On leaving things inside (zaibatsu), 04/19/2019
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To preface this story, I'd like to share an interesting
fact: According to some study I read about but can't cite,
doctors in the US "leave towels, cotton balls, sponges, and
other surgical equipment inside patients bodies about 39
times a week, on average." Duckduckgo it, it's a thing.
I should also disclaim any previous knowledge of A/C units.
I've never worked on one before a few days ago.
Recently, I noticed my A/C unit (in the basement) was
dripping a little bit of water around the base. After some
research, I decided that the problem was most likely the
condenser radiators. There are two, in a /\ a-frame type
configuration, and they are prone to getting clogged so that
the water droplets come out the top and down the sides,
instead of out the bottom of the fins and into the drain
tray.
I took the panel off the back of the A/C unit to expose the
condenser, then removed another panel to expose the two
separate parts. Sure enough, the thing was clogged up with
junk (the previous home owner must have run the unit without
a filter... a terrible idea.) Per some instructions online,
I cleaned it out.
Just below the condenser are the heating coils, and below
those the fan blower. To protect the coils and fan from
debris, I had placed a small towel over the coils before
starting the cleanup. In my excitement (this was my first
time working on an A/C unit, hooray!) I left the towel in
place and replaced the two panels.
Of course, since it's been warm out, I only tested the
cooling on the unit, which seemed to be working fine. Today
the temperature outside dropped a bit, and when the wife
said she was cold, I responded by turning on the heater. A
subtle burning odor filled the air. I went downstairs to
check the unit (I had completely forgotten about the towel
by now), thinking that maybe some debris had gotten on the
coils. Everything seemed OK, but when I went back upstairs,
smoke was pouring out the vents.
Don't panic; turn off the thermostat, disable the blaring
smoke alarms, and have the wife and kids open the doors and
windows. Cut the breakers to the A/C, grab my nearby tools
and rip the panels off (one is rather warm to the touch) to
see what's going on. The basement is smokey, but there's a
door down there, the kids open it and put a fan in. As I'm
taking the last screws off the second panel, I remember the
towel.
It's not that funny, but I can't help laughing out loud at
myself.
The charred remnants of the 100% cotton towel are still
smoldering in the cavity. I pick them out with a pair of
pliers. I'm glad it wasn't a synthetic fabric, or a sheet of
plastic. With the panel off I turn on the blower and rid the
machine of the rest of my mistake.
Of course, we have company arriving from another state for
the Easter weekend. I'll have to explain to them why it
smells a little like a campfire in our house, in spite of
trying to air it out for the last few ours. I think I'll
share the stats about surgeons with them first.
