and quite frankly, enviable place. Did I want to add debt again? Could I limp through another year? I fretted. I asked my parents and friends. I looked at the animals - they were hot, I could tell. I fretted some more.
I finally took a deep breath, called the financing company and thankfully was approved in 3 minutes flat. It was time. Time to do yet another HUGE grown-up thing, at least in my book. Buying new HVAC systems? Yeah - very adult. I called Michael and Son. They had the guy back out for measurements the next day - again, a perk that comes with being on their monthly contract plan. I HIGHLY recommend that plan, by the way, especially if you live alone, have an older house, etc. If something breaks, you get priority. As in, last year when I called in mid-July about the thunking noise - a time of year that normally meant at least 2-3 days wait, they were there 2 hours later. 2 HOURS. They are awesome.
Anyway, they'll be here Friday morning. I am still nervous and scared. It better all work out. They better not have fit issues, or wiring issues and if they do, it better just all get fixed. I'm bringing coffee and donuts, to express my thanks and butter them up. I made a party out of it, and arranged to have the Electrician coming during the same window, to fix the fire alarms and change the battery in the one, so I dont' have to. Another perk. And another story.....
I will likely take a few weeks to calm down. Sort of like how I was after the car accident, and buying a new car. I didn't start to relax in that car for an entire month, not believing it was all going to be ok, and it wasn't going to break at any minute. So with the AC, I will likely keep it set high for a few weeks, to "make sure". My fingers and toes are all crossed. If there was an appliance God, I would pray to him. I feel like puking.
Sad, isn't it? But here's to hoping summer 8 ushers in a new era. I might still have to deal with sweat running down between my boobs - I mean, you can't have everything. But here's to hoping anyway.....
