The A/C in my apartment building has been out for 6 or 7 weeks due to the management not doing proper maintenance on the main system that was replaced ~2 years ago. Something appears to have broke in this new main unit flooding the 200 PSI water system with Freon which has weakened the lines causing major leaks anytime they try to feed water to the system.

Management has put further repairs on indefinite hold as corporate does not like the cost factor and the manufacturer of the unis has canceled the warranty due to management not meeting due diligence as to maintenance.

So why would I possibly be in trouble? I just contacted the DAV (Disabled American Veterans) describing the issue. The DAV is different than the VA as the VA is a government origination while the DAV is totally independent and totally staffed by volunteers. Actually I have used the DAV one other time when I was put on medical retirement from the Navy back in 1973. The Navy tried to drop me a pay grade in relation to my retirement and the DAV stepped in and took charge. The result was that I was not lowered a pay grade. I have a lifetime membership with the DAV.

_________________

I don't blame you for the action you thought necessary to fix the problem. Hopefully you will get a quick remedy.

I assume your temps are at least bearable with the A/C broken. If mine went out, I would have to vacate my house for a motel, as our daytime temps have been in the mid-90s, with heat index around 105 degrees.

Good luck.

_________________
BB
http://barrypatch.net

Today's high was 99 degrees.

_________________

Then I don't see how you stand it. Heat really wipes me out, especially as I get older.

_________________
BB
http://barrypatch.net

Oh, my! I'm with bbarry -- if I had no A/C and it was above 80F inside for an extended period, I'd be looking for a place to stay until it was resolved. I agree with you getting the DAV to look into it. I hope it gets resolved quickly! Any chance you can get a portable or window unit until it is fixed?

_________________
stephen boots
Microsoft MVP 2004 - 2020
"Life's always an adventure with computers!"

Sigh, sure I could get a window unit but won't. I'm more concerned about others than myself such as a 98 year old lady. I'm personally not experiencing any serious personal discomfort as neither heat or cold really bother me. My weakness is humidity which is normally quite low here. Think of Clint Eastwood and the Movie High Plains Drifter. It was filmed in this area. I live in the 'high plains' where temps can get high but humidity is normally quite low. Sure, it was 99 degrees today but the humidity was only 8%. Yes, that is correct as to 8%. With the low humidity the actual temperature actually feel much lower; your body's perspiration temperature control is much more effective with the low humidity

My getting involved with what is going on really has nothing to do with my comfort. It is all about what apartment management should be doing but are not.

Also consider that temps here vary a LOT on a dally basis. The high today was 99 but the high tomorrow is expected to check in at 77 for a high.

My real gripe is false advertising. Here is a link to the apartment's Amenities page:
https://creekside.pwapt.com/amenities.php
It clearly declares that A/C is included so how can they decide just due to cost to ignore what they advertise? They need to, at least, offer a rental rebate until the issue is resolved.

_________________

This morning the humidity is about 60% and temperature is mid-70s heading into the mid to upper 80s. Last week there were a few days of upper 80s with humidity to match! Not quite FL, but pretty nasty.
I do hope that the A/C is taken care of soon for you and you fellow tenants.

_________________
stephen boots
Microsoft MVP 2004 - 2020
"Life's always an adventure with computers!"

Around here my weather app says the humidity is 100% and the temp is about 60F plus it's raining again with a slight breeze. I did say back in April/May when the weather was hot and sunny that it's typical the weather is glorious and we're in lockdown and can't go anywhere, you see as soon as they start to lift lockdown the weather will change and we won't want to go anywhere.

I hope your A/C gets sorted out soon for you Jay, it's not something we need over here.

_________________
Joan Archer
http://crossstitcher.webs.com

It isn't just the A/C. The same lines feed the sprinklers in the apartments if there is a fire so it is also a safety issue.

_________________

Got a bit of a surprise today. It seems that 50 window A/C units were bought and will be put in starting tomorrow.

_________________

What will they do about heat come winter time? I assume the broken unit was central hear and air.....right?

_________________
BB
http://barrypatch.net

The A/C units are just a temporary fix. The main system will still be fixed along with all the A/C and sprinkler plumbing replaced at a cost of close to $200,000.00. Fortunately they are going to isolate the A/C plumbing from the sprinkler plumbing. Never should have been combined in the first place. The broken main unit is a chiller and I don't think affects heat. In fact each apartment has its own furnace.

To be honest the A/C has not been that big of an issue to me. My main concern was the fire suppression sprinklers being out when I'm surrounded by people smoking in their apartment. In fact I'll be refusing the window unit as I don't want to lose the window view and don't want to take away the sill from my bird.

_________________

Jay, you might consider a portable a/c unit. It does take a little of your window space for an exhaust tube, but not much. My daughter lives in New Mexico, and there they use evaporative 'swamp coolers' because of the very low humidity. But when the humidity rises and/or when I visit (because I like it cool), she uses her portable a/c unit in the guest room.

They have many portable units advertised at Amazon, Home Depot, etc. for less than $400, which I think is about the cost of a window unit. Just Google 'portable air conditioner' and you will see what I mean.

Now I know you are going to find 5 or 6 reasons as to why this won't work for you or why you don't want/need the comfort of a/c. But I thought I would just present the idea anyway......besides, have you asked your bird whether he likes all that the heat?

_________________
BB
http://barrypatch.net

LOL! I like that it's "5 or 6 reasons" and not just "a reason" that Jay will have and I suspect that you are right.

