Troy & I couldn’t handle the heat anymore and broke down, purchasing a 270 Euro air-conditioner wall unit for our flat. Some friends called us wimps, told us we were getting soft because after all, we’ve lived in Las Vegas and Florida…but man, we have air-conditioning in both of those places when the temperatures spike over 80F! Even Smokey, a long-haired Kosovo Shephard (that’s what I call him, in all actuality, he’s a mutt!), has been looking about as miserable as we’ve been feeling. I suppose the coolest place in the house has been the shower stall in our bathroom because I walked in the other night to find him curled up sleeping inside the shower 
So back to the story, we broke down and bought an air-conditioner! Yes!!! Since the installation required drilling into the walls, we asked our landlady if she would find someone to install the unit for us. So she brought three workers that she trusts to inspect and then the next day install the air-con. Good! Yesterday, the three-man crew worked for a few hours in the evening to mount the unit on the wall and hook up the compressor outside. Excellent. The room cooled down fantastically the hour or so that we ran the air-con after they left. As we climbed into bed in our new cool room, I noticed that there was water dripping from the bottom. Suddenly as if the air-con knew I was watching, a cascade of water flowed down the wall and electrical cord straight into the power outlet! Hesitating slightly (I didn’t want to elecrocute myself…oh, that’s another story to share!) I ended up unplugging the air-con. After a quick inspection, we discovered that the workers had installed the drainage pipe so that the water must flow uphill in order to go drain outside…hmmm! Needless to say, we have asked for the crew to come back tonight to fix the drainage so that it goes downhill and outside
The whole thing about worrying about getting electrocuted reminds me of a recent conversation with friends about the daily police reports on activities and occurences in Kosovo. There seems to be a rash of electrocutions while bathing lately. According to the reports, a short in the electrical wiring of the water heaters goes through the water tank and pipes to the shower and eventually showers electricity-laden water on the person taking the shower. How freaky is that?! Before we were just worried about the landlords installing the tanks inside the shower stalls but now we have to wonder if the electricity will just flow with the water?! Yikes!
So back to the story, we broke down and bought an air-conditioner! Yes!!! Since the installation required drilling into the walls, we asked our landlady if she would find someone to install the unit for us. So she brought three workers that she trusts to inspect and then the next day install the air-con. Good! Yesterday, the three-man crew worked for a few hours in the evening to mount the unit on the wall and hook up the compressor outside. Excellent. The room cooled down fantastically the hour or so that we ran the air-con after they left. As we climbed into bed in our new cool room, I noticed that there was water dripping from the bottom. Suddenly as if the air-con knew I was watching, a cascade of water flowed down the wall and electrical cord straight into the power outlet! Hesitating slightly (I didn’t want to elecrocute myself…oh, that’s another story to share!) I ended up unplugging the air-con. After a quick inspection, we discovered that the workers had installed the drainage pipe so that the water must flow uphill in order to go drain outside…hmmm! Needless to say, we have asked for the crew to come back tonight to fix the drainage so that it goes downhill and outside
The whole thing about worrying about getting electrocuted reminds me of a recent conversation with friends about the daily police reports on activities and occurences in Kosovo. There seems to be a rash of electrocutions while bathing lately. According to the reports, a short in the electrical wiring of the water heaters goes through the water tank and pipes to the shower and eventually showers electricity-laden water on the person taking the shower. How freaky is that?! Before we were just worried about the landlords installing the tanks inside the shower stalls but now we have to wonder if the electricity will just flow with the water?! Yikes!
