We made the decision today to replace the upstairs HVAC system (there is one for each floor, because one for the whole house would be inefficient, especially in Central Florida). Last night, we turned the AC back on, and the outside unit did not work. It was last used for heat two days ago. This time, as was the case last year, the controller board failed. Over the years, we've sunk a few grand into fixing this thing, and that's not counting the warranty work performed in the first few years. Pulte installed the cheapest Lennox crap they could find, and there was even a class action over the quality of the coils.
The replacement is gonna be $8,600, an expense we were not planning for, but there is a $2,000 energy efficiency tax credit. We just got tired of putting money into something that breaks literally annually. We happen to be in a time of year where demand is much lower (good luck getting a service tech same-day in July), and we'll be just inside the window to not require a different refrigerant, as Congress has put an end to CFC use in these. The newer systems use something just slightly flammable, which requires more safety and makes everything a little more expensive starting in 2025. I know, you'd think I'd wait for the greener thing, but I already hate putting money into something like this.
The bummer is that we had that money earmarked to replace our carpet, another cheap-ass thing that Pulte installed. It has virtually no pad, is bunching up everywhere, and looks like a dozen people have lived here for decades, instead of three people over seven years. I was gonna say that we almost got through the year without a major unplanned expense, but I forgot about The Great Disney Car Crash. Still bitter about that one, and it's not actually resolved. We'd have one less car payment if that hadn't happened.
It's not lost on me that I'm fortunate that the birth lottery put me in a spot where this is not a life altering event. But it definitely messes with my mental health as yet another thing to create cognitive load. I'm so looking forward to the opportunity to turn my brain off in another week or so.
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