I've always been fascinated by evaporative coolers because they most certainly would never work here in NJ. I wish that we could have central A/C in our house, but running ductwork would be rather costly and I'd also need to upgrade the electric service from the measly 100 amps I currently have. We have steam heat, so no ducts in place. Mini-splits are a possibility, but that would still mean an electric upgrade. Our window units do a good job of keeping the house cool enough, but they struggle to get the humidity down. We had a few days of near 100% humidity and with the units running inside it measured over 70%. Normal inside humidity with our window units is about 60%.

_________________
stephen boots
Microsoft MVP 2004 - 2020
"Life's always an adventure with computers!"

I'll speak of my bird first. The temperatures are still within comfort levels. Remember that cockatiels are native to Australia.

Even with a portable A/C unit I'd still have to block a window for the exhaust vent. Given that I'd be better off letting the window unit to be installed. Also consider that I am currently more comfortable than most as one of the first things I did when I moved in was to install ceiling fans in both my living and bedrooms. As I have indicated my main issue has never been the A/C but, rather, the loss of the fire retardant sprinklers in the apartments. Since I'm surrounded by people smoking in their apartments, when they are not supposed to do so, this is my main concern.

Sure, the temperature in my apartment is higher than I normally keep but I'm not uncomfortable. Heat really does not bother me. What gets me is humidity which is normally quite low here. Shoot, we've had off and on light rain showers today and the humidity is still only at 35%. The only thing that tends to bother me as to heat is sleeping. I hate sleeping warm. Yesterday the high was 99 degrees but it was in the 50's during the night. I sleep just fine in the 50's and usually have a flannel sheet over me even without A/C. Consider that where I'm at is at an altitude of 3700 feet. It may get hot at times during the day but it really does not last long.

@Steve: Until I left Ohio in 1987 and moved to Texas I had never even heard of a swamp cooler. I still can't say that I really understand how they actually work but assume it is an evaporation method relying on low humidity to allow the evaporation to work as the active cooler.

_________________

Yea, Steve, I could never use evaporative coolers here in Arkansas, where our humidity is often in the 80's. I have central heat/air with what is known as a heat pump. But about 10 years ago I had a large room added on to the front of the house that now serves as my home office/computer room. Although I had some new duct work run out to the new room, it just wasn't keeping the room cool enough. Since my house is a wood-frame with outside cedar paneling, I was able to have the technicians install a thru-wall 12,000 BTU a/c unit (similar to window unit). I have it set on a comfortable 72 deg, and the humidity in this room seldom exceeds 55%.

Unlike Jay, I would suffer greatly without my a/c. But I do notice that as I get older, I can do with a little less cold. I use to keep my thermostat set at 69-70 degrees, but now I set it at 72. In fact, I still keep my house so cool that my dogs will go out on the back deck in 90 degree weather and lay out in the sun for 15-20 minutes just to warm up, lol.

_________________
BB
http://barrypatch.net

Dropping into the 50s at night surely makes all the difference along with that low humidity. When we get 90+ degree days here, with that stifling humidity, it only drops into the mid-70s overnight and the humidity typically goes even higher!

_________________
stephen boots
Microsoft MVP 2004 - 2020
"Life's always an adventure with computers!"

OK, Jay, I'm not going to count, but I think there are at least 5 or 6 reasons there. In my daughter's guest bedroom, the exhaust vent only takes about 3" of the lower window....so she still has a good view.

I will agree with you that nighttime is when I really want the cool, as I sleep best 'under cover'. And like you, I have ceiling fans in most rooms, which really does help.

Since you and your bird appear to be happy, I will now drop the subject.

_________________
BB
http://barrypatch.net

Same here. My wife and I have separate bedrooms and at night my bedroom A/C is set to 67F because I like to sleep with some weight of covers on me. My computer room/office A/C is usually set to 74, but sometimes 72. I used to like it even colder, too. Our dogs live in or downstairs (finished basement) rec room which serves as my wife's computer/TV room. We usually try to keep it between 70 and 75 down there. When I let them out to the back yard around noon, they loaf around in the hot sun until they are panting and then they can face the afternoon to sleep in the cooled house.

_________________
stephen boots
Microsoft MVP 2004 - 2020
"Life's always an adventure with computers!"

Steve, it sounds like our temps and humidity are comparable. Before I retired, I lived down on Galveston Island, TX. There the temps and especially the humidity were usually pretty high. But we always had a nice ocean breeze, which helped the evaporative effect if one wore shorts and t-shirts. Plus my office building was nicely air conditioned.

_________________
BB
http://barrypatch.net

LOL! I know that, as we get older, we are more temperature sensitive but did either of you have A/C growing up? I know hat I didn't but I still survived.

_________________

As a child we didn't have A/C, but in my early teen years my parents had central A/C installed. I survived, obviously, without A/C in my early years, but I've had A/C everywhere I've lived since my teen years now. The first car I bought for myself in 1978 didn't have A/C. I never made that mistake again.

_________________
stephen boots
Microsoft MVP 2004 - 2020
"Life's always an adventure with computers!"

I hear it on the car! I can deal without A/C in my apartment but it is a must in my car. The best car A/C I've ever had was an Oldsmobile Omega when I lived in Ft. Worth Texas. There was a lot of issues with the car but it would literally blow snow out of the A/C vents.

_________________

I love the image that this invokes.

_________________
stephen boots
Microsoft MVP 2004 - 2020
"Life's always an adventure with computers!"

Oh, it literally would when the humidity was high. It was mostly through the main vent in the middle of the dash but there would really be snow coming out. I thought it rather """cool""" but it was probably really a compressor issue.

_________________