Jessica's Rose Garden

[Lori Dee ✅]

Hopefully, it will cool off overnight. Down to 82 now, but we still have two more days of mid-90s before we cool off. Stay hydrated.

[Jessica_Rose ✅]

A contractor was at our house Monday to replace the boiler. I asked them if they could check our air conditioner as well, and they said they would take a look at it later in the day. They removed the old boiler Monday morning and got the new one mounted on the wall. When they took a lunch break, one of them looked at the air conditioner. He replaced a weak capacitor, and that got it going again. In the afternoon, they began installing the water and gas connections to the new boiler.

On Tuesday, the contractors returned to finish the installation. I mentioned that the air conditioner had struggled all night to get the interior temperature down, so they agreed to check the system out later. When they flushed out all of the water lines for the boiler, the water looked like mud. Once they finished all of the connections, they flushed it again and ran some tests. While that was going on, another technician went into the attic to look at our air conditioner and furnace.

They discovered a few interesting things. First, the condenser was made in 1987 and it used R-22 refrigerant. R-22 was banned in the US in 2020, so it can be expensive (only old stock or reclaimed R-22 is legal). In addition, the unit is significantly undersized. Since we plan to be here for a long time, we decided to have the air conditioner and furnace replaced. The new one will be much more efficient, so maybe it will reduce our utility bills. The new equipment will be installed next week.

I expected the house would need a few repairs, but I wasn't expecting this much. I hope that's the last big expense we have this year.

Love always -- Jessica Rose

[Lori Dee ✅]

I hope that's the last big expense we have this year.

Fingers crossed.
🥰

[ChrissyRyan]

A contractor was at our house Monday to replace the boiler. I asked them if they could check our air conditioner as well, and they said they would take a look at it later in the day. They removed the old boiler Monday morning and got the new one mounted on the wall. When they took a lunch break, one of them looked at the air conditioner. He replaced a weak capacitor, and that got it going again. In the afternoon, they began installing the water and gas connections to the new boiler.

On Tuesday, the contractors returned to finish the installation. I mentioned that the air conditioner had struggled all night to get the interior temperature down, so they agreed to check the system out later. When they flushed out all of the water lines for the boiler, the water looked like mud. Once they finished all of the connections, they flushed it again and ran some tests. While that was going on, another technician went into the attic to look at our air conditioner and furnace.

They discovered a few interesting things. First, the condenser was made in 1987 and it used R-22 refrigerant. R-22 was banned in the US in 2020, so it can be expensive (only old stock or reclaimed R-22 is legal). In addition, the unit is significantly undersized. Since we plan to be here for a long time, we decided to have the air conditioner and furnace replaced. The new one will be much more efficient, so maybe it will reduce our utility bills. The new equipment will be installed next week.

I expected the house would need a few repairs, but I wasn't expecting this much. I hope that's the last big expense we have this year.

Love always -- Jessica Rose

A roof replacement can be expensive according to coworkers, as well as window replacement.

[Jessica_Rose ✅]

We have a concrete tile roof, so it should last quite a while. The windows all appears to be in good shape. They are double pane, and we don't see any evidence of fogging between the panes.

A building inspector visited us this morning to check the boiler installation. He asked who the installer was, and I told him. He responded that they are a really good company and he rarely sees any issues with the equipment they install.

I had an electrolysis session with Kris today. She only found one hair to zap on my chin, and none at all on my chest. There really isn't much more work I need, but I enjoy visiting her.

My manager discussed a 'reduced hours' work schedule with HR. Apparently they only offer that option when someone is within six months of leaving, so I'll need to keep my current work schedule for another year or so.

Love always -- Jessica Rose

[Lori Dee ✅]

Apparently they only offer that option when someone is within six months of leaving, so I'll need to keep my current work schedule for another year or so.

OR... give them your six-month notice?

😁

[Jessica_Rose ✅]

OR... give them your six-month notice?

😁

Not after just replacing our boiler and our central air!

Love always -- Jessica Rose

[Lori Dee ✅]

Not after just replacing our boiler and our central air!

Good point.

[Jessica_Rose ✅]

On Sunday, I noticed a small leak in our garage ceiling. Our boiler sends heated water through flexible tubing. Some of the joints use copper fittings, and one of the fittings had a slow leak. I expect flushing out the pipes or a water pressure change from the new boiler exposed the leak. It is nowhere near where the boiler install was performed.

