Saturday, June 27, 2009

Keeping Cool with Clay

Friday afternoon, Carolsue called me at 4:20 Alabama time to tell me the house in Fultondale is sans air conditioning. Argh! I wanted to show it this weekend. However, showing a home that doesn't have working air is a tremendous waste of time.

I quickly got off the phone with her and called Clay the AC Guy. Clay left his former company months ago. However, he managed to nab my number on the way out the door. I am pretty grateful for that.

There is a strange phenomena that I have noticed about those who specialize for a living. They remember obscure details related to their occupation. For example, my dermatologist can tell me (from memory) about every mole he has removed in the past six years from my body, what type it was and whether each one was malignant or not.

Clay is just the same with HVAC systems. He remembered the work on the air conditioner he expertly rigged last September. No kidding! The first thing out of his mouth after polite niceties and before we got to the gist of the call was, "How is that air conditioner holding up in your Fultondale home. It was pretty shot last year."

After deliberating, Marty and I have decided to replace the unit. Apparently, a new compressor costs almost as much as a new unit. So, come Monday, the home will have cool air. Marty and I didn't plan for this. But either we can put the air conditioner on now, or we can have Clay use chewing gum and duct tape to make it work and then replace it in a few months.

One of the REALLY nice things about air conditioners in Alabama is the cost. We were recently forced to replace the air conditioner on our personal residence. We are getting the same unit there for 1/3 the cost. Cool.

1 comment:

Ernie said...

I would think because it is so much hotter in your neck of the woods that the old supply and demand thing would kick in making AC out your way much more reasonable. However, you don't have the humidity that we have here in Alabama AND you folks seem to deal with the heat MUCH better than we do. Hot is one thing but sticky hot is a whole other creature for sure.