Status on the A/C

I think I told you but in case I didn't I'll force you to read the boring story.

Last year we bought El Rancho de Braco on April 13th....Friday the 13th. I pushed for the date so don't think it fell on our closing date by chance. Yes, I do have a dark streak of humor. For the first month the A/C worked great.

May of last year was also very rainy and thus very cool. It wasn't until June rolled around that it got hot. That is when we found out our A/C stopped working. We tried for a month, in vain, to get the A/C to cool the house. Then by chance I happened to be leaning against the house after doing some laborious task and felt cool air flowing from under the house. So I hopped into the crawl space and started looking around. I discovered that a thirteen inch piece of my duct work was missing. well not really since I looked on the ground and found it in pieces. I also noticed claw marks and bit marks. Dogs have been known to find some cool dark place to give birth to their puppies. And there are a lot of dogs in my area.

K, so now you know the history. Fast forward a year and it is starting to get hot again. Real hot. Already hitting one hundred degree's and it May hot. Like oh sh!t this is going to be a crappy summer kind of hot. So I decided to do something about it.

I searched high and low for duct material. Home Depot and Lowes did not have what I need. Wifey called ever A/C place in town, out of town, above town, below town, and some random people just for fun. Nothing!

So I get frustrated and decide its time to make my own. I got two 30" X 26" pieces of sheet metal, A/C caulk, twelve carriage bolts. I also called my buddy Brandon over who happens to be a military aircraft mechanic. i.e. knows a thing or two about fabricating parts from metal.

A bend here, a cut there, some caulk there and presto! I have a replacement part for my A/C duct system. Then another hour or so as we cover ourselves in fiberglass but its done and for the first time in a year the A/C gets cranked on! Its a little weak and not as cold as I would like but a day or so later the A/C guy comes out. He gave a thumbs up on my repairs, added three pounds of $180 freon to my system and left. It cools a little better but it is going to be a hot summer. I think we still need some window units to help cool the house.

Either that or I need to build a roof with an attic, re insulate the walls with good insulation, and get better siding for the house.