July 11 2010

Air Conditioner 2: The Resurrection

So anyway, I wrote about how last week during the heat wave my decade old air conditioner finally died. And I ordered up a new one online.

This one here:

65

Seems like a good dealio ($229 with the 10,000 btu whatever that is) and I got free shipping on it too! It arrived the other day and I lugged it up the stairs by myself like macho style! I realized its arrival was forcing me to make a decision about actually shoving my old A/C out the window… or not. If I was going full shove I’d have to prep and move the Vespa etc. Get the cameras ready for the smashdown and safety googles etc. It was gonna be a hassle…

Anyway, I walk up to my sad broken A/C (now dented up by my attempts to fix it with a hammer) and go to turn it on one last time. Since it broke I’ve been in half-denial about it being ‘seriously’ broken. Now and then I’ve been pushing the on button and expecting the compressor to make the deep hum power noise. But it never did. No once. Only straight hot-air fan. I tested it a dozen times over the past few days. It was broken. But this official last time I pushed ON… and ON it went! Full blast! Cold! I was like, ‘WTF!’ You’re… alive?!!’ It hummed happily like it was brand new…

I looked across the room at my brand new A/C sitting there sparkly new and was like f–kin A! Obviously, I’m not shoving my old A/C out the window now. That would be like appliance murder! And this A/C and me have been through alot together too. We’ve been in three apartments and it’s always done right by me. It would be a betrayal. I guess the old guy just couldn’t deal with the triple digit temperatures last week– or it panicked when it saw the new replacement A/C in my hallway and got its act together. It’s been working all weekend!

So I feel like I should let my old A/C live its life out in my window– at least thru the summer. I mean it’s apparently working– plus it’s already in the window! What am I gonna swap em out? If so, do what with the old one? Throw it away? Plus, how am I supposed to get motivated to swap out A/C’s now anyway? Especially when it’s nice and cool in here!

I checked into returning the new one and it’ll cost me $40+ to ship back AND I know if I actually do ship it back– my old A/C will konk out again right away. Then I’ll be triple lindy pissed! So I’m open to the idea of holding onto this new A/C for now. But I don’t really have storage for a big new boxed up A/C in my apartment! I guess I could sell it on Craigslist– but could I really get full price for it? If I’m gonna take a loss I might as well ship it back.

I dunno. All this twisty brain thinking is making me sleepy. So for now I’ll keep things as is (it’s the easiest solution) although it feels weird to have a brand big new appliance like hanging out in here boxed up never used. Makes me feel like a petty criminal or something. Like I have new DVD players, flatscreens, and a 1/2 lb of weed in the other room– and I’m only holding onto the A/C until I grift it. Or whatever the crook terminology is…

ok bye!
tOdd

PS. Why do appliance boxes always look like they fell off a truck?

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Billy Bob says:

Take the new A?C in its box and throw a table cloth over it. Viola, a new end table!

the REAL weeze says:

NNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE REAL WEEZE IS ALWAYSSSS FFFFFFFIIIIIIIRSSSTTTTTTTTTTTTTT BBBBIIIIITTCCCCHHHHHHEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!! NOOOOWWWWWWWW IIIIIII HHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEE NNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOO RRREASSSSSSSOOOOOOOONNNNN TTTTTTTOOOOOOO LLLLLIIIIIIIVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!AAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!

Refflection says:

i’d put in the new one and sell the old one cheap on CL.

Dave says:

yeah, sell the old one. its a sellers market with that heat–you can probably get a few bucks for it.

Mr Bill says:

I agree, sell the old one on craigslist “working but as-is” for like $30. The stipulation being they have to come up to your apartment to come get it. Of course then you have some skeevy craigslister checking your stuff out…

OR you could haul the thing down to Goodwill or have a charity come pick it up and write off some $$ on your taxes.

Look this thing happens to me all the time. Something is broken. Replacement is acquired. Old “broken” item has a panic attack and starts working again. It’s a trap, it won’t last. Once you purchase the replacement you cannot look back.

Anonymous says:

Sometimes I wonder how Todd find his way home. He doesn’t seem slow or impaired or anything…just…not quite on top of things, you know?

Tezcro says:

I say find another window and put the new AC in it, ushering in an arctic like climate of dual AC awesomeness!

newb says:

you, sir, are awesome

Crumbles says:

Trust me- your old AC will be like me- you think I’m down, but I get back up again… and then WHAM

R N says:

I don’t think tOdd has another window in his apartment Tezcro. tOdd you could sell off the new A/C, but then your old one is going to die on you – for good. I say use it as a mini table. Make sure you don’t place any drinks or any other wet stuff on top of it. When the old A/C kicks the bucket, you’ll already have your replacement available. Simple. Done and done. Always think ahead.

