We had a lovely week in Sydney. Details and photos will follow, of course. We came home on Monday but it always takes me time to get my blogging mojo back. Photos take time to sort. I've broken the back of that but there is more to do.
The day after our return, a man arrived to service and alter our air conditioner. I think we paid top dollar for about 4.5 hours work, including the bracket and tray. Pictures tell the story.
The unit sits in a stainless steel tray that holds the water the unit produces. On very cold winter days, this could be one and half buckets of water in one day, 15 litres, almost four US gallons and over 3 and 1/4 Imperial gallons.
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The tray had an element to steam off water, rather like a kettle element. There is a water level sensor but it didn't seem to work very well. When we returned from Danube River cruise and visit to England in 2014, I turned on the computer but it did not work. The circuit had tripped. I switched it back on and it immediately tripped again. R said he heard a noise on the balcony. Sure enough. Another reset and R saw a spark in the evaporation tray. The element had broken. The unqualified electrician called Andrew disconnected some wires in the box at the bottom of the photo, and taped up the ends of the exposed wires. The next day the unqualified electrician called Andrew bought some proper live wire isolating caps. And it has been left there untouched since 2014. Subsequently the unqualified electrician Andrew had nine months of back pain from screwing in an awkward position.
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It took me a while to find this twin D battery powered aquarium pump that cost only $20. In the interim I used a soft plastic bottle, originally a shampoo refillable bottle, to suck up the water and dump it into a bucket. I think this is the fourth pump (including the spare I have put away). They are not made to last, especially if not used for months on end. I would pump the water from the tray into a bucket and then tip the water down my toilet. In hot times the air con would be blowing out hot air as I pumped out the water, but worse, in winter when the unit produced the most water, I was blasted with cold air from the unit. Look, it was fine as I monitored what was happening below, but will I be able to do this when I am very old? Should I be lucky enough to be quite old at least, I think not.
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The old tray contained some cigarette butts, I guess fallen from above and with white filter paper rather than brown, indicating they were cigarettes Asian people smoke, and also a child's sock and with muck.
The unit is elevated now with a small steaming tray below with a superior float activation system rather than a water level sensor. It also has a 'Power On' light and a 'Heating' light.
"But what about the mess Charlie?" It wasn't a case of 'I'm No Mess Charlie". We cleaned it up ourselves. It was just a dirt built up under the old tray.
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Being elevated, the barbeque gas hose will no longer reach the gas bottle, so we have to buy a longer hose. But Household Management declared the air fryer might be good enough to cook steak and lamb chops, and do away with the messy barbeque. We shall see. The front of the unit has started to rust and corrode. I think when there are strong southerly winds with big waves, we do get a mist of salt laden sea spray.
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It has been so flipping freezing here lately that I am having trouble even imagining needing air conditioning.
ReplyDeleteDo you want to swap homes???
JayCee, it has been quite a cool summer here, so it hasn't seen that much use. To your question, no.
DeleteYou are brave to tackle such things. ~nods~ This unqualified (insert any useful profession) named Darla would have electrocuted herself. By the way, our weather could not be more perfect today and I'm enjoying sitting outside with my laptop.
ReplyDeleteDarla, I always check twice to ensure the power is off, and that was my last electrical work, ten years ago.
DeleteTime sure goes by fast as we age, doesn't it? Be well, Andrew.
DeleteI hope it is a job which needs no more attention for years. Our barbecue has been unused for quite a long time now...
ReplyDeleteEC, it depends if the aircon unit lasts, but it was a job that had to be done regardless. Barbeques are so messy, especially in a confined space.
DeleteThat looks like a big job. Hope the payment is worth the repair. I had spent quite a bit on my house lately. Maintenance is quite expensive
ReplyDeleteRoentare, there is always something needing attention.
DeleteStalker
ReplyDeleteAndrew
Naughty boy … I thought I was a plumber a couple of years ago and I tried to clean a bathroom drain…. Ended up dismantling the basin plumbing! $400 later I realised I didn’t have a degree in plumbing. Haven’t tried my electrical skills yet .
Good wishes
Stalker, it was an emergency situation. While I've rheumed tap washer seats and I will attempt to unblock an 's bend' below basin or sink, that's about it for my plumbing skills.
