Wednesday, January 10, 2018

The Quest For A New A/C

It was terrible.

Our A/C started dying on us. And it was summer. In Texas. We were like:



I called for help. I was frantic.

"Sir, we have children. And cats!"

When someone came out, I was told our A/C was slowly dying. It might last a few more years. But it might not. The coils were dirty. There were other A/C terms too, but it all sounded like Farsi to me.

I figured to be safe, we needed to get a new A/C. But we'd wait until the winter when they were cheaper. Seriously, if you need a new A/C and can, wait until the winter. Our A/C cranked through the rest of Summer and Fall, though it did click off a few times. I would bang on it and it would sputter back on.

"Dammit, you can't die on us now. I. Won't. Let. You." I banged frantically and my daughter watched me with wide eyes.

"We have a weird family," she said, deadpan.

I also recommend getting three quotes from companies. I learned this from my mother. I made an appointment with three companies and when each came out, I was honest with them.

"You aren't the only company we're meeting with. Dazzle me," I said, perching on the couch and crossing my ankles like I was a Real Housewife.

They were like:



Going through basically the same speech with three different men got boring. 15 seer, blah blah, will take several hours to complete, blah blah, the total cost would be, blah blah..

Only that part really wasn't blah blah. The total cost was the most important. We aren't wealthy and nobody has a rich uncle, so we needed to stay on budget. With my notebook out, I wrote down the total number and asked, "Is this the best price I can get?" I stared them dead in their eye.

"Uh. Yes?" I made one man nervous. Meanwhile, Tom sat beside me silently. The A/C men knew who was in charge in this house and who would have the final say, so their attention was always on me.

Well, except for when Tom asked for a filtration to be added on.

"This house is so dusty. I'm tired of it," he said. "I insist upon a filtration."

And I laughed and laughed because really, he INSISTS? What is this, the 1800s? What's next, was I meant to darn his socks too?

In the end, I agreed, because Tom has always been paranoid about the air in the house.

"I feel like I'm constantly breathing in dust and your farts," he once complained.

I shot him a Look.



"What? I mean, you have to admit, you fart an awful lot." Tom shrugged.

"It's because I don't burp. That's how I release my gas. Meanwhile you're burping left and right so maybe I'm constantly breathing in your burps," I retorted.

So yes. We decided on the filtration that's meant to make the air in your home cleaner. Less static-y.

We settled on a company with a fair price, plus a nice military discount. Don't ever be embarrassed to ask about one. Or any other discounts, really.

They came out with our brand new A/C about a week later.



They arrived at 830 and were finished by 230.


Tom got his filtration too. And we have an A/C that actually works and should remain working for many years to come. Fingers crossed. This was our Christmas gift to one another. When you get older and are married a long time, gifts start to be practical things.




Have you ever gotten a new A/C? Do you get quotes from different companies when you are buying something expensive? 




28 comments:

  1. HAHAHAHA! You're the opposite of my sister. She NEVER farts but burps constantly. Yin and yang.
    I burst out laughing.
    Our a/c broke a few years ago - just hours before we were due to host 55 people for a birthday party in July. I tall worked out in the end.

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  2. Hahahaha! Great post! Always get multiple quotes. And never be afraid to name drop if the name's important enough (after asking for the discount). Anything to get a better price and service.

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  3. HAHAHA, loved your GIFS, really cracked me up, we got an A/C after thinking my skin was literally going to melt off my body but didn't even do any quotes. It was one of those times where I totally had it and just needed some cool air asap.

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  4. OMG! I couldn't stop laughing...love your family, but hate your A/C went out. We always get several quotes, but learned who we could always call in the future.

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  5. I was not so lucky, my A/C died on the hottest day of the summer a couple of years ago. We got a new one and one year later, the compressor fail on us in the summer again. Definitely not fun.

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  6. Congratulations on getting a new air conditioner, heat is more what we are interested in at the moment. Getting the air filter will be a big plus.

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  7. Oh way. Our A/C is on it's way out. We hope it last a bit longer but we know the time is coming. Thanks for sharing!

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  8. Haha, it was so fun to read! Thanks! Btw I once tried to drink soy milk for a period and gosh I had so much gas, so back to regular milk again. Beans same effect.

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  9. MY ac completely died last summer and we were miserable! It took weeks for anyone to come out and replace it!

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  10. As a homeowner, the entire subject of A/C scares the heck out of me! We have two units for our home and they will both soon be 12 years old, so they are bound to need to be replaced at some point. Glad you got things all worked out!

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  11. We did put central air and a new furnace into our house years ago, after getting about 20 estimates. I'd never do this type of project without one.

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  12. Haha! Yay for a new AC! It's like Christmas!

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  13. Hahaha best Christmas gift for you guys! Always best to gift each other that is useful and memorable!

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  14. We don't have AC over here, sometimes in summer when the fan is on full blast I wish we did though, I can't imagine how in hotter climates people do without it.

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  15. We need to look into getting our AC replaced actually. It has a little life left, but it won't last forever.

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  16. YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS. I loved everything about this post, from the deadpan humor to the hilarious GIFs. So glad you hubby was able to get his break from your...um...booty burps.

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  17. Our home is about 11 years on. So far so good, but I know it won’t last forever. We do need to replace some other major appliances.

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  18. We had two a/c unites (zone) and our upstairs went out one summer. It was under warranty, they came out a few days later and replaced it. It wasn't so bad because we had one still working.

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  19. I've read that it is recommended to have your house checked first before deciding on the ideal A/C. Unfortunately, I've read it after we bought one. lol!

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  20. very funny...i like the GIFs you used here. very appropriate. I am also thinking of ac now.

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  21. I kept on laughing while reading your post. Those GIF's are really funny. I am imagining things while reading and feels like I will get the same reaction. Haha I have an experience of breaking an A/C but not in my own house but in the hotel I am staying before. They had to transfer me in the other room with upgrade.

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  22. I love how you practical in terms of gift giving. Maybe when I get married and have a family, I will practice this one. Great way to receive gifts that would benefit everyone in the house.

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  23. Oh I couldn't imagine living in Texas and having my AC go out. That can be super expensive too.

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  24. We don't have a centralized AC on this new home we bought so we were forced to buy 4 individual AC's for rooms and lots of fans! I know how hot summer is in Texas, I felt like I was roasting when I was there few years ago.

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  25. Honestly, I haven't had AC in about 12 years. Prior to my move to Northern Colorado, I lived in Flagstaff Arizona and a majority of their houses do not have AC because it doesn't get hot enough there to require it. At this point many people start giving me strange looks, they say you said, "Arizona right". Yep! And last year we got three feet of snow there! People become so perplexed. Anyway, I have not had AC woes but I'm so glad you are not dying in the Texas heat anymore.

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  26. I love your comical style of writing. We still live in an apartment so thankfully if the A/C breaks its up to them but I live in AZ so a functioning a/c is a must.

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  27. This was quite funny I couldn't stop laughing. My hubby always get several qoutes before buying anything.

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  28. I laughed out loud at the constantly breathing in farts comment. That was too funny gotta get those filters switched for that alone lol!

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