A Little(Air Conditioning Repair) Help From My Friends

Whenever my air conditioner is running, I can hear a dripping sound when I sit in the living room. I've checked for leaks everywhere, including under the house, but can't find any moisture. What could be causing this problem? - Barbara

Dear Barbara,

The dripping you hear is probably faulty condensate drainage in your air conditioner. Fortunately, this is not a major defect and can usually be remedied simply and at moderate expense.

The inside of your air conditioner is essentially a refrigerator. Airborne water vapor condenses on the cold surfaces within the system, just as water droplets form on the outside of a cold glass. This moisture then drips into a pan where it is conveyed out of the building by way of a condensate drainpipe. If there is any restriction in this pipe, the water will drip into an overflow pan at the base of the air conditioner. That is the most likely source of the dripping sound that you hear. A secondary drainpipe is probably needed to ensure drainage to the exterior. These conditions should be evaluated and corrected by a licensed HVAC contractor.

Healthy Air Conditioning

Improve your indoor air quality and health
Breathe easier

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the concentration of toxic compounds inside buildings can actually be many times higher than outdoor pollution levels. Indoor pollution is a major health issue, particularly if you have children or are pregnant. Even if you don’t spend most of your day indoors at home or at an office, improving the air quality of your indoor spaces is essential to your family’s well-being. Here are some strategies to breathe easier and reduce your indoor air pollution.

Open Window
What contributes to indoor air pollution?
There are many sources of indoor air pollution, including oil, gas, kerosene, coal, wood, tobacco products, some building materials and furnishings, asbestos-containing insulation, wet or damp carpet, mold, cleaning and personal care products, central heating and cooling systems, humidification devices, and even outdoor sources, such as radon, pesticides, and other outdoor air pollution.

Read on for some simple strategies improve your indoor air quality and also consider these 10 eco-friendly tips to green your home and family.
Tips to improve indoor air quality
With such a long list of sources of indoor pollution, you may be thinking you should live in a tent! Though tearing down your house and replacing all of your furniture is unlikely, you can improve your air quality in other ways.

1. Stop smoking
This is a natural. Not only will you improve your health, you will also eliminate the second-hand impact smoke has on your family members and even your pets.

2. Tend to your carpet.
Never let your carpet stay damp. Mold and other bacteria can grow rampantly in the moist fibers. If you have a water-related accident, have your carpet professionally cleaned and be sure they are completely dried. More important, if your carpet smells of mold, have them replaced.

3. Get radon and carbon monoxide detectors
Toxic gasses can be undetectable. Protect your health by investing in radon and carbon monoxide detectors.

4. Keep your heating and cooling systems in check.
Have your heating and cooling system checked to make sure it is working properly.

Electric heating. Electric heating typically has lower indoor air pollution potential but can dry out the air in your home, which can be hard on your mucus membranes and skin. However, you don’t want to fill your house with humidifiers because an overly moist environment encourages bacterial growth. Buy a hygrometer to check the humidity in your house and aim for a 30 to 50 percent humidity level (use humidifiers sparingly). In addition, keep your heating on a constant low temperature so you aren’t turning it off and on, saving you energy and money.

Gas heating. Gas heaters emit gasses such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen monoxide, and other combustion pollutants. In addition to keeping them well serviced, keep them well ventilated. This is a good place to put your carbon monoxide detector.

Fireplaces. As with your electric or gas heaters, make sure your fireplace is regularly checked and/or cleaned by a professional to ensure it is well-vented.

5. Replace your cleaning and personal care products
The seemingly benign air fresheners, aerosols, and cleaning products you use to keep your home spic-and-span are often the biggest contributors to poor air quality.

Air fresheners. You love inhaling lavender when you need a moment to relax. That warm and spicy cinnamon aroma gives you the warm and fuzzies. And the delicious smell of French vanilla is only a spray away. Unfortunately, synthetic fragrances designed to cover up bad smells also release a chemical that deadens your olfactory nerves. The bad smell doesn’t go away, you just can’t smell it anymore.

