We put in maintenance requests on Sunday, and the maintenance man came yesterday, so we have some updates on our grievances.
Water Pressure: Improved
The big thing here is that they changed out our showerhead and we now enjoy perfectly average water pressure in the shower. The little thing here is that they also cleaned out the innards of the kitchen faucet and that made a small-but-meaningful improvement on that front. Overall, much more tolerable, grateful for it, we can consider the matter closed.
Dishwasher Rack: We’re Stuck with It
Thank you to the reader who mentioned to us his own discovery of his dishwasher’s top rack’s adjustability. Unfortunately, ours isn’t adjustable, but it was fun to check, and it’ll be really fun to try this on every dishwasher we ever see at a party from now until we one day die. This is also closed, but it opens a whole new universe for us of dishwasher hijinks, which will be covered separately from any new or recurring grievances.
Fetch: Oh Boy
Much bigger update coming on this at some point. If you’re a lawyer with knowledge of class action lawsuits, please get in touch. I’m 100% serious. We want to talk with you to find out our options. Not at all closed.
Air Conditioning: Surprisingly Broken
It’s still February, so this doesn’t really matter yet, but the AC is broken here too, which is the height of irony considering the primary reason we moved out of the duplex was the inability of the landlords there to keep our AC (and heat) functional. This weekend, it was 40 degrees outside, and it somehow stayed above the set temperature in our apartment even with the AC “running.” We’re an open-window, fans-on household now, which we do enjoy but will not enjoy if this continues into March or, God forbid, April, or, God really forbid, the summer.
It sounds like we’ll get it fixed. The maintenance guy kicked the can down the road yesterday, resetting the thermostat but not doing anything else, and he told us that if that didn’t work (which it didn’t) we could “troubleshoot the whole AC system.” So we have that to look forward to. Thankfully, he’s cool with Fargo saying hi while he works, and thankfully, it isn’t too hard to get Fargo leashed and cornered onto the couch, and thankfully, rideshare/food delivery demand is relatively low right now in Austin so if I have to hang around a lot on the off chance he shows up to start the AC gauntlet, I can do that without terrible trouble. Still a bummer, though. What are the odds? Is it something I’m doing? Am I breaking air conditioners? Not closed.
Wifi: Weak Range
The router has to (according to the building management and the internet service provider) be plugged into a box in the corner of the bedroom closet, all the way across two rooms from the office, where we most need the wifi. So, if anyone knows about amplifiers or other possible solutions, let us know. This is important for all of us, remember, so let’s get barking.
Stu – why were you running the AC if it was 40 degrees outside? Was the heat on? Something is fishy.
Stu – I LOVE the Orbi mesh system for range extension. Great option because you avoid the issue of having two separate wifi networks in your apt (the router and the extender) that is a product of legacy solutions
1. We just never turned it off. Never thought to until it was 76 degrees and we realized how much colder it was outside, at which point we turned to windows and fans.
2. Thank you! Exploring some Ethernet cable solutions, but a mesh system might be better for servicing our wireless devices. Will compare, contrast, and keep the people posted.