One day I will want to remember the summer when almost every modern invention in our lives broke down. At the moment, I just wish everything would magically fix itself and never break again. For posterity's sake, I am recording the lowlights:
HVAC - Our HVAC completely gave out at the beginning of July right before my younger brother Jeff came to town. We were without air conditioning for nine straight days during one of DC's hottest summers. Thanks to large windows that turn our house into a green house, the temperature inside reached 99 degrees. Thanks to good friends, neighbors, and the dog hotel, we all survived. Our old system was installed in 1989, so we were blessed that it lasted for as long as it did. The true frustration came from the new HVAC unit having several issues after it was installed (the internal unit kept freezing over, the external unit kept overheating and shutting off). Seven service visits and 1.5 months later, our HVAC finally works (fingers crossed).
Building Intercom - This one is a mystery. Our building installed a new intercom system for buzzing people in less than two years ago. We didn't end on good terms with the company that installed the system. They didn't quite finish the full job (see exposed wires in the hallways), so our building didn't pay the full bill. Now the company is not returning our management company's calls, and no other repairman or contractor seems to be able to identify the problem or find the power source for the intercom. Ben is the condo president and has had the pleasure of dealing with the mess. Hopefully we figure out a solution soon.
HVAC - Our HVAC completely gave out at the beginning of July right before my younger brother Jeff came to town. We were without air conditioning for nine straight days during one of DC's hottest summers. Thanks to large windows that turn our house into a green house, the temperature inside reached 99 degrees. Thanks to good friends, neighbors, and the dog hotel, we all survived. Our old system was installed in 1989, so we were blessed that it lasted for as long as it did. The true frustration came from the new HVAC unit having several issues after it was installed (the internal unit kept freezing over, the external unit kept overheating and shutting off). Seven service visits and 1.5 months later, our HVAC finally works (fingers crossed).
iPhone - One day Ben's phone suddenly lost the ability to charge. He was without an iPhone (the equivalent of an extra limb) for a few days, but Verizon eventually sent him a new phone and all was well again.
Dishwasher - The day before my younger brother Jeff came to town for his second visit of the summer, our dishwasher broke. Fortunately for Jeff, his guest bedroom was much cooler than the last time he was in town. Fortunately for us, we had an extra dishwasher (the human kind) available that weekend. The estimated cost of the repair was greater than the value of our dishwasher, so we opted to buy a new dishwasher from Bestbuy.
Computer - The lease on my work laptop expired at the beginning of summer, so I upgraded to a new laptop. It was a nice, shiny lemon. Every morning it took me 15 minutes to start up my computer, as I poked and prodded and eventually convinced it to come out of sleep mode. One day my computer wouldn't turn on at all, and that was the day I trekked to IT services and got a new computer.
Car Transmission - This was the real kicker. A week and a half ago, our car started jerking anytime it was shifting between gears. We took it to the auto shop, they said they couldn't detect a problem. A few days later the engine light came on. We took it back and discovered there was a defect with the transmission. We ended up getting a new computer for the transmission... and a new transmission. Thankfully, we haven't crossed the 100,000 mile threshold yet and this was all covered under the warranty. Whew.
Now for the silver lining:
Some of the repairs have been FREE. The car, computer, and iPhone repairs didn't cost us a dollar. The Toyota dealership gave us a free rental car for a week.
Better now than later. Ben and I may rent our condo down the road, and it's better for all these things to happen now, when we can deal with them, than say two years from now.
We love our upgrades. Our new HVAC is more efficient and effective than our old one, resulting in a cooler house and lower power bill. According to the Toyota service center, our car may now run for at least another 10 years. Our dishes are spotless, and our dishwasher barely makes a sound. I mean, look at that beauty:
We're lucky to have so many luxuries in our lives, so I can't complain when things break down. But for the love of everything that is high functioning and long lasting, please don't let our water heater, fridge, or anything else break down.
4 comments:
Oh wow! Isn't that how it always seems to go? All at once. :( We're in the middle of that, but on a smaller scale (tv, garage door, home phone, wireless router). Anyway, I'm so glad that several of your things were covered...especially the car (I hate putting so much money into cars!). Well, this should mean that your next clump of things shouldn't come for a while though now, right?
Man that stinks! Hopefully Rachel is right in saying that you won't have any more items going out on you.
Wow. We had a winter like that and I always look back and wished that I blogged about everything that broke because of course now I can't remember. I hope for the next while everything stays in tip top shape!! That dishwasher is a beauty, by the way.
Glad I didn't stop by the guest bedroom this summer -- 99 degrees would have killed me for sure!
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