i repaired the clothes washer. one small error, the leads going to the hot and cold servos were swapped so i had few more minutes of panic until i switched the leads. in retrospect the new brain was supposed to come with new leads properly labeled but since it was a cannibalized part from a floor model things were a little funky.
the air conditioner was under warranty--although i had to argue a bit to convince them that my manual indeed said a full five year warranty. in the interim i called the local repair guy that doesn't do warranty work on our model. he's great, always helpful and fair. he said it was the mini-breaker protected power cord that was the problem--he was correct. i guess they are bad to go out. the warranty guy showed up with a tool kit smaller than tristans and promptly couldn't take the cord apart. it took a diamond shaped bit--i'd never seen one like it before. i ground down one of my old rusty square bits and provided him with the right tool.
at the end of the day he cut the mini-breaker protector off and jammed the stripped wires into the 240v socket and the AC unit worked. "it'll be ten days before we can get the new part." what? he said he wouldn't void my warranty if i were to get a temporary breaker-less 20amp cord and put it on myself.
i kept saying to myself what do normal people do? do they just wait the ten days in the august heat? AND if these units are bad to go out why don't they keep one on the service truck? so i went and got a new end for my power cord. don't try this at home folks. it is a real hazard. the wires are stranded with hair like strands and they must never touch each other in a powered-up mode. doing this sounds simple enough but executing it in the confines of the cheap-o-plug is another thing.
i also fixed the futon frame. the kids are really hard on all furniture this is especially so of anything that can second as a trampoline. i had to purchase some plywood since most of the frame was catastrophically broken beyond any repair.
i am also making a rack that'll hold the milking machine while it is drying after washing. this is almost finished. all projects no matter how small are subject to a ridiculous amount of interruptions during this time. i am suprised that i can get anything done.
7 comments:
I think I would have done exactly what you did. However, I wouldn't leave it running unmonitored for the next ten days.
I feel your pain with projects. I just have one and can't hardly do anything. Now multiply by four... I can't fathom it.
What's "normal"? I think I'd do away with the A/C, get a kiddie wading pool and soak my feet while sitting in the shade and sipping a cool beverage ;). Nothing beats cool water for taking away the summer heat ;).
We don't have A/C, but "August heat" is pretty subjective. According to the weather forecast, our night time temps for the next three or four days are supposed to drop into the high 40's. I'm not trying to rub it in. When it's -4°F and I'm huddling next to the wood stove wearing my weight in clothes, you can laugh at me :).
That you fixed the washer and the air conditioner doesn't surprise me. In fact, knowing your propensity and knowledge for fixing things, it kinda makes me yawn. You can do it all! It makes me sad, though, that these projects took time away from your precious gardening, chickening, etc. But, what a great way to be an amazing parent to the Little Ones. Some day they'll look back in awe at your ability to be persistent, handy and self-sufficient.
Ten days without A/C, clean clothes and YOU in the same sentence? Yikes! Yes, get a kiddie pool.
You are such a resourceful man.
Loved the long-hair photos! Congrats on fixing the AC, washer and all.
We don't have A/C and never have. We manage to survive the Mississippi river heat and humidity by closing the windows, drapes and blinds early before things heat up. On humid days, a cool dip in the pool or a cold shower does wonders. Ten days without A/C is doable. :)
ed abbey, i have the unit properly protected at the main. the worst thing that can go wrong is a spike could fry the computer in the unit. i'll have it disconnected before the service tech arrives.
wendy and ang., if it were up to me we'd hardly ever use the AC. tabitha suffers with the heat where i don't really mind too much. although in this case we like to make newborn rome as comfortable as possible.
matt, thanks for the cheering section.
donna ditto
I have no idea what normal people do. LOL
Glad you got all that stuff fixed, man. It's a beautiful and much-appreciated 66 degrees here right now... windows open and ceiling fan on. A range hood vented to the outdoors makes canning fun around here... I'm glad we went to the trouble to actually vent it outdoors right about now.
Take care,
Ron
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