12:51 p.m. - Yes, it's a late start to this entry. There is a very good reason, though. First yesterday...I got up, I walked for an hour, and I loaded up the camper and my truck, and I headed off to Bloomington. It was good for me to drive that distance and drive on the interstate and get "travel ready" in my brain. It was very different going that far without Amber, and I irritated the camp host at Kamp Komfort when I arrived too early (by about 45 minutes). I didn't want to leave late, though, because I didn't want to go to the admin meeting.
So I found Kamp Komfort with no problems, and it's actually perfect for my needs. I went to get the camper all "set up", and as soon as I arrived I flipped on the air conditioning to start cooling down the camper as I finished everything. And everything got finished up just as expected, and then I turned the air conditioner off because it was cool enough - and then water started falling in the camper on to the floor from the AC inside vent - a lot of water. I instantly had a notion what the problem was, and I also instantly knew it was going to require work on the AC unit on top of the roof. I didn't panic, but I also wasn't going to even attempt to do it starting at 2 p.m. in the afternoon on what was a hot day. So I wiped up the water on the floor, broke out the fan, and carried on. I did start to research YouTube on how to service the AC and clear the drain plugs, as I suspected that was the problem. And quite honestly, it looked doable, but did I mention the AC unit is on the roof? I am normally scared shitless of heights, and even the roof of the camper is high enough to give me the shakes. Also, I'm still only two and a half months post surgery to my knee, and I'm fat and my balance isn't 100%. So if I wanted this problem fixed I was going to have to get my fat old self up on that roof the next day and make the attempt. One thing I was thankful for was that I was by myself - maybe God does have a way of helping out with unforeseen problems and events. If Amber would have been with me, she would have been very frustrated. As I mentioned, I didn't panic (even though I sent a message to Randy to let him know about the potential problem), and I got ready for a non AC evening of attempted sleep. To be honest, it was as bad as I had feared. I opened up the windows. got the fan out, and after the sun went down, the temps dropped to the 70's which helped. I did get the cot out to try that, and it was okay, but eventually I was able to go ahead and get some sleep in bed. Having meTV on helped - I love M.A.S.H. Earlier in the evening, I also went exploring in the truck. There isn't much in the town of Carlock, not even a bar with some slot machines, so I decided to make a grocery run and ended up heading into Normal/Bloomington and shopped at a Kroegers. I'm not completely unfamiliar with the area after the many times I have been to Illinois State University. Honestly...other than the dang AC failing, it was a very good day.
No I didn't sleep in today...I think I woke up around 4:30 a.m., which really isn't all that unusual for me. And I started to weigh my options. I knew I was going to have breakfast, and I felt I at least owed it to myself to get on the roof and just see how challenging the project was going to be. Did I want to give it a shot or just wait until I got home and suffer through two more nights of "heat sleep"? I did my best to plan out my adventure on the roof, attempting to do my best to plan in order to avoid having to go up and down the ladder to many times. So I decided to use my book bag as a bag of tools and planned out all the things I thought I was going to need - screwdrivers, pliers, my glasses, a flashlight, a couple of towels, my phone, etc.. - I even took a bottle of water with me. I was pleasantly surprised that getting up the ladder and crawling on my knees wasn't too painful and for some reason, having the slides out seemed to decrease the panic I normally associate with heights - at least with the slides out, I'd have less distance to fall if I lost my balance. And the early observation of the unit - a ColemanMack - wasn't surprising. (Did I mention the YouTube videos suggested that the air conditioning unit be cleaned out at least once a year, and I had never done it since owning the camper?) The cover wasn't going to be a big deal...just four screws and it was going to come off - or was it? Well, three of the screws came out, but the fourth one wouldn't cooperate, and none of the tools I had were going to work - I was going to need to find a hardware store for bigger screw drivers or some other idea. So attempt #1 failed - it was okay...I didn't have anything to do until 7 p.m. tonight, so I had all day to work with the Eagle. I left the campground in the Ford and found a Farm-n-Fleet and got tools I thought I would need for $76. I was hoping I just needed some bigger and higher quality screw drivers, but I got some other stuff just in case because I didn't know what I would have to do after I got the cover off. (I was thinking getting off the next layer of sheet metal might involve some hex head sheet metal screws, plus the videos had suggested brushing the coils free of dirt, so I got myself a scrub brush for that purpose.)
