While I love living in Chicago, the weather is a challenge year round. During the winter, we experience an excessive amount of snow, bitter wind chills and temperatures that plummet well into the negatives. Spring and fall are quite unpredictable, varying between sweltering hot and freezing cold. We can typically expect high winds and severe thunderstorms. The summers don’t last all that long yet still manage to create concerns. The brutal heat and humidity make it difficult to get motivated, relax or sleep. The moisture and heat combine into the perfect breeding ground for mold, mildew, dust mites, bacteria and all sorts of pathogens. It can compromise the integrity of the home’s structure and result in damage to home furnishings. I once found mildew growing on my leather boots. Going without a working central air conditioner is not pleasant. Last year, my cooling system quit at the start of the Fourth of July weekend. All of the local HVAC companies were closed for the holidays. While several offer emergency 24/7 repairs, I was unwilling to pay the extra overtime fees. I knew the AC repair would be plenty expensive during regular business hours. However, the weekend was miserable for my whole family. It felt as if the living space was a higher temperature than outdoors. Every day, the weather brought brilliant sunshine and temperatures in the mid nineties. There was little relief at night. Opening windows simply welcomed in pollen, exhaust fumes, bugs and noise. It was a relief when everyone went back to work. I immediately called to schedule air conditioner repair. I think a lot of homeowners faced air conditioner malfunctions over the weekend, because every company was booked solid. I needed to wait another five days before a technician was available to provide service.
