What am I pondering, you might ask? The worst set of instructions for the installation of a room air conditioner I’ve ever encountered…and I’ve tried to follow a few in my day. I’m not going to give the brand name — it happens to live up to its hype as the quietest, most efficient machine on the market — but I will say that if it had been written by a committee of meerkats, I guarantee they’d have done a better job.
I have a smaller, older version of the same model, and I can assure you that the thing will freeze the handles off your dresser while serving up enough white noise to drown any snoring. I can also assure you that given the effort you expended to install the damned thing you will probably not need it again until mid-August; your neighbors should thank you for ending the hot spell. One of my favorite English professors, who finished grad school and got his first teaching gig after serving in WWII, was paid so poorly when he started out that he moonlighted by writing instruction manuals for weapons manufacturers. Sid spoke in perfect paragraphs and demanded precision. His instructions for your job would have been in large print on a postcard, and the analgesics would not have been necessary.
A lucrative business awaits the entrepreneur who will write product manuals that are understandable to the average person.
They are currently written by lawyers and engineers. Need I say more?
I refuse to read them, unless I can’t figure something out on my own and I have to turn to them as an absolute last resort.
When I do read them, my blood starts its progression to a low boil, as I find myself rewriting them in my head in plain simple language that would be understandable to a child.
Imagine if the three-quarter inch thick owners manual that came with your car* were reduced to maybe 5 or 10 pages of simple instructions and clear information?
Instead of a half-page boldfaced warning in red not to lean over your moving fan belt with a dangling necktie, you could quickly find useful information, like where the button is to open the hood or the gas tank.
* make that three or four inches thick if the manuals are helpfully provided in 18 languages — Filling most of the glove compartment in cars sold in countries where English is the predominant language
May I respectfully make a recommendation? Topical magnesium lotion is great for muscle soreness: like an epsom salt bath without the bath. Hope you feel better soon.
The only writers worse than sports writers are so-called technical writers. For the most part these are nerds who know a lot about computers and electronics and stuff like fixing engines and installing air conditioners but who generally don’t write for anyone but themselves. The only way to get around them is to try and guess which part(s) of the process they didn’t include in instructions because they figure you’d know it anyway.
Don’t forget Ruby! It looks like she was your best helper. Our dog would stand faithfully by our side, panting away, as my husband and I tried to decipher those frustrating directions. It’s been in the 90’s here in Chicago. We’ll be getting a break this week. I hope your back feels better soon.
I love new appliances. Especially those that circulate air, conditioned or not. Enjoy.
The owner manuals for the BMW motorcycles I recently owned were horrible. If I kept those bikes I was probably doomed to having only a partial understanding of all the switchgear on the bar ends.
While preparing for a west coast ride on my Honda Goldwing I have been researching some ancillary equipment. I encountered some German language customer reviews while doing so. In them they too complained about operating instructions. One of them asked the manufacturer why the directions were only in English or Chinese. "Are those the languages of the future?" 🙂
I’ve never heard of naproxen sodium. For me, it’s Vicodin or its generic, hydrocodone. Truck drivers have back issues, too, from time to time. Especially vexing when you’re on the road. You can’t drive if you’re in serious pain.
I had a couple of those window units during the years I lived in Massachusetts. I learned some hard lessons over the years. If you're going to keep it mounted in the window frame all year-round you're going to want to get a vinyl cover to keep the cold and wind out during the winter, and have it well insulated. The other thing that matters is that if you live in a humid climate, the machine generates an awful lot of condensation that you want to keep away from the walls of your house. My solution was to put a large aluminum cookie sheet underneath the compressor that will conduct all of that dripping water away from the house.
If you have storm windows, they tend to trap the condensate, which gets inside the walls. Typically there are supposed to be weep holes at the bottom of the storm window sash, but frequently they get plugged up with silicone caulk that people applied to keep the window airtight. Another reason to put that aluminum sheet under the window unit is to preserve the window sill, where the condensate tends to get in and behind the outer window sill, resulting in ice dams that will cause water to back up and seep into the interior walls of the house.
From the photograph, it looks heavy enough that once it's in, you'll want to leave it there year round. It's really too heavy a lift, even for guys half our years. Eventually I had a contractor come in and mount the cooler that I had, which is approximately the same size as the one I seen your picture, into the wall itself, and below the window.
The window insulation that is sold in hardware stores and home improvement centers will deteriorate over time is exposed to UV light, and there's only so much you can do to keep out the cold and wind.
Congratulations on getting it installed, but I'm disappointed you didn't give the brand name. I am on a quest to find the quietest ac available. I live in a studio apartment and the ac is right behind the chair I sit in to watch tv. I am always reaching for the tv remote to turn up the volume when the ac cycles on.
