Last summer, I tackled a large home remodeling project. I tore out the ceilings, walls and floors in the upstairs laundry room and bathroom right down to the bare studs. This made it much easier to update the electrical wires and plumbing pipes and add insulation. I replaced all of the light fixtures, plumbing fixtures, sink vanity, toilet and showerhead. I bought a new washer and dryer and laid ceramic tile across the floors and inside the shower. One of the most labor-intensive parts of the job was handling the drywall sheets. I am a 55 year-old, 5-foot-tall woman, and it’s a struggle to carry the giant sheets up the stairs and prop them in place. To install the ceiling, I needed to cut the eight-foot drywall sheets in half. It was still difficult to support the drywall with one hand over my head while also using the cordless drill. I tore my trapezius muscle which led to six weeks of lying flat on my back, trying to recover. I was unable to stand up for more than a minute or two. I couldn’t manage to wash my own hair or even make it down the stairs. I stayed in my bedroom, in my bed, icing my swollen back and taking pain pills. I was very thankful for the ductless heat pump installed into the master bedroom. Through an app on my phone, I’m able to switch between heating and cooling, change fan speed, raise and lower temperature and even decide the direction of airflow. The unit is extremely compact, quiet and energy efficient. I am able to maintain my ideal comfort level without affecting the rest of the house. Since I was injured badly enough to suffer a fever, chills and nausea, I adjusted the temperature quite frequently. The little ductless system also works to combat excess humidity and circulates and filters the air. While my recovery time was painful and awful, having the ductless mini split made the endless hours just a little bit more pleasant.
I’d like a mini-split system for my workout shed
I treat exercise like brushing my teeth, showering or drinking water.
Devoting time to physical activity is a regular part of my everyday life.
It’s necessary to keep my body healthy. I spend approximately an hour on a combination of stretching, balance exercises, strength training and high intensity cardio. I’m fortunate that I have a shed in the backyard that is big enough for my needs. The cement floor, high ceiling and window at each end work well for me. I have covered the floor with mats and have invested into various sizes of hand weights, a jump rope, resistance bands, weight bench, mini trampoline, weighted poles and a wobble board. For the majority of the year, I open the windows and doors and enjoy the fresh air. When possible, I prefer to work out first thing in the morning. In the middle of the summer, the heat and humidity are a problem. The windows are too small to accommodate an air conditioner and electric fans don’t provide much relief. In the worst of winter, I run a space heater. I make sure to start up the space heater an hour before I plan to work out. It helps to take the chill off, but I still struggle to sufficiently warm up my muscles. My goal is to someday install a ductless mini-split. This type of system consists of compact indoor and outdoor components that connect by way of a slender conduit. All I’d need is a three-inch hole in an exterior wall and access to electricity. The system would take up none of my workout space and yet provide ideal comfort all year round.
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Bloody nose caused by insufficient humidity
My father-in-law is 82 years old and suffers from a heart condition.
- He takes a variety of experimental medications that have worked well for him.
He’s also on blood thinners. We live in an area that experiences especially long and brutally cold winters. The outdoor temperature is most often below freezing and can drop down to negative twenty-five degrees. As an older couple, my in-laws tend to feel cold. They set their thermostat at 78 degrees. Whenever we go to their house for family functions, we bundle up in our winter coats and boots and then strip down to short sleeves. The house always feels overheated. Everyone volunteers to carry the trash out to the garage for the chance to cool off. When the weather is cold, the air is naturally dry. With the heater blasting, the conditions inside the house are much worse. The lack of humidity makes the air feel colder and can cause some problems. Chapped lips, headaches, sore throats and itchy eyes are consequences of overly dry air. The air can dry out nasal passages and increase susceptibility to respiratory infection. Another concern is bloody noses. My father-in-law suffered a bloody nose that was most likely caused by insufficient humidity. Because of the blood-thinners he takes, we couldn’t stop the bleeding. We ended up calling an ambulance for him. Fortunately, my father-in-law was fine and able to return home that same day. One of his doctors suggested that we install a whole-home humidifier for my in-laws. I am now researching the different styles of humidifiers. I’ve been reading up on the benefits, and I think a humidifier is going to make a big improvement in their comfort and indoor air quality.
Window air conditioners fulfill our needs
Although I live in an area that experiences four separate seasons, the winter weather definitely lasts the longest. It starts to cool off and forces us to close the windows by the end of August. We typically need to start up the furnace sometime in September and expect snowfall by Halloween. For at least six months, we rely on the heating system. It’s so exciting when the snow finally melts and the outside temperature rises above freezing. I look forward to eventually opening the windows, breathing fresh air and spending time outdoors. I am very relieved when I am no longer paying huge energy bills. Although we face temperatures in the upper eighties and high humidity during the summer, it doesn’t last long. Within a few months, we’re back to chilly weather again. I don’t think central air conditioning is necessary. In my opinion, it’s too big of an investment for what we would get from it. I spent a lot less money on window air conditioners for the bedrooms. I set one in each of the windows and we enjoy perfectly cool sleeping conditions. The cooling units are compact, lightweight and fairly energy efficient. Since we only run the air conditioners at night, I don’t notice a big increase in my electrical bills. I make sure to clean the air filters at the start of the season and then I carry them back up to the attic in the fall. The separate air conditioners allow each family member to decide their own comfort level. Plus, the air conditioners are controlled by cordless remote control, so we don’t even need to get out of bed to make adjustments.
I wanted a tune-up for $59 since that was the advertisement
I was on my way home from work on Friday afternoon and I heard a radio advertisement from the local HVAC company.
