This is a thermometer suck into the A/C vent in our bedroom.

It’s 90°F at night and well over 100°F during the day as the sun moves west and heats up the 16ft windows in our loft. AMICO’s Philadelphia Riverloft management replaced a valve to the HVAC system on friday that renders the AC part of Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning useless. This was a planned “upgrade” to provide better heating in the winter. However, western exposure apartments have used the A/C in the winter for the last 3 years to COOL their sun roasted apartments.

This single valved used to provide warm water to the individual air handlers in the winter, and would allow the temperature to be lowered as well as raised in an apartment. The new “within HoneyWell specification” valve only provides scalding hot water that cannot be used for cooling.

Only get heat! And lots more of it! Brilliant! And it will be providing heat until May when they switch the valve to serve up cold water for cooling. Brillant! Surely there won’t be any warm days before May!

I’m glad they did this the same day they slipped the lease renewal under my door. I’ve attached an iButton ThermoChron to the vent and I’m logging the temp every minute. If this goes on for more than a day, I’m withholding rent for each day that the building is in violation of my lease:

• Apartment conditions have changed since lease was signed
• Landlord agrees to provide tenant controlled air conditioning for each apartment. (Note: air conditioning is defined as: “a system that keeps air cool and dry”)

On top of the seventh floor apartment flood that damaged our apartment, the always broken down elevators, the surprise no-hot water days… Wharton students: I recommend against living here.

UPDATE: the temp keeps going up. More on the current Riverloft conditions here