$2,700 on the new A/C; and a near broken neck

[oumartin]

I am so glad this week is over!

First off I get a call from the wife telling me that she had the air conditioner looked at cuz it wasn't cooling. Well we need a new unit. I get home on Wednesday morning and its 85 freakin' degrees in the house. To top it all off my youngest sons birthday was that day and we had planned on takin' him to White water the next day.
Around 8pm with the house finally cooling off to near 78 degrees I am outside with my wife yelling at my mother who is threatening to take me to court so she can see her grandkids.(It's not that she can't see them, She chose for 12 years to not be a grandmother so I quit answering her calls and knocks at the door went un answered) Anyhow, we are in the front drive acting like we could be on an episode of cops when my son calls his mom on her cell.
Mom, jake is hurt! My wife says, we are just outside and runs into the house only to come back out to get me.
My son had tripped and hit the side of his face on the edge of the couch. he can't turn his head, sit up. any movement makes him scream. I check his pupils and speech and call the emergency room nurse. She says watch him and if he gets dizzy or his pupils dialate call an ambulance otherwise just keep him calm and talk to him and try to get him comfortable and see if he gets better.
he talked fine and could turn one way but the other way made him scream. he managed to get up to pee. Well I slept by him in the recliner to watch him that night and took him to dr. the next day. Dr. says its probably just pulled or strained muscles since he can turn one way no problem. However said although kids dont' break their necks often cuz its mostly cartilidge he informed us if he doesn't get better we need to get it scanned to see if he broke it.. I about crapped my pants!

Anyhow, he is all good now and back to his normal self. This kid play wrestles and flies off the couch and does all sorts of stuff and a trip nearly does him in.

[soonerboomer93]

glad he's ok

it's sometimes when you don't land right, or just hit something in the wrong area that will mess anyone up good...

[Newbomb Turk]

man - glad to hear the kid is doing better. That would scare the heck out of me.

[VeeJay]

I heard two surly airline passengers drop F Bombs on flights back to NC yesterday.

People are losing their grip, fer sure.

[TopDaugIn2000]

I gotta get my a/c looked at, my house was a little warm this weekend and the damn thing ran most all day. :mad: I'm prayin I don't need a new one right now. Welcome to home ownership!!!!!!

[Boomer.....]

I gotta get my a/c looked at, my house was a little warm this weekend and the damn thing ran most all day. :mad: I'm prayin I don't need a new one right now. Welcome to home ownership!!!!!!
I'm guessing that you buy the 1 year home warranty.

[TopDaugIn2000]

no, I took the home "as is" because it needed so much work, and in return the seller knocked off big bucks because she wanted out of it (her husband had just died and she was moving in with her kids)

[Boomer.....]

You could have purchased the warranty at closing. It is through a seperate company and only runs about $400. It covers almost everything for a year.

[TopDaugIn2000]

I'm thinking (and hoping) it just needs to be topped off.

I've already replaced the HW heater (it was the original from 88 and I knew it had to be on it's last leg so that was the FIRST thing we did before painting or putting down floors). I plan on replacing all of the appliances this winter when I re-do my kitchen, so there wasn't really that much left to cover.

[JohnnyMack]

her husband had just died

In that house?

Did she kill him?

[TopDaugIn2000]

no, the hospital.

he had a small brain tumor, when the docs zapped it apparently the cancer spread throughout his entire body and he was gone in a matter of months.

course it took 40 gallons of paint to cover the nicotine, so I'm sure his lungs weren't in perfect health either.

[JohnnyMack]

The hospital killed him?

She should sue.

[StuIsTheMan]

no, I took the home "as is" because it needed so much work, and in return the seller knocked off big bucks because she wanted out of it (her husband had just died and she was moving in with her kids)

Great...feeding off of widows now huh.:D

[TopDaugIn2000]

yup

I did feel bad at closing though, she had lived there since the mid-90s and still owed nearly what I paid for it. minus the realtor fees, she barely broke even.

[TopDaugIn2000]

and if anybody knows of a good (and when I say good I also mean cheap) A/C guy in the Norman area, let a sister know.