On to attempt #2 - The bigger, tougher screwdriver proved to be a difference maker, and I was able to get the cover off to see the next layer - which in fact was sheet metal, and the next size down of screw driver actually helped with that. I took my time, tried to be careful, and I attempted to follow the instructions of the YouTube video I had seen. I was able to locate the drain pan and free it from the coil in order to clean it. Yes, it was pretty gunked up with dirt, so it was no wonder the drain plugs were not working. I took the rags and cleaned the pan and plugs up, and then I took the brush and brushed the coils, and they were pretty dirty too. I then worked my way back (hoping I had reinserted the drain pan correctly) and put the sheet metal screws back to fasten the sheet metal, minus one screw I couldn't find but later found in my backpack. Some of the holes didn't line up well, but I managed to maintain my patience and get them back in and fastened. Then I put the big cover back on and replaced the four screws that attached that. And then I packed up all my tools and crawled my way back to the latter to get down.
Like any project I do, I'm never completely certain I've done something correctly, especially something like this that I've never attempted at all. So I flipped on the power breaker back to the camper, turned on the AC, said a little prayer, and crossed my fingers, and hoped for the best. As I sit here now about an hour later, the camper is cooling down, and the water from the AC unit is draining down the roof to the gutter of the camper just like it's supposed to do. I even shut it off once already to see if the ceiling would rain again, and it didn't! If all else continues to go well, tonight's sleep should be much more comfortable. And I learned Randy wasn't coming down after all, so I will be by myself again, which is okay. Now because I haven't yet showered, and I'm a dirty mess, I plan to go accomplish that and change clothes and relax a bit. I'll probably do some reading and take a little nap before making some supper and getting ready to go to Shawn's ceremony. I hope the rest of the day goes smoothly, and I must say I'm happy with myself for completing today's service project on the AC.
Things to do for School
- periodically add to the RR group history report
- periodically check on mail at post office
- update attendance each week in SDS
- send any IEP notices to Mrs. Saey
OTHER THINGS
Things To Do for History Page
- What/Where is South Buffalo Prairie School and for that matter West Buffalo School and East Taylor Ridge School? ugh.
- Friday Tidbit on the RR History Network Page
Knee Surgery Dates Completed
- March 11 - 10:25 a.m. - ORA Moline - Consult
- April 1 - 1:45 p.m. - ORA Moline - MRI
- April 9 - Walk in labs at Tr
- April 15 - Dr. Wang pre-op physical (surgical clearance) 8:45 a.m.
- April 28 - 9:40 a.m. at ORA Silvis
- April 30 - 10 a.m. - Milan Optical
- May 4 - surgery on left knee at Trinity Moline
- May 5- returned home from hospital
- May 6 - home recovery
- May 7 - home recovery
- May 8 - home recovery - visited ICE for about an hour - 9-10 a.m.
- May 13 - 8:45 a.m. Post-Op Appt Hussein
- May 15 - 8:20 a.m. - ORA PT
- May 18 - noon - ORA PT
- May 20 - 8 a.m. - with Brandon; 9:20 - ORA PT
- May 22 - 9 a.m. - ORA PT
- May 26 - 3:20 p.m. - ORA PT
- May 27 - 9 a.m. - ORA PT
- May 29 - 8:20 a.m. - ORA PT
- June 1 - 8:20 a.m. - ORA PT
- June 3 - 8:40 a.m. - ORA PT
- June 5 - 8:20 a.m. - ORA PT
- June 8 - 9:20 a.m. - ORA PT
- June 10 - 8:40 a.m. - ORA PT
- June 12 - 8:20 a.m. - ORA PT
- June 16 - 10:20 a.m. - ORA
- June 24 - 9:00 a.m. - ORA PT- Cancelled
- June 25 - 9:25 a.m. - ORA appt with Hussein