The advertisement was an offer for tune up services at the low cost of $59.
I never had a tune-up performed during the Spring months, so I decided to call the telephone number listed on the advertiser. At $59, I knew that was quite a savings from the regular price. I called the HVAC repair company as soon as I got home. I spoke with someone on the phone about the tune-up special. I wanted to make sure that the price was $59, so I asked the woman on the phone. She told me that the price was $99. I told her that I wanted to take advantage of the radio advertisement special. She told me that the company did not have any promotions on at the time. I told her that I heard a radio advertisement for this HVAC repair company. She asked me to identify the radio station. When I told the woman the name, she told me that the advertisement was over a month old. I had no way of knowing that information. I told the woman on the phone that she should honor the price since I heard the advertisement on the radio. She told me that the $59 tune-up special was a national advertisement and they were not responsible for honoring the price. I was disappointed, but I left them quite a review online. I made sure to include their lack of customer service when I mentioned the companies named.
I found out about the affair by accident
A very young man came outside and gave her a huge hug.
Saturday afternoons I go to the office to handle all of the paperwork and invoices from the week. Sometimes my wife goes to the office with me, but most of the time she stays home. She joined a yoga class A couple of weeks ago and the classes are during the time that I go to the office. I thought it worked out well, because I knew my wife was always bored while I worked on the invoices for the HVAC repair shop. I didn’t have much to do last Saturday, so I decided to surprise my wife. I followed her to the yoga class and I planned to take her out for a nice lunch when class was over. My wife drove past the place where the yoga studio was located. He continued traveling on the interstate for approximately 5 more miles and then she exited in a completely different town. She drove to a location that seemed very familiar. She ain’t never took much time to look at her phone or the GPS. My wife pulled into the parking lot of a residential home. A very young man came outside and gave her a huge hug. I got out of my truck and immediately confronted both of them. I assumed my wife was having an affair, but I found out that she was actually taking dance classes from the private instructor. My wife and I went to a dance club later that evening and she showed me all of the new moves that she has been learning. I’m glad my wife wasn’t having an affair, but I still wish she wasn’t taking private classes at somebody’s home.
The guy at the hotel was extremely rude
When the vehicle started beeping, I saw someone come out of a third floor hotel room
I stayed in a hotel on Tuesday night, because my house was being fumigated. I parked near the exit area, so I could get out of the parking lot quickly in the morning. The place is always busy and the parking lot fills up fast. I decided to go to the hotel directly after work, so I managed to find a really good parking spot. I woke up early in the morning and I enjoyed a nice hot shower. I let the water run for a long time, since I wasn’t paying for that electricity or the hot water bill. I had breakfast in the cafe of the hotel. I bought a coffee to go and I headed outside. That’s when I realized there was an HVAC repair vehicle parked directly behind my car. There was absolutely no way I could get out of this face. I went into the hotel to the front desk manager and I asked them if they were having any repairs. They did not believe the repair vehicle belonged to someone working on the property. They agreed to help me locate the owner of the HVAC repair vehicle. I was starting to get frustrated after 30 minutes, so I decided to start rocking the truck to see if it had an alarm. When the vehicle started beeping, I saw someone come out of a third floor hotel room. The guy was fully dressed and looked really mad. The HVAC tech gave me a really dirty look. When he saw me with the hotel manager, he didn’t argue about moving the repair truck.
I didn't want soup for dinner
It’s been very cold and snowy outside the last couple of weeks, so my wife and I have not gone to very many places.
I hate to drive the car in the snow and ice.
Mostly we stay at home each evening when we come back from work. We watch different movies on Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime, but it is usually the same thing day after day. Since the weather has been extremely cold, we have eaten a lot of soup and sandwiches for dinner. I was tired of soup last night, and I suggested going to a local diner for a change of plans. My wife was hesitant to leave the house, but I convinced her to go. When we got to the restaurant, we found out that they were closed. They were supposed to be open, but they closed early that day because of heating problems. There was a furnace repair truck parked in the employee parking lot and we could see lights inside of the building, but the doors were closed and locked. We didn’t want to drive all the way to the city to get food, so we ended up going back to the house for soup. At least we were warm and comfortable. Our furnace works very well, thanks to a tune up a couple of months ago. We paid extra to make sure that the furnace would last all winter and not give us any problems. It is worth a few extra dollars to have peace of mind when the temperatures are cold and icy.
We weren’t prepared for cold weather, but the planner was
When my wife and I got married, we wanted all of the details to be absolutely perfect.
We had a wedding planner help us with all of the plans.
The wedding planner was exceptional at her job. She provided a great deal of help and advice that allowed us to have an even better wedding day and celebration. My wife wanted to get married on the same day as our anniversary that we met. I thought it might be too cold in October. My wife had her heart set on the 10th month and the 17th day, so we made plans and decided that would be the day of our nuptials. The weather was supposed to be perfect on the day of the wedding. The forecast was 60° outside with very little wind and lots of sun. On the day of the wedding, the weather forecast was completely wrong. We had very little sun and the whole sky was filled with clouds. It started raining on the way to the chapel. The temperatures dropped quickly and it was getting colder by the minute. I was worried that all of our guests would be cold, due to the fact that the wedding and reception were both held outdoors and the temperatures were low. When I arrived at the church, I was really upset and nervous. The planner was waiting for me in the church. She told me not to worry about anything. She actually planned for cold temperatures and had propane heaters on standby outside. The tented area was very warm and comfortable thanks to the propane heaters. My wife and I had a wonderful day and our celebration was filled with lots of fun and laughter.