The leak was just a few drops every minute, but it was enough to soften some sheet rock in the ceiling. The folks who installed the boiler came out and had a look, then said they don't do that type of repair. They shut down the system to stop the leak, then gave me the phone number for a company that specializes in hydronic heating systems. I called them, and was told they only REPLACE hydronic heating systems... they don't repair them. I contacted the installer again, and they game me a number for a local plumber. He looked at the leak today and said he didn't have any experience working on that kind of tubing! He suggested yet another plumber, I'll call him Dave. I called Dave and explained the issue, and he laughed. He said every plumber around here who doesn't want to work on something gives out his number! I sent him a video of the issue, and he said he'll come out and take a look within the next week or so. We had an interesting conversation which I won't get into, but I already like him.

Tomorrow is going to be the hottest day of the year so far. The forecast calls for a high of 103F (39.4C). Guess when the air conditioner installers are coming? The A/C unit is in the attic, and the access panel is in a small closet. We cleared out the closet to give them more room to work. I told them they could come early if they wanted to try to beat the heat, and there is a chance they may reschedule because of the high temperatures expected tomorrow. However, the odds are good that we'll have a new A/C unit running by the end of the day.

Love always -- Jessica Rose

[Lori Dee ✅]

I hope they show up early and can get the AC running by noon. Attics can get dangerously hot for humans to work in. Good luck!

[Maid Marion]

My home heating system uses copper pipe.  One of the maintenance guys say they now use ProPress crimping tools, which work even with water running through the line!

Good luck getting the leak fixed!

Marion

[davina61]

My eldest does plumbing ,he said there is nothing worse that working in a hot attic!

[Jessica_Rose ✅]

My home heating system uses copper pipe.  One of the maintenance guys say they now use ProPress crimping tools, which work even with water running through the line!

Good luck getting the leak fixed!

Marion

When our new boiler was installed, I noticed they weren't soldering the copper. They were using crimp connectors with internal gaskets. Using a torch and solder inside a house always seemed a bit dangerous, but it has been the best solution for a very long time. Hopefully, the crimp connectors will equal or improve upon the longevity of solder.

My parents used to own several rental properties. They did most of the repairs themselves, including roofing. I helped my dad roof several of the houses, using three-tab asphalt shingles. In the summer, the roof would get so hot that we had to get off the roof several times a day to let our feel cool down. It was often miserable work. While workers in the attic won't be in the sun, they also won't get any cooling from the wind. I have a battery-powered fan they can use, and I'll stock the refrigerator with lots of bottled water.

Love always -- Jessica Rose

[Jessica_Rose ✅]

Wednesday was a very long day. Something woke me up at 3:00am, and I couldn't get back to sleep. The contractor arrived a little after 8:00am, and by 9:00am they turned off our air conditioner. They we're really happy to see that I had cleared everything out of the closet with the attic access.

They did take a few breaks, but we also set a new high temperature record for the day. While the official reading was 103F (39.4C), our outdoor thermometer reported a high of 111F (44C). The temperature inside the house was close to 90F (32.2C). At one time, there were six people working on the install, including three electricians. The last contractor left around 9:00pm, after verifying that we had a working air conditioner.

Today, we noticed one of our ceiling lights had shifted about a half inch down from the ceiling. I tried pushing the 'can' back into the ceiling, but it wouldn't budge. The A/C folks said they would take care of it for us early next week. They suggested we keep the house colder than usual for a few days to give the system a good test. Susan is happy, she prefers it cold. I'll be wearing a sweater for a few days.

Love always -- Jessica Rose

[Maid Marion]

Good to hear that the A/C got fixed!

I don't run A/C in Connecticut.  Saves on my elecric bill.  The last one was only $46!
I wear skimpy crop tops and skirts to stay cool!

Marion

[Jessica_Rose ✅]

I prefer warmer temperatures, but 90F inside the house was above my tolerance level! I prefer around 80F in the house during the summer (our humidity is typically 20 - 25%), but @Susan_Rose makes me feel guilty if I set it above 78F.

Since the closet is empty now, I plan to repaint it over the weekend. There were a bunch of small holes in the walls from the previous owners, I've already filled them in. I bought the paint and some painting supplies today. I may start on it Friday afternoon.

