I have to shout out to myself for a small but yet enormous victory. It was like climbing Mount Everest, crossing the Atlantic in a canoe or running from Paris to Rome … at least that’s how I felt this victory.
Just as the NY summer was starting to build-up, and the rooms in the house were getting rather mucky and warm, our AC obviously decided to die. Not both units, just the one that would help us sleep calmly and not bathed in sweat.
With my luck, I wouldn’t be surprised if this would require a full unit replacement, costing us thousands of dollars – and probably no available HVAC engineer available until September.
So, I went to my trusted advisor and source of knowledge … Google 🙂
Within minutes I had some plausible solutions to my AC problem, although all alerted me to the fact that I could get electrocuted if I did not take necessary precautions.
The capacitor was most likely faulty.
With a heart incident in October, the last thing I need is a severe electrical surge through my system, which would send me into some sort of medical drama again.
If we do not take some risk, while being safe, we will not achieve our goals.
Fear mot, I managed to dismantle the AC unit, unplug (disconnect entirely) the electricity, and discharged any power that might have been stored in the capacitor.
My other trusted source of goods, Amazon, provided me with the right replacement part, and it arrived 36 later thanks to my Prime membership.
15 minutes later I had inserted the replacement capacitor, reassembled the AC unit and reconnected it to the mains.
Moment of truth. Restart the AC from the controller upstairs, and hopefully feel cool air flowing through the vents again.
I switched it on, ran down the stairs and was exceedingly joyful to witness that the AC unit fan was running again.
Victory to the DIY trade!
By doing some research and by being careful, I have saved the family at least $400.
Yes, I might not have supported the local business this time, but it is important that we can do these things ourselves. It sends a positive message to our kids that we are able to work and repair things within our own homes and maintain the quality of homes.
When kids witness this, I believe they will get encouraged also to help out more, and understand that we cannot just spend/buy anything, going into debt or leave households with fewer funds. It’s home economics 🙂