A better alternative is to use essential oils in diffusers. Visit the SheKnows.com Shopping Channel for a fragrant selection of essential oils. Use them in reed diffusers, aromatherapy diffusers, candle diffusers, or lamp rings. Essential oil diffusers can be ordered online but they are also available at health food markets, essential oil stores, and eco-friendly outlets.

Aerosol sprays. Aerosol hairsprays and other products in a spray can emit a fine mist that is easily inhaled. Many products also contain CFC’s, which can damage the ozone layer. Opt for pump sprays as an alternative. You can also stock your beauty supply with eco-friendly styling products.

Cleaning products. Despite helping you get your indoor spaces neat and tidy, many cleaning products (or their packaging) contain formaldehyde, PVCs, acrylics, polyethylene, polystyrene, fluorocarbons, polyester, and polyurethane. You can make your own cleaning products with ingredients you probably already have on hand or invest in cleaning products from eco-friendly companies like Seventh Generation and Method.

6. Green your house with plants
House plants can increase the oxygen and humidity levels in your indoor space as well as reduce the chemicals in your air. Certain houseplants are better than others. Consider aloe vera, bamboo palm, Boston fern, dracaena, dwarf banana, English ivy, gerbera, peace lily, rubber plant, and spider plants. In addition to improving your indoor air quality, plants are beautiful and can keep you in touch with nature when you are home or office bound.

7. Open your windows.
Unless you live in a heavily polluted area, try to keep your windows open to improve your indoor ventilation. The concentration of toxic contaminants will keep rising the longer they are contained in a closed space. Fresh air will make you feel better and help filter out the indoor pollution.

The EPA warns that health effects from indoor air pollutants may be experienced soon after exposure or, possibly, years later. From viruses, colds and asthma to respiratory disease, heart disease, and cancer, poor indoor air quality can severely impact your quality of life. Check out the EPA’s The Inside Story: A Guide to Indoor Air Quality for more information and take the steps to breathe easier and improve your health starting today.

How much does capacitor cost?


Our townhome a/c unit was not working, so I put in a service call. This morning, the tech came and replaced the capacitor in 15 minutes and he's done. The service call is $65 but he charged for me $150 for the capacitor. I just looked up the capacitor online, I'm not at home right now, it seems to me that the capacitor costs around $20-$40 range. If they charge double, I'm ok with it but charging triple or quadruple the price, this is just crazy. Just curious is it just me or they overcharged me for the capacitor?


RE: How much does capacitor cost?

Posted by mr.havac (My Page) on Wed, Jun 25, 08 at 22:18


Sorry, you got screwed bigtime!

RE: How much does capacitor cost?
Posted by zl700 (My Page) on Wed, Jun 25, 08 at 22:55

You didnt mention where you live.
NYC or LA and it in line

MN, OH, PA, ..... and it shouldn't be over $150 total service call

($65.00 trip, service and diagnostic charge, $18 cap x 500%)



RE: How much does capacitor cost?
Posted by zl700 (My Page) on Wed, Jun 25, 08 at 23:23

Inside Chicago is expensive too!
Won't hurt to call and give them a chance to adjust though!

If they made you aware of their service call charge and later the repair charge for which you agreed, it will be tough.

If they fixed and then presented the bill, you have a leg to stand on.

Flat Rate pricing was developed in Chicago. While making lots of money, or fair money for some contractors, it gave the option to fix or not fix to the consumer after agreeing to pay the service and diagnostic fee.

To the PHVACR contractors, not to start a fight, no doubt there are +’s & -‘s to flat rate pricing.

What efficiency ratings mean

About Central Air Conditioner Efficiency

Central air conditioners use electric energy to pump heat out of your home and dump it outside. They distribute cooled air throughout your house and remove moisture from the indoor air.