Love always -- Jessica Rose

[Northern Star Girl ✅]

@Jessica_Rose
Dear Jessica:
As I am reading several of your recent updates and postings, I worked up a sweat just reading about your
hot summer temperatures.  I know that you stated that you like it cooler, but you would probably freeze
to death in the winter time where I live. 

Summer temperatures here today, early this morning was 43 deg[F} and
late today the high was 62 degrees[F]

    Sunset  12:08am (8 minutes after midnight)  Midnight sun !
   
    Sunrise  1:56am (118 minutes after midnight)

HUGS, Danielle

[davina61]

Could get to 32 or 33C here by Monday, way to warm for me. 21C is my zone.

[Stottie Girl]

When our new boiler was installed, I noticed they weren't soldering the copper. They were using crimp connectors with internal gaskets. Using a torch and solder inside a house always seemed a bit dangerous, but it has been the best solution for a very long time. Hopefully, the crimp connectors will equal or improve upon the longevity of solder.

My parents used to own several rental properties. They did most of the repairs themselves, including roofing. I helped my dad roof several of the houses, using three-tab asphalt shingles. In the summer, the roof would get so hot that we had to get off the roof several times a day to let our feel cool down. It was often miserable work. While workers in the attic won't be in the sun, they also won't get any cooling from the wind. I have a battery-powered fan they can use, and I'll stock the refrigerator with lots of bottled water.

Love always -- Jessica Rose

As a former heating engineer I never went with crimp connectors, mainly because of the cost but also I'm not sure of the longevity of the joints. If they fail you cant just repair the joint either. I do know that crimping is big in the US though and it's like plastic push fit, once the tech is proven to work it will end up being adopted. I always soldered all my joints with end feed fittings and never once set a house on fire! A good solder pipe job is a mark of a good tradesman so I always made sure I removed any solder snots and cleaned all the pipes with wire wool to get them gleaming! Correct use of a quality soldering mat is essential though. When I left the industry even gas crimping systems were starting to appear. It is much more common in the EU apparently.

[Jessica_Rose ✅]

@Jessica_Rose
Dear Jessica:
As I am reading several of your recent updates and postings, I worked up a sweat just reading about your
hot summer temperatures.  I know that you stated that you like it cooler, but you would probably freeze
to death in the winter time where I live. 

Summer temperatures here today, early this morning was 43 deg[F} and
late today the high was 62 degrees[F]

    Sunset  12:08am (8 minutes after midnight)  Midnight sun !
   
    Sunrise  1:56am (118 minutes after midnight)

HUGS, Danielle

You're right. While I'm certain Alaska is beautiful, I think the winters would be too brutal for me. The exceptionally long days in summer, and long nights in winter would also be difficult. I've heard the mosquitoes (the Alaska State Bird) can also be voracious!

Last weekend I built a small retaining wall around the pad where the new a/c condenser was installed. I was concerned that erosion around the pad could eventually cause trouble. It looks much nicer now.

On returning to our house from picking up some stones for the retaining wall, one of our garage door openers was completely unresponsive. It was the same one we had worked on a few months ago. I tried the wall switch, the remote, and even unplugging it, but nothing helped. We called a different repair company this time. They said the controller board had failed. Now we have a new garage door opener! I hope nothing else fails, June is becoming a very expensive month for us.

The building inspector was happy with the new air conditioner installation, and had nothing but good things to say about the company who performed the install. I finished repainting the closet today, and we moved all of the organizers, clothes, and linens back into the closet once the paint was dry.

Wednesday and Thursday mornings I was awakened by what I thought was a smoke detector, but it stopped after only a few beeps. We replaced the batteries in all of the 'suspect' detectors, but Thursday night it triggered again. It was a smoke detector attached to our alarm system. When I removed it from the ceiling to change the battery, it triggered a fire alarm on our security system! I silenced the alarm, then opened the smoke detector to change the battery. I expected some 'AA' batteries or maybe a 9v battery, but it was a CR-123A lithium battery. Who keeps those around? I do! I replaced the battery, put the detector back on the ceiling, then reset the alarm system again. So far, it has been quiet.

I'm still fighting with exceptionally dry skin. After showering, I apply Eucerin 'Intensive Repair' lotion all over, then follow up with some coconut oil containing vitamin 'E'. The next morning, I have several patches of dry, flakey skin. We plan to put a humidifier in the bedroom, hopefully that will help.

Love always -- Jessica Rose