802 A/C

I've figured out why the air conditioning isn't working very well.

It's a groundwater heat pump. It pulls water from the well, runs it through tubes, blows air across the tubes and then through the house. Very simple, efficient, and cheap.

When it was already 82 in here at 10 this morning, I went downstairs and poked around a bit. I turned on a faucet attached just before the pipe enters the unit, and all I got was a trickle of water.

One of the problems with the well is that sometimes we get a lot of dirt in the water. The filter catches most of it, but not all. Mud sludge can build up in the pipes, especially, like, those not used over the winter.

I suspect there's a lot of sludge in the pipes leading to the heat pump. Even if I can clear the sludge out of the pipes, I suspect there will still be sludge in the tubes in the unit itself. That requires special tools to clean, and the company that services it has given up on it and won't service it any more. It's over 20 years old, and the company stopped manufacturing this model the year it was installed (when the house was built. Jay really got rooked on that), so parts are no longer available.

As far as I'm concerned, it's dead.

I can't just go get a window A/C to get through the next few weeks because all my windows are - I forget what they're called - they crank open like a shutter, hinges on the side, ya know? That and sliding glass doors. Noplace to install a unit. I'm not about to cut a hole in the wall for a temporary fix. I guess it's lucky that I got the roof fan this year. It could have been worse.

Any idea what happened to all my floor fans, Daughter? Coulda sworn I had at least three big ones, and now I can't find any. Did I lend them to someone? I don't remember lending any out....

I guess I'm lucky that heat doesn't much bother me. Not like cold does. Heat is just annoying because it frizzes my hair, melts my makeup off, and makes the laundry pile up faster.