The Family Sideways: Apartment of EVIL, Pt. 1

Apartment of EVIL, Pt. 1 1/06/2005 06:43:00 AM

OK, so I have been trying to avoid this because it's so long and drawn out, but can't any longer. I guess I'll write about it in installments (but since I got into work so early this morning, this installment might be the longest. Not many people are in yet).

My apartment is Evil. I won't go as far as saying the same of my landlords (I won't mention their name as we're kind of in a lawsuit with them right now - even though the law says we're allowed to talk to whomever we like about it, I'm going to keep that to myself), despite how much I'd like to express how I feel about them... Anyway.

Our apartment is Evil. I can't say for sure when it started. I'm not sure if there's an evil spirit lurking there, if it's Evil by design, or what, but it is most definitely out to get us.

I guess we'll go chronologically.

My roommate and I moved in the fist of September, 2003. We had been looking for the "perfect" apartment, and after many, many places, thought we'd found it (the only problem was that it didn't have a deck, so my grill had to find temporary arrangments elsewhere). It's one of those old converted warehouse loft buildings - exposed brick and ducting, nice big windows, hardwood floors, and an open floorplan.

Sure, there was some adjustment. The place is right next to the El (it literally passes probably 10 feet from my bedroom), and since our walls don't go all the way to the ceiling (and because of all the wood), sound bounces everywhere. No big deal. It took some adjustment, but we were able to handle it.

Last winter - in February, I believe - we encountered our first problem. See, my roommate and I can't agree on heat or coolness levels. It's nobody's fault, really - as it turns out there are 2 large vents in my room and one itsy-bitsy one in his, so naturally I'm colder when the air is on and hotter when the heat is on. We figured out last year that if I just closed my vents, the heat was a little more evenly distributed.

Well apparently this led to problems, as the heat backed up in the ductwork (becuase it couldn't get out fast enough - we have some industrial heater or something rated for a space 10x as large as our apartment), and tripped some sensor which would then turn off the heating coils. The problem was, the unit was smart enough to turn off the heating coils (supposedly), but not the fan - so it continued to blow air on us, it just ceased to be HOT air. So the thermostat would tell the heater "Whoa! Cold down here - let's get some HEAT!", the heater would keep the fan on (though the coils would still be off - once off they remain off, it seems), and the apartment would get colder still. Rinse, repeat.

We figured out that turning the heat OFF and then ON would solve this problem temporarily, but when the apartment is 50 degrees and we want it 15-20 degrees warmer, the whole cycle just repeats itself, and the damn place never gets above 53.

So, naturally, we tell our (lovely, wonderfully helpful) landlords about this.

Now the fun starts.

(to be continued...)

PS: I have a picture to go along with this, but FTP is blocked at work, so I'll have to email it home and add it when I get there. Patience is a virtue.

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