An Air Conditioner Adventure

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Don't know why, but I felt to post this.

I have a 12,000 BTU Friedrich air conditioner which has served for 23 years, slightly more than double the average AC life span. I bought it when I moved into my apartment in 1996. Monday of last week I turned it on, and only the fan worked. The power button and the fan speed buttons worked, that was it. I tried turning it on and off a few times, but no change.

Tuesday, the "Money Saver" button worked. That means the unit shuts off/comes on automatically to maintain the current thermostat setting. I thought things were back to normal. Wednesday, it was back to only the fan working. Thursday I called the repair service who serviced my AC in the past and made an appointment for 7/1 (this past Monday). I had only the AC's fan through Sunday.

Monday AM, I try the unit for the heck of it. Money Saver is working! I call the repair service to get the time slot for the repair (between 1 and 4pm), but don't cancel the appointment. I'd spent the bulk of the weekend and Monday AM preparing the room for the repair guy's arrival, clearing a path to the AC in case it needed to be taken away. He shows up at about 2:45p. After an assessment, he says I need a new board and the unit needs cleaning. Checking in with his office, the part isn't available (not surprising since the unit is 23 years old) so I'll have to replace the unit. After some mental anguish, I order a new unit, one of Friedrich's Chill series. It's 15,500 BTU and weights a daunting 117 pounds (!). It's a high-end unit and costs $895. It's the only one I came across that will fit the window (42") without any extra machinations. Given the total sq. ft. of my apartment 12,000 BTUs is enough theoretically, but maybe the extra 3,500 BTUs will be helpful when temperatures are in the upper 90s; I don't know. I am concerned about the weight of this thing and my future ability to manage it, but I'm sure it will more than do the job.

The total cost for this is $1,164.92; that includes the initial service call, the new AC, its delivery and installation, and the de-installation and removal of the old unit. The store will call when the unit is in and we'll arrange a day for them to come install it. What this does is put any real or imagined audio plans on indefinite suspension and threatens a possible October vacation. But I need AC more than I need a new power cord or TV or blu-ray player (actually, I don't "need" any of those). As someone who's experienced heat exhaustion in the past, I'll choose the AC always.