My wife and I came home from work last Monday and found the temperature inside the house to be 86 degrees. Although the thermostat was set at 80, only lukewarm air blew out the vents.
I called an air conditioning company, which had made nearly $300 worth of repairs to the unit four months ago — when the heater blew out cold air — to get an estimate. It would be $100 to come out after hours, or $60 during a regular business day. Trying to be good stewards, we opted to wait, even though no appointments were available until Wednesday afternoon.
So we toughed it out, aiming two fans on our bed and turning the overhead fan on as well. I decided not to open up the windows. While the temperature dipped to a balmy 80 overnight, the humidity topped 90 percent. We made it through the night.
Craving comfort seems a bit selfish when much of the world suffers through hot summers with no means of cooling off. Troops in Afghanistan certainly aren’t obsessed with 72-degree indoor air. Humanity has managed to survive for centuries without this means of temperature soothing.
I asked my 93-year-old mom how she lived without air conditioning growing up in hot and humid Springfield, Mo. Lots of swimming, going to air-conditioned movie theaters and taking turns with her siblings sitting in front of an electric fan about the size of a fist.
My wife and I didn’t have to wait another night for the air conditioner to be repaired. I mentioned to building contractor Melvin Hopke, who is constructing an enclosed back porch on our house, that our air conditioning had broken. He had an air conditioning installer that he works with look at it and he fixed it quickly. What a blessing that turned out to be when the temperature that day reached 100 degrees!
HVAC is a fairly new invention. We are, indeed, very lucky that we have the means to regulate the temperature in our homes and offices to levels we are most comfortable with. This way, we can focus our energies towards other productive tasks instead of worrying about extreme heat or cold.
ReplyDeleteMechteld Abelli
Oh geez! I know the exact feeling when it is terribly hot outside and AC is out. Same thing happened. My thermostat acted up. According to my repair man, when your AC is more than 15 yrs. old, it is time for replacements. However, as part of the basic troubleshooting, first, he checked to see if all filters were clean and all hoses were free of wear. They were all A-O. Only, he found that the thermostat had aging wiring, and the transformer required replacing. So, without any doubt, I did buy a new AC unit. Don’t you just love the day air conditioner got invented?
ReplyDeleteNaoki Dieter
Nice! You’re lucky to know someone who can fix your AC unit! When the air-conditioner in my room broke down, I had to sleep with my brother in his room. It took me three days to find a reliable technician to repair my AC. But, it’s all worth it because he really did great! :D
ReplyDeleteDarryl Iorio
How’s the air conditioning doing now, John? Naoki’s correct. If your air conditioner is old (I have to assume this since it was blowing warm air), replacement is indeed in order. I’m still glad that Melvin was able to fix the air conditioner with haste because 100 degrees would be almost unbearable without it.
ReplyDeleteMignon Her
Oh yes, getting your air con repaired is definitely worth every single penny. Sometimes, it’s even better to replace the whole thing rather than to fix it. We’re lucky enough that newer air conditioning units have higher efficiency, thus a lower energy consumption rate. Keep that in mind because you might need to replace your air con, when it breaks again.
ReplyDeleteGeorgia Fuller