Bathtub, Faucet, Dyson, Light, HVAC

It was just too much in one day. The bath tub drain wasn’t draining - even with a few helpings of Drano; one of the lights above the bathroom sink quit - after just replacing it with a new lightbulb; the kitchen faucet stopped running - even though the batteries were changed just recently for the tap on feature; the Dyson humidifier cleaning cycle notification light came on; and the routine HVAC spring maintenance was due. None of these things are really a problem and are routine issues that you just need to deal with. But when they happen all at one time, it can feel overwhelming - but probably even more annoying. On top of that the water filter in the refrigerator was changed and for whatever reason it now makes a loud grinding sound every time the ice turns. And of course the upstairs neighbor is having some sort of work done that requires non stop banging for the last week. So yesterday after our morning walk we drove over to the hardware store in search of a snake and more drano. That actually seemed to do the job but we will find out when we take the next shower. The HVAC guy showed up two hours early - which worked out fine because we happened to be home. We changed out the six AA batteries for the kitchen sink and the water was restored. I climbed up the ladder to check the light bulb - again - and THREE of the bulbs were not working. Luckily we had a fourth that did the trick. It had to be the bulbs because the other light of the two on the fixture worked just fine. I guess that’s a good reason to buy bulbs only when you need them. Then in the afternoon I ran the cleaning cycle using citric acid in the Dyson humidifier. Now I’m waiting to see what is the next thing that goes. Can we please just wait a few days? 

Nest Thermostat

When we moved in to our northern Virginia condo over two years ago, it came with a Carrier thermostat. It was a programmable gadget, but unusually complex to set. Additionally, the house temperature is never what it should be and we are constantly getting up and down to adjust it. So we decided it was time to get it changed to something that can be managed through an app and is easy to use manually. The choice was between Honeywell and Nest. So I did a little research and we also asked our son if he liked his Nest thermostat. They do look sleek and would fit any decor. The Honeywell item looks more traditional. Anyway, we ended up getting a Nest that is now a third generation item. It’s a “learning” thermostat in that it is supposed to begin to automatically figure out your comfort levels. Our only problem is getting the tech here to install it. The same company that does our two times a year HVAC and water heater maintenance also installs thermostats. Everyone seems to be extremely busy and getting anything scheduled takes forever. In the meantime I also ordered a matching wall plate that surrounds the Nest to cover any wall damage from the current thermostat. Hopefully we won’t need to use it. Let’s hope we get this done soon. I have my doubts. 

Too Much in One Week

The weeks fly by - and usually while doing nothing. It’s the same routine - get up, coffee, walk, breakfast,  read, dinner, tv, sleep. This week was rather busy. Monday was a virtual doctor appointment for my husband; Tuesday was a Subaru visit for a spring recall that ended up being a new battery, rear wheel ball bearings, windshield wiper blade, an estimate for front bumper damage, and to address a gas gauge issue that left us running out of gas on the Savannah freeway during rush hour. The power went out at the shop so everything was delayed and the car wash didn’t work. Good thing we got a loaner. Wednesday we had to pick up the car, the dropped off the glass bottles at the recycle bin before our walk, and then wipe down a boat load of delivered groceries in the afternoon. The best part was I finally got a bouquet of fresh flowers. Thursday the HVAC and water heater were “spring” serviced after a considerable delay. Every day I was working on two custom pet portraits that were ordered on the same day after a “drought” in business. I shirked my dusting and vacuuming duties but at least ran the robot mop. I used to say the same thing about work - when you’re busy all the time you just get used to it. But when you’re doing nothing, having to do something becomes a hassle. The last few days have been a bit melancholic too. My mom’s “estate” is still in process and I feel the loss. It’s been five months since she passed away. It feels like we are living a secluded life compared to everyone else. Some days are better than others - but this week was just a bit too much. 