R N says:

I have a crazy idea tOdd. When your old A/C does die for good, you should donate it to the guys at Mythbusters.

MYTH: It’s more efficient to leave the air conditioner running at a minimal level during the day than to shut it off and have to re-cool the house again lager.

FACT: The less you use the AC, the less electricity you use. When the AC is running regardless of the level, you are paying for it, when it is off, you’re not. Keep your windows closed while the AC is off as to not let in additional humidity, a well insulated home should only drop a few degrees throughout the day while you’re not home.

MYTH: Opening the registers in all rooms and leaving the interior doors open will circulate cold air throughout the house more efficiently.

FACT: Closing doors, vents and ductwork to unused rooms makes better and more efficient use of an air conditioner. Cold air goes where the heat is. If there is a hot unused room, the air conditioner will work to cool it off. By closing that room off to the rest of the house (by register or even more closing the duct work leading to that room), your home will stay cooler more effeciently.

MYTH: To cool off a house faster, you should crank the thermostat 5-7 degrees cooler than the desired temperature until the home cools off.

FACT: Lowering the temperature on the thermostat does not make the air conditioner work any faster when cooling off your home. An air conditioner extracts the hot air in a home and replaces it with cold. An air conditioner only replaces a given amount of hot air with cold in a particular time frame.

Source: articlesbase DOT com

Anonymous says:

Stop being El Cheapo, put the new one in and leave the old one on the curb.

me says:

Throw the new one out the window!

Z says:

Tezcro says: July 11, 2010 at 6:06 pm

I say find another window and put the new AC in it, ushering in an arctic like climate of dual AC awesomeness!

============================

I like Tezcro’s idea!

latinageek says:

How about you find out which one is more efficient so you can save money and do good by the environment (motivation)? I’m betting the new one is. Perhaps you can donate the old unit to a local charity. Then you won’t feel it’s a “betrayal.”

MsM says:

Your old AC is just waiting for you to get rid of the new one. It is plotting to kill you by going off again the end of next week when it gets really hot again. You will be fried like an oyster, and THEN what?

Me2 says:

I second Me’s suggestion! In the name of science.

Appease me! says:

At least throw something out the window and tape it splatting.

the REAL REAL weeze says:

STOP IT IMPORSTERS!!!!NICE TRY! YOU WILL NEVER BE FIRST LIKE THE REAL WEEZEEEE BITCHESSS!!! FIRST ALWAYS!!! πŸ™‚ πŸ™‚ πŸ™‚ !!!!!

Bitch Slap the REAL REAL weeze says:

Ane why the f*** would we want to be like you Weeze.

Bitch Slap the REAL REAL weeze says:

And “DAMMIT”!!

The REAL REAL impoRster says:

STOP IT WEEZE!!!!NICE TRY! YOU WILL NEVER BE FIRST LIKE THE REAL IMPORSTER BITCHESSS!!! FIRST ALWAYS!!! πŸ™‚ !!!!!

Double Bitch Slap REAL REAL weeze says:

It’s nice to see you acting stupid again.

the REALLY REALLY REAL I AINT F*CKIN KIDDIN THIS TIME weeze says:

STOP IT DOUBLE BITCH SLAP WEEZE!!!!!!! FIRRRSSTTTTT BBBIIITTTCCCCHHHHHEEEESSS!!!!!! BITCH SLAP PADDY WACK GIVE THE DOG A BONE BITCHES THIS OLD WEEZE WENT ROLLING HOME BITCHESSSS!!!!!!

Whheezer says:

You could trade it to Weezer for his mama’s vuvuzela!

AmySue says:

You could Freecycle it. Freecycle gives you good karma.

SW says:

I second the freecycle comment. I just moved and got rid of a crazy amount of stuff that way! Tell people something’s free and they are plenty motivated to get it off your hands.

Michael says:

Hi Todd,

I used to maintain A/Cs for a while. The problem with your old one may be that the condenser was getting too hot. When this happens, the compressor should shut down to prevent the motor from seizing. An A/C is a heat exchanger (cool blown inside by blowing hot outside) but if the condensers (the outdoor metal fins) get too hot, they can’t exhaust the air and hence no cool air indoors. That’s why big buildings tend to use water within the cooling cycle, it’s much better at absorbing heat than the outside air is.

Krankor says:

Well, you don’t keep things until they absolutely die if they are giving you hints that the end is near – that’s very inconvenient since they don’t die when you are NOT using them – they die when you ARE using them and need them RIGHT NOW.

The old unit has given you fair warning that it’s on the way out. Swap them now, before the next heat wave hits and you are once again bitching about being hot.

You have been warned!!!

