Before long, the a/c unit in the attic started leaking through to the second floor apartment.
Not long ago, my sister decided to move back to our hometown, having lived out of state for several years. My husband and I have been solely responsible for our aging parents, and my sister decided she should help with their ever-growing needs. My husband agreed to turn the second floor of his office building into an apartment for her, as it’s located less than a mile away from my parents’ house. The ductwork of the existing HVAC system was already installed throughout the building and was fairly new. And the rooms were easy enough to convert from office space into an apartment. Right before she moved in, she asked about having a pet. The criteria that was agreed upon was that the pet had to be quiet and not leave odors, since the apartment would be directly above the business. After a bit of research, we found that chinchillas fit the criteria. She was so excited to purchase two of the adorable little creatures. But she learned from the breeder that they require a very cool environment, with temperatures between sixty and sixty eight degrees fahrenheit. As a result, the air conditioner was running constantly during the exceptionally hot summer. Before long, the a/c unit in the attic started leaking through to the second floor apartment. Once the problem was discovered, there was significant damage to the drywall and hardwood floors. When an HVAC technician came to address the problem, he discovered that the condensation line was cracked, probably due to the overtaxed a/c system. It was an easy enough fix and the insurance company covered the damage. But he recommended that, in the future we should regularly have the HVAC system inspected to avoid similar problems – which we definitely will!