Last July, my husband and I decided to host a big party. We invited family, friends and neighbors and expected over fifty people to show up. For weeks leading up to the party, we worked on the house and yard, making sure everything was in good condition. We rented a large tent, tables and chairs and filled coolers with ice. On the morning of our party it was already 84 degrees by eight in the morning. Since I had a whole bunch of cooking and baking to do, I turned the thermostat down a bit. While we were hoping the majority of our guests would remain outside, we wanted the house to be nice and cool. I noticed that the air conditioner was having some trouble bringing the indoor temperature down. I assumed the problem was the heat from the stove and excessive humidity. However, the air conditioner ran continuously and the house felt a bit overheated and sticky. I should have immediately called an HVAC contractor and tried for an emergency repair. After everyone arrived, people kept going in and out of the house and opening the door. Every time the door opened, heat came into the house and created more demand on the air conditioner. The stress was eventually too much and the cooling system ultimately quit. The house quickly became unbearably hot, and by the time everyone left, there was condensation running down the windows. My husband and I found it impossible to sleep that night. I scheduled a repair the following day and paid extra for emergency service. Fortunately, it was simply maintenance issues causing all the problems and the technician was able to restore proper operation within a few hours.