I have a smaller, older version of the same model, and I can assure you that the thing will freeze the handles off your dresser while serving up enough white noise to drown any snoring. I can also assure you that given the effort you expended to install the damned thing you will probably not need it again until mid-August; your neighbors should thank you for ending the hot spell. One of my favorite English professors, who finished grad school and got his first teaching gig after serving in WWII, was paid so poorly when he started out that he moonlighted by writing instruction manuals for weapons manufacturers. Sid spoke in perfect paragraphs and demanded precision. His instructions for your job would have been in large print on a postcard, and the analgesics would not have been necessary.
A lucrative business awaits the entrepreneur who will write product manuals that are understandable to the average person.
They are currently written by lawyers and engineers. Need I say more?
I refuse to read them, unless I can’t figure something out on my own and I have to turn to them as an absolute last resort.
When I do read them, my blood starts its progression to a low boil, as I find myself rewriting them in my head in plain simple language that would be understandable to a child.
Imagine if the three-quarter inch thick owners manual that came with your car* were reduced to maybe 5 or 10 pages of simple instructions and clear information?
Instead of a half-page boldfaced warning in red not to lean over your moving fan belt with a dangling necktie, you could quickly find useful information, like where the button is to open the hood or the gas tank.
* make that three or four inches thick if the manuals are helpfully provided in 18 languages — Filling most of the glove compartment in cars sold in countries where English is the predominant language
Trust me; always check YouTube ! It’s the TM for everybody! (MOS 67N20)
May I respectfully make a recommendation? Topical magnesium lotion is great for muscle soreness: like an epsom salt bath without the bath. Hope you feel better soon.
The only writers worse than sports writers are so-called technical writers. For the most part these are nerds who know a lot about computers and electronics and stuff like fixing engines and installing air conditioners but who generally don’t write for anyone but themselves. The only way to get around them is to try and guess which part(s) of the process they didn’t include in instructions because they figure you’d know it anyway.
Impressive array of drill bits!
Don’t forget Ruby! It looks like she was your best helper. Our dog would stand faithfully by our side, panting away, as my husband and I tried to decipher those frustrating directions. It’s been in the 90’s here in Chicago. We’ll be getting a break this week. I hope your back feels better soon.
I love new appliances. Especially those that circulate air, conditioned or not. Enjoy.
The owner manuals for the BMW motorcycles I recently owned were horrible. If I kept those bikes I was probably doomed to having only a partial understanding of all the switchgear on the bar ends.
While preparing for a west coast ride on my Honda Goldwing I have been researching some ancillary equipment. I encountered some German language customer reviews while doing so. In them they too complained about operating instructions. One of them asked the manufacturer why the directions were only in English or Chinese. "Are those the languages of the future?" 🙂
It's 103° out here in Scottsdale this afternoon ... can we interest you in a cold one (or three?) in return for your expertise?
Best wishes for a speedy recovery!
I’ve never heard of naproxen sodium. For me, it’s Vicodin or its generic, hydrocodone. Truck drivers have back issues, too, from time to time. Especially vexing when you’re on the road. You can’t drive if you’re in serious pain.
Glad you got it installed despite the grueling hassle.
I had a couple of those window units during the years I lived in Massachusetts. I learned some hard lessons over the years. If you're going to keep it mounted in the window frame all year-round you're going to want to get a vinyl cover to keep the cold and wind out during the winter, and have it well insulated. The other thing that matters is that if you live in a humid climate, the machine generates an awful lot of condensation that you want to keep away from the walls of your house. My solution was to put a large aluminum cookie sheet underneath the compressor that will conduct all of that dripping water away from the house.
If you have storm windows, they tend to trap the condensate, which gets inside the walls. Typically there are supposed to be weep holes at the bottom of the storm window sash, but frequently they get plugged up with silicone caulk that people applied to keep the window airtight. Another reason to put that aluminum sheet under the window unit is to preserve the window sill, where the condensate tends to get in and behind the outer window sill, resulting in ice dams that will cause water to back up and seep into the interior walls of the house.
From the photograph, it looks heavy enough that once it's in, you'll want to leave it there year round. It's really too heavy a lift, even for guys half our years. Eventually I had a contractor come in and mount the cooler that I had, which is approximately the same size as the one I seen your picture, into the wall itself, and below the window.
The window insulation that is sold in hardware stores and home improvement centers will deteriorate over time is exposed to UV light, and there's only so much you can do to keep out the cold and wind.
I hope this helps.
Can you hire someone to give you a hand? I wouldn't even attempt it, if I were you!
When you say quietest on the market, I think it’s from the Hammacher Schlemmer catalog. Is it?
Congratulations on getting it installed, but I'm disappointed you didn't give the brand name. I am on a quest to find the quietest ac available. I live in a studio apartment and the ac is right behind the chair I sit in to watch tv. I am always reaching for the tv remote to turn up the volume when the ac cycles on.