I need to have my unit serviced...

I came home from London to a leaking AC. It flooded the carpet in the third bedroom - well, half of it. And the outlet in the guest bathroom doesn't work either. Could I do anything about any of it from the airport just minutes after my landing in Dallas? No, but I'm a landlord so I have to take the complaints and work orders irregardless of date or time. The previous homeowners bought me a home warranty with AHS, thank you.

How ironic is it on a day like today, after I placed not one, not two, but THREE service requests online, (at $60 a pop) that I also received my "reminder" notice in the mail concerning my upcoming expiration date. I renewed it. It costs a pretty penny, but I'm convinced it is well worth it.

Today, maintenance man James came to my house to check out my unit. He confirmed that it was a leaky AC, but that it is my main pipe. He would try to "blow it out" but if that didn't work I would have to put in another request for a plumber.

The blowing-out worked, leak gone.

Then James asked if I had any bleach.

Fail.

"No, I don't...but I should, shouldn't I? A good home owner would have bleach handy, wouldn't they?"

James smiled at me (I could tell my cute and innocent naivety would work to my advantage today - along with my sleeveless-leaopard-jungle-sundress and new wedge heels from Zara - so glad I picked today to wear this outfit!)

I smiled back, "Can you tell this is new for me?"

"First time home owner?" James asked.

"What gave that away?" I replied.

James told me to get me some bleach and he would put in a "part" - it's this "T" shaped thing - that has a cap on it so I can add bleach once a month to the pipes to avoid algae buildup. He also taught me that filters do wonderful things for "us" as people and the air we breath, but they are hard on our units - so I should buy the least expensive filter and change it every 30 days. Except in the winter. At the same time I can add the bleach to the T-unit-thing-he-installed (which I will at once purchase and keep on hand for the next service man who asks me). I can remember to do that. I've already added a calendar reminder.

James then wanted to check my freon in the outside unit just to make sure I had enough and everything was working right. I followed him outside.

I learned that I "should have my unit serviced annually". Then James told me that while my unit is the correct size for my square footage, my inside coil is .5 tons larger - so my "parts don't match". My warranty will not replace improperly installed equipment. So, as long as I keep my unit maintained, once the AC breaks down, my warranty (which I will continue to renew) will cover the replacement.

Then James serviced my unit free of charge - he said because he's not one of those guys that wants to do me wrong, he would service my unit on AHS's time and not file it on the invoice. Then he told me I was set for the rest of the year.

I got James' card to be sure to request he is the one to return should anything else go wrong with my unit.

Oh the things you learn being a home owner!