FilterBuy HVAC Air Filter

When we lived on Capitol Hill in a very old 1890’s building, changing HVAC filters was rather difficult. You needed a ladder to access the space in the ceiling - one of them over a bathroom tub. After several years, it was determined the HVAC company familiar with the building would take over that responsibility, and check the HVAC systems for potential problems - and there were many. Living there was getting more and more difficult after thirteen years and we were happy to finally move to northern Virginia in April. We would finally have control over our heating and air conditioning because we would have our own unit in our condo rather than a centralized unit that dictated when the heat and air would be turned on and off. But the responsibility to change the filter remained with the building. The maintenance engineer in our new building changed the filter every three to six months. The funny thing is that we could easily do it ourselves, and the access is remarkable - it’s in the foyer next to the HVAC closet. It appeared as though it was getting unusually dusty, and the last filter change showed the same. So we decided to get a couple of filters to have on hand in between the building updates. Because it’s such an odd size at 8x30 I ordered them on amazon. When we went to change it, the new filter didn’t fit quite the same - and it really wasn’t that dirty after all. So we put the old one back from November and will wait until the next exchange scheduled for mid January. For whatever reason our unit was “missed” the last time - which may be why it was so filthy after seven months. Hopefully everything will work out. We are just happy we have our own HVAC system, can control our environment with heat or air when we want, have easy access to the system and the filter, and have a thermostat that actually sets the temp you want. It’s the little things that mean a lot. 

Aprilair Settings Affect Indoor Humidity?

We had a fairly decent HVAC system in the Midwest. When we converted the one car garage in to a family room and added on a two car garage in front of it, we had a separate HVAC system installed for that space. On Capitol Hill, we didn’t have our own HVAC unit. The 1890’s building had a systemwide unit and the heat and air conditioning were dictated to us twice a year. Even though there was a thermostat in the unit, it never worked right. When we moved to our Virginia condo over three months ago, we now have our own HVAC system housed in a closet by the foyer. Inside the closet is an Aprilair unit, and I was beginning to wonder if it was affecting the humidity inside the house. It’s been really rainy lately, but that shouldn’t affect the inside of a house if the windows are tight. And, we didn’t notice humidity at all when we first moved in. Something was happening because it just started to feel “humid.” The doors were sticking, the bathroom mirror was fogging up, the towels weren’t drying out, and parts of the wood floor were expanding. So we asked the building engineer if he could help us learn more about the Aprilair unit. The unit was set on 30 - whatever that means. All we learned was that it would be a rare opportunity to use Aprilair. Maybe two days a year when it’s beautiful outside and you want only the fan setting on (no heat or air conditioning.) So we just turned the unit OFF and I’m hoping we begin to see a difference inside the house soon. That was yesterday, and so far I can’t say I notice much of a change. Apparently these systems are meant to support a “green” building design. I wonder how many people really understand how they work and actually use them. The next lesson will be the combination heat/AC HVAC system. That set up was too confusing too so we just keep it on AC right now.

 

3M Filtrete Air Filters are EXPENSIVE

In Milwaukee our air conditioning system was easier to access...the original unit was in the basement and the other unit was in the attic above the tandem garage that was turned in to a tv room and mud room. This old building another story. Both units are located in the ceiling - one above the bathtub - and until last month, were near impossible to reach. They still are, but after spending a mint on replacing some parts, all we have to do to replace the filters is to insert them on top of the drop down hatch rather than near any equipment. The repair folks gave us the filter measurements and we listened to them without checking ourselves. Of course, one of the sizes was wrong, but we are too lazy to go back and exchange it, since we opened the package. We went to Frager's in the neighborhood to get the filters, and they had them all right. But we didn't realize there were so many different kinds to choose from, and ended up with three different ones, only by chance and dictated by available sizes. One unit now has a recirculating system with just our air, while the other unit recirculates the building air... that's the problem living in an 1890's building. There is not a lot of control over your HVAC system. But what surprised us both was that it cost $70 for four filters! I don't remember them being so expensive... Plus you need to change them every three months. I don't know how people pay for all this stuff when you add in all the other routine expenses of daily living. Maybe we are just paying more attention to it since I retired. In the end, I'd like to know if any of this really does anything. 

A Lost In Space Week With Old House Repairs

Compared to the Midwest, we live in very tiny spaces. And these tiny spaces are very old - from the 1890's. And as with any house it needs a lot of attention. Last week was one of those lost in space weeks where wall repairs and HVAC issues needed to be addressed. Luckily we were able to schedule two different crews to coordinate the work since the HVAC people don't deal with plaster repair - they just know how to make a mess. Of course, nothing ever goes as planned or stays on schedule. So our usual routine was definitely off kilter and we always get crabby. Hopefully whatever was done will last awhile or with wishfully thinking - permanently? In the Midwest we had a wonderful do it all handyman that was available whenever we needed him. He would even stay in the house and babysit the dog whenever we left town. Here we are somewhat lucky, and at least have a reliable handyman that can pretty much do it all too. But he is so busy because everyone needs him! His phone is ringing non stop and he is getting ready to do a massive kitchen update in Virginina, among all the other projects. I'm just glad he could squeeze us in. He's probably one of the few people we can really trust and feel confident about his work. That's very hard to come by around here. We should know.