AC died

[Capt Worley PE]

Well, looks like the condensate tray overflowed and shorted out the blower motor last night. Got reaquainted last night with sleeping with no AC. However, the wife called the AC guys and they can't come out today, but will be there tomorrow morning. How nice! It is gonna be 100 degrees today!

Luckiliy we have a window unit in the den, so I imagine that's where the Worleys will be living today. Thank God for emergency fallback systems!

System is 18 years old, so we'll see what the AC guys say. I bet they could just replace the blower motor, but we might be better off with a new system.

 

[Chucktown PE]

Where do you live Capt? We are at a balmy 95 down here in Charleston with 98% relative humidity. We just got moved in on Monday (we moved to Charleston from Atlanta) and my wife and kids are struggling with the humidity. I grew up in Charleston/Columbia so the humidity doesn't bother me. I was moving some stuff around in my storage shed last night at 10 and it was still 85 at that point. I came in and was soaked with sweat. My poor dog keeps looking at me like he is about ready to die but I suppose he'll get used to it.

 

[Capt Worley PE]

I'm in Columbia, suppoesed to be 100 highs through Sunday, so I hope they get it fixed quick.

I grew up not using much AC. When it was hot, we used to 'lie useless' on the porch.

 

[bigray76]

Hey Cap't, you may want to ensure that you stay hydrated... make sure that you have plenty of CAB's on hand.

Our AC went last summer. We ended up getting a new condenser rather than try to keep the old piece of crap running. We got a new furnace this winter as well.

 

[udpolo15]

System is 18 years old, so we'll see what the AC guys say. I bet they could just replace the blower motor, but we might be better off with a new system.

you should consider operating costs when making the decision to replace or repair. I am sure a new efficient system will save you a bunch of money over the long term.

 

[IlPadrino]

Hey Cap't, you may want to ensure that you stay hydrated... make sure that you have plenty of CAB's on hand.

Have been through a few hurricanes, I have a keen sense for prioritization of utilities, especially in hot weather. No AC is OK so long as you have cold water and colder beer (so electricity is still very important!). No water combined with no electricity (and therefore no AC) is MISERABLE - all the moreso if you can't blunt the pain with cold beer. Well, there's always hard liqour, though...

 

[Capt Worley PE]

CABs are being procured.

IlPadrino, my Dad got a PTO powered generator for his tractor so that your scenario can be easily dealt with. It'll run the house and the well easily.

 

[FLBuff PE]

What is this AC thingy you guys keep mentioning? It's 50 and raining here today.

 

[Chucktown PE]

I'm in Columbia, suppoesed to be 100 highs through Sunday, so I hope they get it fixed quick.
I grew up not using much AC. When it was hot, we used to 'lie useless' on the porch.

Columbia in the summer may very well be the hottest/most miserable place on earth. My parents live in Blythewood and I think that the Midlands are always 10 degrees hotter than the Lowcounty and 20 degrees hotter than Atlanta. My parents' upstairs AC went out last night as well. Low on refrigerant but the leak is in the evaporator coil so they are getting a new coil.

My brother in law lives in a new house on Daniel Island and called me up the other night because he didn't think his upstairs unit was working. His definition of it not working was that he had it set on 69 and it was only cooling to 73. It was 95 degrees with a heat index of 105. I assured him that it would be slightly warmer if the unit wasn’t cooling and also told him that a good AC will only cool to 20 degrees below the heat index. I had an AC repair man tell me that one time but it sounds a little conservative. I would think 30 degrees below the heat index but who knows.

Captain, who do you work for? I interned for two summers in Columbia for Mashburn Construction one summer and B.P. Barber the next summer.

 

[Road Guy]

our upstairs went out 2 days ago, luckily we have a seperate unti downstairs, but I guess I know where we will be spending our surplus check

 

[Guest]

Wow .. there must be a run on A/C maintenace. I have been hit up by four people at work about what to do about various and sundry A/C disrepair issues ...

JR

 

[IlPadrino]

CABs are being procured.
IlPadrino, my Dad got a PTO powered generator for his tractor so that your scenario can be easily dealt with. It'll run the house and the well easily.

Smart man... so long as it doesn't run out of diesel!

 

[chaosiscash]

Columbia may very well be the most miserable place on earth.

Agreed

 

[Capt Worley PE]

I assured him that it would be slightly warmer if the unit wasn’t cooling and also told him that a good AC will only cool to 20 degrees below the heat index. I had an AC repair man tell me that one time but it sounds a little conservative. I would think 30 degrees below the heat index but who knows.

The figure I heard from a guy that taught HVAC at a tech school I worked was a unit should hold 75 degrees at 100 degrees. That was confirmed by some AC contractors in FL. Ours holds 78 at 100, and I think that isn't enough.

Yeah, Columbia in the summer without AC is pretty bad. Plus humidity is horrible.

 

[Chucktown PE]

Agreed

That isn't an exact quote. I said Columbia during the summer.

 

[chaosiscash]

Easy killer, just joking around. And admittedly, the majority of the time I have actually spent in columbia has been in the fall. But I've been through there a few times during the summer to head down to your neck of the woods. My wife's best friend lives in West Ashley, and my great aunt has a house downtown on King. I practically spent a month ever summer in that house when I was younger, b/c my Aunt and Uncle would stay out on Sullivans. Since my Uncle died and my Aunt has gotten older, they sold the Sullivan's house and she doesn't get out as much.

I'll probably be down that way this year for the forth.

Hijack aside, Capt, I know how you feel. We didn't have A/C in the house I grew up in (near Greenville, so a little cooler than columbia due to the slight elevation) until I was 11 or 12. Hopefully you have an attic fan, thats how we made it bearable to sleep in the summers.

 

[Capt Worley PE]

My Dad said going no AC-->whole house fan was a much bigger change in comfort than going whole house fan--> AC.

I think that's the reason he ran the fan so much when I was a kid.

 

[EM_PS]

Crikey, i get cranky when we have a month of days @ 90 or over (as measured over entire summer season) [D@mn you Al Gore!]

oh and as a kid, i thought AC only came in commercial buildings - except those whimsical little window units which we didn't have either

 

[snickerd3]

We didn't have a/c either...my parents just bought an a/c system for their house a couple years ago. Growing up we had "Polish air conditioning" as my Mom (who is Polish) called it...in other words just fans.

 

[RIP - VTEnviro]

We've just got two big window units on either side of the house that cool the main floor and one up in the bedroom. It does the trick. At least is has so far, I'm in a new house and haven't experienced a real heat wave in it yet..

Am I the only one who thought this thread was about AC Slater dying?