This morning the temperature in Tamworth was forecast to reach 40°, so we decided to head home, as we could not cope with our watery AC. By the time we packed up the car and van, it was 28° at 9 am. As we were driving off, our neighbour told us that Capital Caravans at Moonbi were open and very helpful. As that was only 10 minutes away, we phoned to see if someone might be available to look at our AC.
When I called this business last week, the recorded message indicated it would be closed several days during the Tamworth Country Music Festival, so we didn’t try to book the van in for AC repair. Today the owner answered the phone and said he would look at our AC after dealing with a woman who had been waiting for three quarters of an hour. So we pulled up and waited for about 90 minutes with the engine running to keep us and the critters cool. I was getting bored, so spent 10 minutes picking up rubbish outside the business! I also cleaned our windscreen and mirrors, ate the breakfast that Anita had prepared, and took Bluey for a quick wee walk.
The owner and only worker kept being distracted by other people who stopped to buy spares or ask him for help. When he finally started on our van, it quickly became clear he was very knowledgeable and efficient. I was concerned when he unbolted the whole unit, leaving it loose on the roof. He needed a small screwdriver to dislodge debris from the drain holes, but then used a compressor to blow out lots of small pieces of aluminium. I had read this aluminium swarf could be the cause of blocked drain holes, but was amazed how much was in there and wondered how the AC ever worked at all.
Anita and I helped by holding his ladder, passing up tools and screws, and cleaning up. After it was reassembled, the top unit had to be siliconed to the roof. We were advised not to run the AC until late today to keep the silicone dry and give it a chance to set. He connected power and tested the AC to make sure it worked. Hopefully, it will keep working without causing water to pour into our Bushtracker. For over an hour he worked in the hot sun and charged us $200.
I had been suspicious about the mobile caravan repairer who came a couple of days ago and charged me $100 cash. I now know he is not an authorised repairer, and has no liability insurance to protect customers if he causes any damage or injury.
It was 34° at midday when we left Moonbi heading back to Tamworth. We ran the Toyota motor all that time to operate the car’s AC for us and our critters. Thank goodness we chose a diesel engine.
We backed the van onto our site but had to get it level before unhooking. The boards we drive onto kept slipping, so I had to hammer in some retaining tent pegs. Our friends returned from seeing the show we missed and took Bluey into their van. I put Tilly on a short lead in the shade under our van where she could be seen by our personal pet minding service.
We were so overheated that we had several cold showers to bring our body temperatures down before driving to Wests Leagues Club to stay cool and have a late lunch. Our car was parked in the sun where the inside temperature reached 57°! We waited in a patch of shade for a short while as the seats were too hot to sit on.
We turned on the Bushtracket AC to cool down the van while we caught up with our friends and the dogs in the motorhome. We are finally able to relax in our cool van!
Last night’s Orchestral Country concert was fabulous. The George Ellis Orchestra was supplemented by a country band of some of the best musicians, playing at the Tamworth Regional Entertainment and Conference Centre. There was a good mix of entertainers and interesting variety of songs. George Ellis is a very energetic conductor who was entertaining to watch.
On our way into town tonight, there was an impressive sunset. We saw Kasey Chambers but arrived late to avoid standing around outside in the heat before everyone shuffled in and had their tickets checked.
Committed Travellers 