human
Well-known member
I'm feeling very empowered right now. I have an ongoing problem with burnt wires on my central air conditioning system. Not surprisingly, it usually happens when temperatures are in the 90s and the system is running almost non-stop. In the past, when I had a home warranty, I'd call in a claim, wait almost a week for a technician to come out and fix it in about 15 minutes, then pony up the $100 service fee. The first few years I lived in this house, this would happen at least a couple of times a summer and seemingly always on or just before a weekend where I'd have to wait several extra days for a technician. Two years ago, I decided to get off that merry-go-round and let my home warranty go. So far, that has worked very much to my financial advantage. I also haven't had any trouble with burnt wires for a couple of years since the last technician who came out had the bright idea of upgrading all the wires to a heavier gauge.
But yesterday, the inevitable happened when temperatures reached the mid-90s for the first time this season. Once I realized what had happened, I found the burnt wire in about two seconds and decided to take matters into my own hands. I mean, it's just a wire; it's not brain surgery, so after breakfast this morning, I went to Lowe's, bought a pack of wire connectors, cut an inch or so off the wire to remove the burnt section, then removed the remains of the burnt connector from the relay it was on, replaced it and voila! The air conditioner (a 50-year-old Singer unit that's original to my 1970 house) was back in business—and with no $100 service fee and no waiting, except to wait for Lowe's to open this morning as I discovered the problem last night, well after our city's present 8:00 p.m. curfew.
But yesterday, the inevitable happened when temperatures reached the mid-90s for the first time this season. Once I realized what had happened, I found the burnt wire in about two seconds and decided to take matters into my own hands. I mean, it's just a wire; it's not brain surgery, so after breakfast this morning, I went to Lowe's, bought a pack of wire connectors, cut an inch or so off the wire to remove the burnt section, then removed the remains of the burnt connector from the relay it was on, replaced it and voila! The air conditioner (a 50-year-old Singer unit that's original to my 1970 house) was back in business—and with no $100 service fee and no waiting, except to wait for Lowe's to open this morning as I discovered the problem last night, well after our city's present 8:00 p.m. curfew.