Dr.Remulak says:

Throw them both out the window like that new gameshow where they keep dropping your prizes off the building if you have too many wrong answers, (Downfall?) Then buy one of the unbelievably expensive Dyson Turbo air foil bladeless jet stream over-engineered fans that cost more than an air conditioner so you can be “cool” so to speak while you sweat your ass off with a 400 dollar fancy fan!

Dyson…The only fan that keeps sucking-or something like that!

Anonymous says:

i still have a picture of todd’s penis

-DJ- says:

Put the old one in the new box and sell it on the street too some schmuck too cheap to buy one at Walmart. Just don’t do it right in front of your building.

Anonymous says:

The sad thing about that is people are dumb enough to do it.

WTF?!?!?!?! says:

Throw them both out the window and see which one lands on weeze first. It’s like a science experiment or something, proving gravity. Or something.

-DJ- says:

Weeze would have to be in a vacuum.

Forever Fan says:

What is an “imporster”?

The REAL REAL impoRster says:

FURTHER PROOF THAT WEEZE IS GUNFEVER!!!!!!!! BITTCCCHHEEESSSS!!!!!!!!

Yuri Gal says:

Krankor does have a point. When my power supply for my Gateway Desktop (5 years old at the time), died in May last year, I thought it was the end.

Suddenly, a few hours later my computer was working fine, but after about 10 minutes of use, it shut down again. My power supply was telling me it was on its last legs and needed to be replaced, which I did the following week.

You spent all that money on your brand new A/C. Replace it! Why put yourself for more hard ache in the future?

John "Freakin' " Kennedy says:

” Why put yourself for more hard ache in the future? ”

I know the cure for your hard ache.

Yuri Gal says:

Really? And what is that John?

Ginger says:

Ginger!!!!

Anonymous says:

Answer to PS-

Appliances are heavy as hell, but that doesn’t stop manufactuerers from stacking them when warehousing and shipping. The box goes through hell for that reason. No nice outer box full of smaller boxes of product like many products get. Just heavy boxes stacked on top of it and palatized ect.

oddtodd7 says:

So I should throw both A/Cs out the window and start over?

Whheezer says:

yes please

Peacock says:

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
Just replace the old one.

Yuri Gal says:

Yes. What Peacock said. By the way, are you still going for it tOdd? Are you going to shove the old A/C out the window?

Anonymous says:

Think about the mold in the old on! mega gross

Krankor says:

The old one needs to be properly disposed of. The coolant in those old units is VERY nasty to the environment. The coolant needs to be sucked out and contained rather than just released into the atmosphere. You can probably find a place that will pick it up for free since they are after the scrap value of it.

Adam and Jamie - MYTHBUSTERS says:

True. But it would also be cool it see the unit blow up!

πŸ™‚

Natasha says:

Store the new one at your parents’ or brother’s house until you need it. Surely they have room.

Sh!tForBra!ns says:

Of course, then there’s the old “up-and-down the stairs” dilemna that prompted this whole discussion in the first place….

MsM says:

I really like the idea of a game show called “Downfall”.

Sh!tForBra!ns says:

How would that work? Dropping various objects- air conditioners, sofas, battleships,- from various heights and seeing which one lands on weeze first?

I’m in. Just to see him go “FIRSSTTT!!!” each time he’s hit.

Art Guy says:

I think somesone should create a flash game where you can beat the crap out of the Weeze. That would be fun.

weeze says:

FFFIIIRRRSSSTTTTTTT BBBBIIITTTCCHHEEHSHSSSSSS!!!!!

Crumbles says:

I’m all in favor of a show where you drop different air conditioners off of 5-story buildings onto weeze while he goes FIRST BIT.. WHAMMM

Jason says:

Good god Todd… get rid of the old one. Sell it on Craigslist or give it away for free… regardless, your new one is most likely going to be the more stable of the two. Unless it truly did fall off the back of a truck.

Anonymous says:

i

Anonymous says:

Install new one, Recycle old one so the materials can be reused

Anders, Denmark says:

I know electricity isΒ΄n the US is dirt cheap but still, for some $’s saved and for the enviroment, perhaps you should consider if the newer A/C might be more energi-efficient? πŸ™‚
Man… I could really use an A/C myself these days. It’s just not normal to have one in Denmark, I know none who has one. Oh-well… I’ll survive a couple of somewhat warm weather :-p

Caps says:

Push the new A/C out the window.

Medusa says:

Weeze please stop by tOdds place and just stand under his window……
Todd nows your chance, quietly, quick toss it out. No one is looking…… opps you’ve mashed him.
Yea no more weeze.

oddbody says:

be ready to install the new one at a moments notice, at the worst possible time.

dchenk says:

it was very interesting to read.
I want to quote your post in my blog. It can?
And you et an account on Twitter?

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