DeleteThe unqualified electrician Andrew should not even try to fix it. Too dangerous and it only adds to the costs.
ReplyDeleteIt didn't add costs in this case Hels. It was a simple thing to do and as long as power was switched off, quite safe.
DeleteScrewing in an awkward position is guaranteed to give you back pain.
ReplyDeleteAir frying a steak? I will be interested to read the results.
After all that effort, I hope the AC unit lasts at least another 10 years.
Merlot, R has air fried chops, and they were good. Yes, we hope so too.
DeleteYou did well to get that water out of the tray.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing what qualified elections like you Andrew are capable of, their would be many people who couldn't do what you did..
Happy Easter to you and R.
I am not ambitious in what I do Margaret. If it looks simple, I will tackle it, although nowadays that's less likely.
DeleteYou have plenty on your hand for sure
ReplyDeleteWe did, Pooja, and all is now good.
DeleteIn my opinion, which is worth maybe two cents, all air conditioner units should be fitted with a drain hose and connected to the downpipes from the gutters if possible, or have their own drain pipes taking all the water down to the nearest downpipe outlet. Or anything else that is far better than those dumb drip trays that collect all kinds of other rubbish. To save your unit from further rusting, buy an airconditioning unit cover. They're available, they look nice and will probably protect that stupid drip tray as well.
ReplyDeleteI agree River, and I wish it was that simple. There isn't anywhere where the water could drain to. We noticed air conditioner covers in Japan but I've not seen them here. It is rare that the unit is not heating or cooling, although we haven't used it for a week now, so a cover would off more than it is on, and where to store it. I expect the workings will wear out before the unit corrodes enough to be a problem.
DeleteYour other option might be one of those industrial vacuum cleaners that suck up liquids, probably available to hire from places like Kennards.
ReplyDeleteIt is all sorted now with the new tray with a small element that we are told will do the job of steaming off the water.
DeleteThat is one problem I don't have to deal with but with climate change there are many days of the year that I would love an AC unit.
ReplyDeleteFun60, as I well remember from 2019 when we cooked one night in London.
Delete2014, you say? For an unqualified electrician you still got 10 years out of it. That's better than I could have done.
ReplyDeleteKirk, it was a fairly simple thing to do. Just take the cover off, that was how I hurt my back, and see exactly what you are looking at.
DeleteIt's shocking the amount of gunk that collects under seldom moved appliances. It never happens in my house, of course ;-)
ReplyDeleteJB, yes we are appalled when we repaint or recarpet, but otherwise, out of sight, out of mind.
DeleteOur's has a drain, into a pipe in the building.
ReplyDeleteTP, that is how it should be. So simple, yet ours is not.
Delete"Andrew had nine months of back pain from screwing in an awkward position." I am pretty sure that the innuendo was intended so I refuse to make any comment whatsoever on this mischief. It's good that you finally got your ac unit sorted out. As you already know, ac units are both rare and unnecessary in England.
ReplyDeleteYP, as we experienced in 2019, ac was very necessary in London. Our first hotel had ac but the last one did not and staff were scrambling to find electric fans for guests.
DeleteI don't understand why it produces so much water in winter or why it would even be on in winter. Is it a heat pump that heats the inside in winter? We have humidifiers going all winter to try to put some moisture into our inside air.
ReplyDeleteWelcome home, Andrew.
Pat, we call them reverse cycle aircon, and yes, it is also a heat pump that we use for heating in winter. Dry air doesn't seem to be a problem here. The first thing an aircon unit does whether heating or cooling, is to dehumidify the air. I guess you have heating radiators and very well sealed houses.
DeleteScrewing in an awkward position? I HATE that!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like a lot of bother but it's good to get it off the floor and more functional.
Steve, it is so much better now. It was money well spent.
DeleteWhen we downsized I thought we would miss the gas BBQ for our steaks. But we had an electric grill and we thought it was great. Then we got an air fryer and thought that was even better. Then last year we were up north in a timeshare with none of those items. We we used a cast iron pan and it is the best and that is all we use now for steaks.
ReplyDeleteThe air fryer still makes the best fries!
Jackie, and that's what happened with our last 'fried' meat. But oh, the fat spatter.
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