“While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” (Genesis 8:22)
The window air conditioners are finally “in” - installed into their windows, that is, at my residence. One thing that has really changed in my lifetime is the perceived necessity of air conditioning. I’m old enough to remember the world of the late 1950s when virtually NOTHING in the northeast was air conditioned. Even into the late 1960s, air conditioning in Massachusetts was quite a luxury. I’d say well over half of the cars of that period were NOT equipped with a/c and probably only one out of three adults slept with a window air conditioner on. (Houses with “central air” were virtually unknown in Massachusetts forty years ago.)
Times have changed. If this was 1967, I’d feel rich because we have 3 window air conditioners. Today, I feel poor because our house does not have “central air”! Even with the air conditioners, over half the house is stifling hot during the “dog days” of the summer.
Our house was built around 1892. The electrical circuitry HAS had at least a couple of substantial upgrades since then. I believe one dates from the late ‘50s or early ‘60s, AND we had a couple of new circuits put in around ten years ago to accommodate our home computer. Even so, while the basement and first floor are covered by a number of curcuits due to the heating system, washer and dryer, etc., the upper floors are only covered by like two or three. We long ago figured out what rooms we could install air conditioners in without constantly tripping breakers, etc. (In other words, we’ve made sure they’re all on different circuits AND on circuits that can “handle the load”.) The rooms that get air conditioning are the master bedroom, my son’s room in the highest (unbearably hot) level of the house, and the living room. My poor girls were never able to have a/c. However, they always COULD sleep in the living room, and often did on really hot nights. (Now, it’s just one girl as Amy is now a permanent resident of Springfield, Missouri.)
Twice each year, Jon and I go through the hassle of putting in or taking our the air conditioners. It’s a LOT of work. With 115-year-old windows which are NOT level and are rickety, it’s also a real challenge to do the job right. Jon actually has made a diagram about how we do it in the living room (piling in support boards, etc.) It typically takes us about 90 minutes to do all three. Last night we got the job done. I store two of the air conditioners in the basement, so just carrying them up flights of stairs is a nuisance. It seems like every year we’re later and later putting them in, although I think it was right around this time last year. I’d like to have them in by May 15, but that almost never happens. AND, I like to have them out before October 31 but last year they came out around November 29 and the year before it was around December 16!
Have you fallen asleep yet? Maybe. But that’s the point of window air conditioners! How did we ever survive without air conditioning back there in 1957?!
My big dream is to have “central air conditioning” installed and then to be able to sell these 3 window units at a yard sale...maybe someday!
The window air conditioners are finally “in” - installed into their windows, that is, at my residence. One thing that has really changed in my lifetime is the perceived necessity of air conditioning. I’m old enough to remember the world of the late 1950s when virtually NOTHING in the northeast was air conditioned. Even into the late 1960s, air conditioning in Massachusetts was quite a luxury. I’d say well over half of the cars of that period were NOT equipped with a/c and probably only one out of three adults slept with a window air conditioner on. (Houses with “central air” were virtually unknown in Massachusetts forty years ago.)
Times have changed. If this was 1967, I’d feel rich because we have 3 window air conditioners. Today, I feel poor because our house does not have “central air”! Even with the air conditioners, over half the house is stifling hot during the “dog days” of the summer.
Our house was built around 1892. The electrical circuitry HAS had at least a couple of substantial upgrades since then. I believe one dates from the late ‘50s or early ‘60s, AND we had a couple of new circuits put in around ten years ago to accommodate our home computer. Even so, while the basement and first floor are covered by a number of curcuits due to the heating system, washer and dryer, etc., the upper floors are only covered by like two or three. We long ago figured out what rooms we could install air conditioners in without constantly tripping breakers, etc. (In other words, we’ve made sure they’re all on different circuits AND on circuits that can “handle the load”.) The rooms that get air conditioning are the master bedroom, my son’s room in the highest (unbearably hot) level of the house, and the living room. My poor girls were never able to have a/c. However, they always COULD sleep in the living room, and often did on really hot nights. (Now, it’s just one girl as Amy is now a permanent resident of Springfield, Missouri.)
Twice each year, Jon and I go through the hassle of putting in or taking our the air conditioners. It’s a LOT of work. With 115-year-old windows which are NOT level and are rickety, it’s also a real challenge to do the job right. Jon actually has made a diagram about how we do it in the living room (piling in support boards, etc.) It typically takes us about 90 minutes to do all three. Last night we got the job done. I store two of the air conditioners in the basement, so just carrying them up flights of stairs is a nuisance. It seems like every year we’re later and later putting them in, although I think it was right around this time last year. I’d like to have them in by May 15, but that almost never happens. AND, I like to have them out before October 31 but last year they came out around November 29 and the year before it was around December 16!
Have you fallen asleep yet? Maybe. But that’s the point of window air conditioners! How did we ever survive without air conditioning back there in 1957?!
My big dream is to have “central air conditioning” installed and then to be able to sell these 3 window units at a yard sale...maybe someday!
2 comments:
gotta love the air conditioner day! i hope you had rachel bring them up from the basement. she IS freakishly strong you know, and you need to watch your back.
Amy, actually Jon did the most carrying of the A/C units but Rachel was also a big help!
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