helen99: A windswept tree against a starlit sky (Default)
helen99 ([personal profile] helen99) wrote2006-07-12 03:36 pm
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Dihydrogen Monoxide Poisoning

Last night we were admiring a newly arrived copy of "The King in Yellow" by Thom Ryng. [livejournal.com profile] rialian read the the hillarious introduction to the first edition and then the more serious introduction to the second edition (because by the time of the second edition, the world had taken a turn for the serious, and some of the contents of the play were scarily applicable to it). Presently, I wandered into the kitchen, whereupon I heard a sound I never want to hear: "OH DRAT!!!" [livejournal.com profile] rialian had heard a dripping noise behind him. When we looked behind the couch at the large window, we saw that water was dripping down from the ceiling (leaving a brown stain and puckering in its path).

The irony that we were looking at a Lovecraftian book when this happened did not escape anyone...

The last time I had a similar water intrusion was a very long time ago, but in the dim recesses of my memory I recalled that it had something to do with "the A/C ductwork". That wasn't entirely accurate, but based on that, I began to shop around for someone to clean the ductwork, thinking that dirt in the ductwork may have caused condensation to form (I don't know HVAC systems very well).

[livejournal.com profile] rialian and also someone at work informed me that it was probably the condensate drain line (not the ductwork). I hadn't had the ductwork cleaned in about 15 years, though, so I thought maybe this was a strong hint to just go ahead and get it cleaned, whether or not it was the direct cause of the problem. So I called the A/C people and told them to do both (and to service the entire system while they were at it). So much for my shredded pocketbook.

The A/C people are scheduled for Friday morning. Meanwhile, we will roast half to death, since we can't run the A/C or the ceiling will cave in. As it is now, I can repair it with joint compound, drywall tape, spackle, sandpaper, and paint. If it gets worse, I'll have to get someone to replace it. I'm wondering if I should wait till later to clean the duct work, since probably cleaning the drain line alone would solve the immediate water problem - but no, I was supposed to clean it every three years and haven't for about 5 times that long. It has to be done now so people don't get sick.

[identity profile] kitten-goddess.livejournal.com 2006-07-13 02:22 pm (UTC)(link)
I'll give him your e-mail.
ext_5300: tree in the stars (Default)

[identity profile] helen99.livejournal.com 2006-07-14 04:32 pm (UTC)(link)
We'd better wait to do this until after the roof is repaired. The A/C people said that it couldn't possibly be the A/C causing the water to leak through the ceiling, so I'm not really sure what *is* causing it. They told me it was probably the roof, which is scheduled to be replaced (not sure of the schedule yet).

Once the roof replaced, then I'll let you know and we can set it up, if [livejournal.com profile] tantric_chef is willing.

[identity profile] kitten-goddess.livejournal.com 2006-07-14 08:39 pm (UTC)(link)
He said he knows nothing about air conditioning.
ext_5300: tree in the stars (Default)

[identity profile] helen99.livejournal.com 2006-07-14 09:13 pm (UTC)(link)
The A/C and the roof are being done by other professionals. The part I was wanting to involve him with was the ceiling (repairing the water damage to the ceiling). The damage isn't that much though, so I can probably do it myself if he doesn't feel like it. Anyway, I'm not going to do it until the roof is done, since that's probably one of the culprits.