Monday, August 06, 2007

Missions Accomplished:

Finally I have managed to do 3/4 of the "get this done this weekend" chore list. The worst bit was working up the mental gumption to wash off the louvers on the bifold door that leads to where the furnace lurks. I know this sounds stupid - but every time that I'd think about getting out some cleaning supplies and tackling it, I'd find 20 other things that just HAD to be done first...

Saturday I woke up determined. I went down and filled up a bucket with cleaning solution and threw in a clean "shop rag" and started in. Before breakfast. Before coffee. Before laundry...

In all, I think it took me about 20 minutes to really carefully clean all the louvers and wipe down the door, getting rid of the dust and cobwebs and grime. Hardly any time at all, really. Why is it that something that really is NOT a huge undertaking can be so hard to actually force oneself to BEGIN?

Wasps have invaded the tube for my garden gate. This is an issue. I despise flying stinging critters. I don't mind bumblebees, or even honeybees, although I will not tolerate them INSIDE my house, but wasps and hornets and the like are disgusting. I had a bit left in the can of wasp/hornet insecticide, so I sprayed it into the tube this morning. Not one, but TWO of the icky things came out of the tube, then had the temerity to die while STILL HANGING ON TO THE TUBE. This suxxors and doth not swallow. I believe I shall have to stop at the Ace Hardware on the way home and buy another container of the insecticide, and murder any more of them that may be hiding in the tube, as well as spraying off the two that are hanging there. Damn bugs.

What is it with tubes anyhow? Damn things build their muddy little nests inside all kinds of tubes - especially clothes-line tubes and such. Bugs with a "round" fetish. *shudder* Gah I hate those things.

AC update - I had the guys I bought the AC unit from out AGAIN to try and find the freon leak. They hung themselves over the unit and grunted a lot, hung themselves over the furnace and grunted a lot - but in the end they claimed that the leak was in a pipe that goes "through the concrete under your house" and that they couldn't replace that without either 1) tearing up my entire floor and much of my cabinetry, or 2) running an exposed line through the bathroom, behind the washer & dryer and then along the bottom of the vinyl siding and under the back door, or 3) tearing up my entire soffit inside the house to run the line along side the ductwork.

All this for... the meagre sum of... 1200 bucks.

Fuck that.

Fans are cheap to run, and work fine. Come October/November I'll contact 2 or 3 other HVAC contractors and get a bid on what it would cost for THEM to run a line from the "A-Coil" to the outside unit - during the OFF season. Until then, I have an exceptionally expensive paperweight in my back yard. I'm pissed off. But nothing I can do, so I'll just deal with it. Besides, there's 10000 other small things I can do and fix up around the place. Still need to get a key to the meter room, however.

In fact... I think I'll go call about that right now.

Oh, and TFWY - Mission Accomplished, Dude. Will send him another next Monday. In fact, I may make it a regular Monday thing.

532 days

1 comment:

BBC said...

"bifold door that leads to where the furnace lurks."

They lift right off of the lower support, then you can take them outside and clean them with a brush and hose them off.

"they claimed that the leak was in a pipe that goes "through the concrete under your house"

???? They used a pipe that was already there? Not a part of their installation??? Without testing it first? Fuck that !!! Make them make it right.

Unless that place was plumbed for A/C in the first place I don't see why an extra pipe would even be there. I would check that out some more if I were you. It just sounds fishy to me.