Benjamin Franklin was known for many things, not the least of which was his many wise sayings.
“Nothing in this life is certain except death and taxes,” is one.
“Guests, like fish, begin to smell in three days,” is another. I can certainly attest to both of these! We have dear friends who stay with us every year, travelling from another state. We have found that we enjoy their company for about the first three days. But anything longer and we begin to wish they would just go home. If they come during the winter months, we find that they like to keep their bedroom and bathroom windows open at all times. And if it’s during the warmer months, they do the same. Either way, it makes our heating and cooling bills sky high during their stay. We have politely asked that they keep the windows closed, explaining that the furnace never stops running in the winter and the air conditioner never shuts off in the summer. They smile politely as if they intend to comply. But the next day it’s more of the same. Our HVAC contractor, during one of his annual service appointments, confirmed that windows should always be shut once the HVAC system is on. Not only does it interfere with the heating or the cooling of the house, it also puts stress on the entire HVAC system. Eventually the extra stress could lead to a malfunction of the furnace or the air conditioner. Sadly, we feel that we cannot keep bringing the subject up with our out of town guests. We have chosen stress on our HVAC system over stress on our friendship.