What's that Glee song about 'no air'?

We discovered that you're supposed to actually do things to your air conditioner every year beyond, you know, turning it on.

So since ours, that I assume is as old as the house (24 years), is blowing out sad gusts of lukewarminess, I sent David out to maintain the unit outside. Well, I went too. I used the hoover and vacuumed the sides and discovered that the fins needed combing.

Yes, they get combed by a widget like a cat's flea comb. I thought the fins were the big propeller things inside, but they're these fragile thin things all around the box that you can bend with your fingernail.

Or, in our case, bash with the mower until they're all squished in places.

So we lifted the lid and somehow broke the motor. Or it got tired of running non-stop for days and expired like the one in Brave Little Toaster (SCARY ALERT)

The sad bit is, it's not made an appreciable difference. I think the cooling we're getting is that the cold air in the basement is getting blown around the house.

That's it.

The humidifiery bit in the basement is this rusty lump on the wall.

I see a whole new system being required.

They're Very Very Cheap and Reasonable yes? ::in denial::

Though one upside is that a new system would be super efficient and the bills will go down...and the new ones we saw today at Rona are sensibly encased so mowers can't bash fins.

ETA The motor is running again! Maybe when we hosed it out it all had to dry first or something?

It feels marginally cooler than before, but I think a new one is still on the cards.