The Flood Part 2

Last week was a massive work of catching up on life and work after a week-long trek across much of Appalachia in the Nuru van, and then a week with my dad and best friend in the whole world, Willie traveling Indiana, Ohio, and West Virginia.

As you may have heard or read, I came back to some massive moisture problems in my basement.In fact, I believed that I had quite effectively combined my mind with the collective knowledge of google when I back flushed a clogged drain line from my air conditioner, but my situation was not nearly as simple as I had hoped.

No, when I powered the AC back up on Monday night, it definitely worked, but it appears the problem was a bit more complex. By Tuesday evening, the AC had iced over completely, and so I found myself getting a good thaw going.

At the same time, I came to find that my front loading washer had a hole in the bellow (the big rubber seal on the front), and so when I washed the towels I used to soak up all of the moisture from my flooded basement, the washer dumped more water on the floor.

It was time to call in experts. I called an old friend, Mike White, who was in the business of duct-work, but is also pretty sharp when it comes to mechanical issues. I was at a loss, and wondered if I might have to replace/clean the AC unit (which was a common course of action sugested by online help). He told me that I might just need a new filter. I use a re-useable filter, and I've done so for years, but perhaps it's time was finally up. So thursday evening, I traveled to Lowes, bought a new filter, and bought some fresh duct seal (it's like high-quality play-doh for sealing ductwork), and plugged in a de-umidifier my buddy Chris Baker let me borrow.

The humidity was high this week, but between the AC (which is now running perfectly) and the de-humidifier, I think the moisture problems are virtually solved.It took the better part of a week, but it is now completed, and running more efficiently than it has in years. My basement is dry, but it might be a good move to use a carpet cleaner just to freshen up the space a bit. I had a couple of friends offer help with those. I also had my neighbor, Elijah Byer loan me a shop vac to do any clean-up if I needed it.

One of my biggest lessons learned was that although google allows us to find information very handily,it's not always as good as talking to friends and neighbors and getting their help. Plus, when we give folks a call or write them, it's a bonus that we get the privilege of catching up a bit. I'm thankful for the friends I have, and hope that I can be a source of sage wisdom, refreshment through conversation, and just general support and help when bumps pop up on the road.

Now to take care of this washing machine . . .