The efficiency of Central A/C units is governed by U.S. law and regulated by the U.S. Department of Energy. Every A/C unit is assigned an efficiency rating known as its seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER). The SEER is defined as the total cooling output (in Btu - British thermal units) provided by the unit during its normal annual usage period divided by its total energy input (in Watt-hours) during the same period.

The SEER is displayed on a yellow label affixed to the A/C unit. Higher SEERs are better. The minimum SEER allowed by law for a central A/C is 10 for a split system or 9.7 for a single-package unit. The best available SEER is about 18, while many older units have SEER ratings of 6 or less. Most consumers should look for a SEER of 12 or higher when buying a new A/C system.

Central A/C units are more efficient than window or through-the-wall units. They are also out of the way, quiet, and convenient to operate.
High-efficiency A/C units save money on your utility bills.
High-efficiency A/C units result in fewer environmentally harmful emissions.
In an average air conditioned home, air conditioning consumes more than 2000 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, causing about 3,500 pounds of carbon dioxide and 31 pounds of sulfur dioxide to be emitted at the power plant and, at average electricity prices, costs you about $150. In high-cooling climates those numbers can be doubled or even higher.

If you could do your own Air Conditioning Repair this would not happen to you

Fixing air conditioning vent is a breeze
June 22, 2008

Q. I am getting a lot of condensation around two of the air conditioning vents coming out of my cathedral ceiling. No other vents in the house do this. It is enough to wet the plasterboard around the vent, causing it to decay. What is wrong and how can I fix it? The air conditioning man said the duct is not laying flat and after that we caulked, but the problem continues.

SLIDELL, Louisiana

A. Air conditioners are not supposed to do that, because they are dehumidifiers as well as coolers. I think what is happening is that both the ducts coming out of the cathedral ceiling - and the ceiling - are not insulated, and the cool air coming out of the vents condenses in the cool sides of the ducts just as it comes out of the ducts. Insulate the space between the ceiling and roof, being careful to ventilate the space above the insulation. And, insulate the ducts, or install pre-insulated ducts.

Air Conditioning Repair Troubleshooting Chart

First, always check for Return Air/Supply Air duct leaks, seal them with approved mastic, check CFM airflow rate and that the coil fins and blower wheel blades are clean! "Check for Insufficient Air Flow Across Evaporator Coil" - Check for: dirty filter, dirty lint clogged evaporator, blower speed tap selected, or belt and speed adjustments, blower motor, check any belts for wear and proper tension, dirt lint loaded blower wheel, and out of specs or wrong rated run capacitor.

Check airflow system static pressure. Verify Blower Performance --by checking blower air handler "Static Pressures with the specific model's Blower Curve Charts." At a specific heatload condition, Optimize the conditioned space's heatload on the evaporator coil to optimize the rated Btu/hr and EER, and/or SEER Ratings.

First, Check Return Air (RA) at grille & at entry of blower for heat gain, due to Return hot Air leaks.

Where air handlers' are set over Return Air Chambers, check for air leaks through the sheet rock & down the wall studs from the attic - this is a fairly common condition that will overload the AC system with attic heat!
Airflow has to be optimal & within specs before the refrigerant charge can be correctly charged!

Check Return Air (RA) at grille & at entry of blower for heat gain, due to hot Return Air leaks.
Where airhandlers' set over Return Air Chambers check for air leaks through the sheet rock & down the wall studs from the attic - this is a fairly common condition that will overload the AC system!

For efficiencies sake measure the Return Air duct/chase area. If it's a round duct measure the inside diameter, I'll give you the sq. ins. formula on another pages; if square or rectangular multiple the two dimensions for sq. in. area. The sq.in. Return Air throughput ducting area should equal or exceed the Supply Area ducting. In the far north smaller A/C units Verses the new larger heating blower units can mean too much CFM for the A/C's smaller BTUH capacity. Thermostatic Expansion Valves (TEV / TXV) systems should be set for a minimum 10 Degrees Superheat.