[TopDaugIn2000]

hey olevet.....come fix it for me. there will be plenty of frosty cold Natty for ya in return. (and i'm not talking about myself)

[JohnnyMack]

and if anybody knows of a good (and when I say good I also mean cheap) A/C guy in the Norman area, let a sister know.

http://www.cduson.com/img/posters/PF_979713.jpg

[yermom]

i know some good guys, but i'll have to find their info...

[TopDaugIn2000]

we are still talking about A/C guys, right??? :P

[yermom]

oh yeah, i'll look for the A/C guys' number too

[TopDaugIn2000]

a guy at work recommended someone and I called. He's coming over to service my unit tonight.


Hopefully he'll have time to look at the A/C while he's there.

[olevetonahill]

hey olevet.....come fix it for me. there will be plenty of frosty cold Natty for ya in return. (and i'm not talking about myself)
I could do that . Ive got the gauges and the R-22 that ya need . But have you had the O/Side unit cleaned ? New Filter ?

[TopDaugIn2000]

I replaced the filter when I moved in and again the other day (I got the 3 month filters). The d00d said he'd clean it for me tonight as well.

[olevetonahill]

I replaced the filter when I moved in and again the other day (I got the 3 month filters). The d00d said he'd clean it for me tonight as well.
Let me know whats going on befor ya make any major decisions ok ?
If its been coolin fine why has it JUST now started to Not Cool ?
Look at yer O/S unit and see if theres Not a lot of grass and leaves and such On the coils .
Is it In the Direct Sun ? Ya might wanta make a shelter type cover for it

[TopDaugIn2000]

it hasn't been very hot to really test it, but this past weekend it got pretty toasty outside and it just didn't seem to be very cool in the house. the thing runs ALL the time too. my elec bills are quite a bit higher than the last place i lived, and it's not really all that hot yet.

no telling when it was cleaned last, the inside of the house was filthy, so I'm sure the outside unit is as well.

the fence shades it from afternoon sun.

[olevetonahill]

Hopefully then Iy just needs a good cleaning and maybe a shot of R-22

[oumartin]

put an arkansas cooler on your outside unit!

[Newbomb Turk]

to see if your AC unit is cooling properly take a thermometer (a meat thermometer works) and put it in your return vent, measure the temperature - and then in one of the supply vents, measure that temperature. The supply temp should be around 15 (plus or minus a few) degrees colder.

[phead903]

So, TD2K, what's the story on your AC? did you get serviced ok? Wait, those are 2 different questions, aren't they?:D

[StuIsTheMan]

put an arkansas cooler on your outside unit!
I'm not sure everyone gets that one. So it's worthless w/o pics...Off to Slickdaws:D

[TopDaugIn2000]

he checked the vents, seemed to be getting good air flow. he cleaned the outside unit really well, hopefully that will help. it was pretty nasty, could tell it hadn't been done in years.

[phead903]

If that doesn't work, and you need to get a new system make sure that the Contractors give you an ARI report on the new system they are proposing you buy so you know that you are getting exactly what they are selling you. ARI rates every system for SEER output and the contractor should give you a certificate showing the ratings. The higher the SEER rating, the more efficient the system. I know it's a big investment, but the energy savings on a higher SEER unit may give you a decent payback.

Good Luck TD2K!

[olevetonahill]

he checked the vents, seemed to be getting good air flow. he cleaned the outside unit really well, hopefully that will help. it was pretty nasty, could tell it hadn't been done in years.
Did he clean the Inside unit ?

[oumartin]

an arkansas cooler is a water hose with cool water running on the unit! those in the plant operating business would catch it

[TopDaugIn2000]

i know all about the SEER ratings and stuff, and will get the best unit I can afford when the time comes to buy a new unit.

he looked at the inside, but he was more worried about the shoddy job my setp-dad did on the hot water tank installation than anything. He's gonna get me some pricing on the dual wall vent ducts, to help bring that thing up to code.

[TUSooner]

Yippee. The bill to replace my outside unit is $2890. PEEM me to send donations. :O
But I can't complain much, we got the most out of the old unit, which was a 1960s vintage GE. GE got out of the central AC biz in about the 1980s. It was 6 seer, at its peak, but the guy estimates that in its current condition it was more like a 3 or 4. BTW, I don't understand "seer" except that the higher the number the more efficient the unit.
Oh well, I hope it means the end of 78-degree indoor afternoons. Which is good, because I won't be able to afford to leave the house for the rest of the summer! :twinkies: