Going the Cheap Route or Boy, I Wish the A/C Worked

Update: The A/C is in and on and it has already dropped the temperature by 3 degrees in the past 3 hours. Yes!!

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Update #2: Not sure whats going on but the temperature is now rising in the building again.

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It actually started in the middle of winter, although there was no way to know it at the time. Because, you see, it was cold out.

But come the middle of April, my co-workers started to wonder why it was so darn hot in the building. Not only was the air conditioning not turning on, but the heat wasn’t turning off.

It was then we discovered that the air conditioning unit on the roof of the building, was in need of repair. So much repair in fact, that we needed to buy a new one. OK, then, let’s get a new one.

Needless to say, we are now on week 15 with no air conditioning, in Fort Washington, just outside of Philadelphia.

It was 92 today.

But the outside temperature really doesn’t matter in a situation like this. Because in the no window environment of the building, the heat just seems to build and build, so even on a rainy day in the 70’s the temperature in the building would not change. It also didn’t matter how many people were in the building. The temperature would continually build throughout the day and then slowly come down starting at 10 PM or so.

I know this because I have a thermostat 2 feet from my desk. Or at least I did until the old A/C was removed completely. I would arrive at work with the temperature hovering at a refreshing 85 degrees day in and day out. Leaving when the temperature was around a smooth 92 – 93 degrees.

Now, the company did take efforts to relieve our heat suffering.

It started with turning half off the cool fluorescent lights off in the building. You know the kind that don’t generate any heat. Maybe if we can’t see anything, we won’t remember how hot it is.

Another day, a cooler full of free water was brought in for any employee that wanted it. It was placed in the break room right next to the existing free, filtered, water cooler.

Another day we were told to take an extra break and head out side so we could all stand around in the 95 degree sun and decompress. I opted to stay in side in the only slightly unbearable heat.

Then portable noise makers, I’m sorry, portable air conditioners were placed around the office to offer some cooling. Yeah, OK.

The kindest gesture was actually giving everyone who was dealing with the heat an extra weeks pay. This was actually a great gesture that made everyhone happy, But, I don’t thinnk that one person wouldn’t have traded that weeks pay for air conditioning over the past 15 weeks.

We are hopeful though. After passing installation deadlines of early May, Memorial Day, the first week of June, the end of June and the 4th of July, we now actually have the new unit on the roof.

Of course, its been on the roof now for 2 weeks and was definitely going to be installed last Friday, and then definitely by today at Noon. And now definitely tomorrow when the final part gets here.

So, I am very hopeful. it’s here, it’s on the roof, it can’t be long now. Although, someone in charge did mumble under their breath today that they didn’t this company was actually going to be able to finish the installation.

We’ll see.