Unbagging the Cats 1

Unbagging the Cats 1

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

If It Ain't Broke, Talk about Fixing It

Hick has decided that the air conditioner repair man must come on Friday morning at 8:00.

He seemed perturbed when I said, "So you'll be the one letting him in?" Because I've got a feeling that he intended for me to do that. Which is certainly ridiculous, because Hick has already taken the day off work on Friday to pick up Genius at Nerd Camp on Thursday at 2:30. Are you getting a glimpse into how Hick's mind works? He figured that since he was taking off Thursday, he might as well take off Friday, too.

The air conditioner service idea came about because Hick says that it's not working. I'm not sure what he's expecting from old Central Air. I jacked the thermostat up to 74 degrees at the beginning of summer vacation, because Hick said the usual 72 was too low. Now he says that the house is too hot. And the AC isn't working. I pointed out that while I'm in the basement, I sometimes turn on my little electric heater under the desk in my office, because I am too cold. And when I watch TV in the evening, I need a blanket. Because I am too cold. Hick said I need to adjust those vents in the ductwork. That I need to do that every summer and every winter.

Whoa, Nellie! I have never adjusted vents in the ductwork. It's not like a rectangular vent in the floor, with a slidey lever to open or close it. They are round, spirally thingies up in the ceiling, with twisty dials in the center. Next thing you know, it will be my responsibility to crawl through the ducts with a feather duster. I told Hick that he can adjust those vents himself. As yet, he's walked under them every evening on his way to the pool and has laid nary a hand on them.

The reason Hick says the AC doesn't work is because "It runs all the time." I'm thinking that just might have something to do with the heat index of 115 degrees these past few days. But Hick says the AC never shuts off. I begged to differ, because as an avid TV-watcher, I am keenly aware of having to turn up the volume every time that basement behemoth cranks on, and lower the volume when it shuts off. Hick says I am delusional. Not with such a grandiose word, perhaps, but that's what he meant. He says I am only hearing the fan as it goes from high to low. I don't think that's how an air conditioner works.

It reminds me of the time last winter when we had those below-zero days and Hick wanted to run the furnace on Emergency Heat. Because he said it would be easier on the unit and it wouldn't have to work so hard. He didn't like it when I said I thought Emergency Heat was for when something happened to the furnace, and you needed emergency heat. Now that I took two minutes to research it, I seem to have been right, but for the wrong reasons.

I hope Hick enjoys his visit with the AC repairman to talk about not-fixing the AC that ain't broke. For a service fee.

9 comments:

Sioux Roslawski said...

I am sure that even if he IS proven wrong by the ac repair guy, he will put a spin on things to make it appear like he was right.

Linda O'Connell said...

Good grief, they're all alike.

Tammy said...

I've been living in fear that my air conditioner will break down in this heat...but calling the AC repairman to not fix it? Sounds like a man thing.

Val said...

Sioux,
Of course. Just like every time the thermostat pops up the CHANGE FILTER message, he tells me it isn't really necessary. I harped so much he started writing the date he changed it on some metal thingy by the unit. Last time I sent Genius with him to check, it had been 3 YEARS since it was changed. Then he said he had secretly been changing it without writing it down.

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Linda,
That's exactly what my mom told me the night before my wedding.

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Tammy,
He's just looking for a way to annoy me and squander money. Two birds, one stone.

Kathy's Klothesline said...

He who thinks he can fix anything will at least dismantle it before he admits defeat and calls for help.

Val said...

Kathy,
The repair dude was here for over an hour. The verdict: dirt in the coil. I'm guessing that might have been avoided with regular filter-changing. But what do I know? Hick said the dude wants him to use a different kind of filter. Like maybe a CLEAN one every time the thermostat brain commands it. Still, I heard no mention of anything being broken or not running properly. So I'm guessing we're just dirty, dirty heat pump owners.

labbie1 said...

Gman just leaves it up to me to deal with the breakdowns...thank goodness!!!! LOL

Val said...

labbie,
Hope you got that canoe-dent in the side of your home patched!

labbie1 said...

Not yet. I have been a little bit busy for some reason...LOL

Wait til I have a resolution to the most recent "fun". I can't blog it til it is finished and I have pix because NO ONE would ever believe it! ROFLMAO

I do have a body shop guy coming over to take a look at the camper, though.