A gust of cool air....

Last week I finally decided to get rid of almost twenty year-old air conditioner installed in my study. That air conditioner was virtually useless and was left there just to plug up the hole in the wall. It sounds and vibrates like a badly maintained diesel engine when turned on, and it hasn't blown a gust of cool air in more than four years. In addition, it was being used as a passage of sorts by rodents, judging by the amount of mouse droppings in the immediate area.

The problem was that the area surrounding the air conditioner was surrounded by tons of books, magazines, documents, boxes, and all sorts of knick knacks. There was even a tall shelf blocking access to unit, that I had to manhandle just to get out of the way.

Of course, moving stuff won't just do. I had to clean up the area as well, leading to the disposal of tons of refuse and old stuff that was just eating up space. With a rag in hand (and fear of leptospirosis at the back of my mind) I had to wipe down virtually all of the shelf spaces and flat areas which were just filthy with mouse poo and pee. It took about two days, but I got the job done.

After using a number of nails, some 1" x 2" x 8' and 2" x 3" by 8' lumber, and some kitchen sponges cut into strips, the new air conditioner, a 1 HP Samsung AW09P1HBA (the cheapest 1 HP air conditioner that I could find) was finally installed and working. Sometimes I wonder why it took so long before I decided to get a new air conditioner. I bought a lot of internal fans for my computer just to get the CPU temperature to hover at around 48-49 degrees. With an air conditioner, the CPU temperature hovers at around 41. Should have saved myself the trouble and put the computer in an air conditioned room to begin with.

In the aftermath of the cleanup and installation, I have an aching body from moving and lifting stuff, not to mention the air conditioner itself, and an assortment of various small wounds on my hands and fingers, and even my fingertips are feeling a bit raw.

All in all, it seems worth it. My study was never as comfortable as it is now. It used to be extremely hot in that room, especially at noon and in the afternoon. The temperature can reach up to the mid 30s or so (Celsius). Now I get temperatures in the low twenties. All with the unit set on low cool and the thermostat only a third of the way. Amazing.

The story ain't over yet. Yesterday, when grocery shopping, the cashier asked me for an ID to validate my credit card with. It was then that I noticed that my driver's license wasn't in my wallet where it was supposed to be. I ended up scouring my room and my car for my driver's license, only to realize that I may have left it at the appliance store where I bought the air conditioner five days earlier. I called them up, and yes, they still had my license.

Well, I drove there and picked up my license, but not without first giving the sales staff a piece of my mind. Imagine, they had my license for five days, had all my personal details on account of my purchase of the air conditioner, and not one of them had the common sense to call me and inform me about my license. Had I not called, they probably wouldn't have told me. And that kinda sucks. They're so quick when it comes to sales, but when it comes to common sense these people are pretty slow. *sigh* I guess I may be getting old myself. I've been driving for five days without even realizing that my license was missing. Found it again though, and that's what's important I guess.

And what happened to the old air conditioner?

It was sold for scrap for about P1,200.00. Not bad for a now useless piece of junk that probably came out of the factory during the Aquino administration.