It's been one of those weeks...
Friday, the drier stopped heating. We were able to get a repairman in on Monday, and had mountains of laundry waiting to be done. This morning, the plumber came and replaced a water heater, cleaned out the pipes from the air conditioner condenser, and re-connected everything in the basement. Of course, we'd had to wait to do laundry while he worked.
Before he left, I told him I wanted him to take a look at one of the air conditioners. The newer one makes quite a racket when it's running.
He removed the case, and we had an AHA! moment. There was a nest neatly wrapped around the wires. I left him to do the cleaning and went back to work on the laundry. A bit later he told me he'd have to order a motor for the fan. As nearly as I can guess, the fan has not worked all summer, so the entire house was cooled by one air conditioner and a lot of ceiling fans. The game plan is to change motors, and then determine if the air conditioner can be saved.
It seems that things go bad in multiples. I recall one year we replaced a washer, drier, dishwasher, an ice cube maker, and seven windows.
This is the second water heater that we've replaced, and we've replaced a furnace motor. This year, we'll have to do a new roof, and I plan to look for carpets for two rooms and a hallway that should have been done long before this. Every now and then I feel sorta like the Al Capp character who walked around with a dark cloud over his head.
If you want to be a homeowner, you might as well plan on a LOT of maintenance, because it's patch, patch, patch!
Comments (4)
Goodness, now I know why we don't have a dryer, dishwasher or ice cube maker - they gang up on you!
Posted by bogie | September 28, 2005 4:18 AM
Posted on September 28, 2005 04:18
Oh, they have, and now even the cars are in the shop for their winter check ups. I feel totally overwhelmed by things mechanical.
bogie....in terms of pampering yourself, an ice cube maker, a dish washer, a dryer and an attached garage can't be beat. But, they do require maintenance.
I suppose I could give up the ice cube maker if I could get the other members of this household to take turns filling the ice cube trays!
Posted by Buffy | September 28, 2005 8:29 AM
Posted on September 28, 2005 08:29
An ice cube maker would be wasted - we rarely use ice and the ice would be orange from the iron in the water (ugh!). I shudder to think what it would do to the insides of an icemaking thingy). I don't even keep ice cube trays in the freezer because they just get in our way and the ice looks gross. The water softner does a good job of taking care of most of the iron, but sitting water is not pretty in this place.
Dishwasher would be nice but once again the insides would get gunked up with iron (we have to replace the kitchen faucet every 5 years or so because the rust does a number on the workings). Also, I would lose too much cabinet space if there was a dishwasher there.
Dryer - just heats the place up. Rarely ever have a time that I wish I had one. But, there is only laundry for 2, so it's easier for me to plan the laundry.
Posted by bogie | September 29, 2005 4:18 AM
Posted on September 29, 2005 04:18
In my twenties, Bogie, I carted all our laundry to a laundromat. I went early in the morning and did it before I had to be at school. I learned to pack the laundry baskets so the underwear was in the center so that my students couldn't check everything out through the hatch back! lol
Back then, there were just two of us, and I didn't have all the extra linens and work clothes to deal with. I had a full basement, and we could have hung clothes to dry, but we couldn't afford the cost of a washer. Even with a little house, we were house rich and cash poor. Now, there are three generations living in this house, and it seems we run laundry every day.
I can appreciate your point about the iron in the water. An ice maker WOULD be a waste. They're finnicky creatures, and orange ice would NOT be cool. You're right, the dishwasher wouldn't last long with that kind of water. While our city was on well water, we had the same problem with faucets. I have at least one complete set to change in our bathroom, including the showerhead. Patch, patch, patch.
Posted by Buffy | September 29, 2005 2:41 PM
Posted on September 29, 2005 14:41