NOTE on 3 & 5 Above: If suction is high & head is low it is not necessarily an inefficient compressor, it could be (3) three.

"An oversized orifice or overfeeding TXV refrigerant metering device" could cause high suction & low head due to normal compressor pumping capacity being incapable of keeping up. An oversized unit might handle the sensible load but never do anything with the latent load as the conditioned space temp falls.

"Overcharging" will raise suction pressures & E-Coil temperatures & though it may raise head pressures, it does not always raise head pressures. The reason for this is that it reduces the capacity of the evaporator to absorb both latent & sensible heat & therefore reduces the actual heatload on what may possibly be an oversized over-capacity condenser coil.

Of course, an inefficient compressor could cause this problem; however, I would always do the Superheat & Subcooling checks & look for an overfeeding metering device as well as an overcharged system, along with other possible causes, before ever condemning a compressor.

(8) NOTE: Refrigerant Overcharge: amp draw is HIGH when under a heavy heatload and can be LOW when overcharged but under a light heatload; both the condenser and evaporator are then overloaded with liquid and there is not enough of a heatload to evaporate sufficient amounts of refrigerant in the E-Coil to INCREASE PRESSURES and pumping WORK.

After any duct work or other changes and before you make any recheck tests, it is very important that your condenser coil, evaporator coil, and indoor blower wheel be squeaky clean.

Take the condenser entering air temp and leaving air temp, subtract for the temp-split. As a double verification: You can use the manifold gauge high-side (SCT) Saturated Condensing Temperature-dial-reading minus the outdoor-ambient temperature; the difference gives you the condenser temperature/split. There is NO excuse for not utilizing this simple btu/hr operating capacity diagnostic check. Always use an accurate volt meter and amprobe to make sure you are not overloading the compressor's amperage Service Factor and check the compressor discharge line to see that it is under 225-F.

Keep your cool and save money too

How to keep cool without going broke


You don't have to pay through the nose to keep cool this summer. Here are some steps you can take to lower your bill, improve comfort and help save the planet.

DEHUMIDIFY

An air conditioning system does more than just cool the air. It lowers humidity and removes dust and dirt by moving the air through filters. One of the most appealing aspects of having less humid air is that it actually feels cooler to the skin, thus allowing you to raise the thermostat.

If you don't already have one, you may want to consider adding a dehumidifier if you live in a particularly humid climate. It can result in significant energy savings, a lower utility bill and less wear and tear on your cooling system.

When filters become clogged with dirt, the system must work harder to do its job. This wastes energy and inflates utility bills. Disposable filters should be checked every two months (once a month during peak use) and replaced when necessary. Stay away from cheap, Fiberglas mesh filters. A pleated filter will cost three times more, but normally last three to five times as long and do a better job of protecting your system.

If your air conditioning system has either a permanent or electronic filter, it should be cleaned or replaced according to the manufacturer's instructions.

GO WHOLE-HOUSE

If you live in a dusty area or suffer from allergies, kick up your air cleaning horsepower by installing a whole-house air cleaner.

You'll get the best of all worlds: a clean system and far fewer allergens that make you wheeze, cough and sneeze.

MONITOR YOUR REFRIGERANT

Air conditioners use a refrigerant gas that is circulated throughout the system to produce cool air. Minute leaks in the system can allow the refrigerant to escape. When this happens, more electricity is used with less cooling effect. Have a heating and cooling contractor check the refrigerant level every year or two.

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GO HEAVY ON METAL

If those funny paper-thin metal separators on the exterior portion of the system (the condensing unit) are bent, efficiency is reduced because air flow is diminished. Use an old dinner knife or thin-bladed screwdriver to straighten out bent fins. It isn't important that the fins look nice -only that air passes freely between all of them.

SHUT IT

Some people like to "help" their air conditioner by opening doors and windows on warm days. But doing so lets all the cool, dehumidified air rush outside and lets in the hot, humid air. The more your home seals out heat, humidity, and dust, the more efficiently your system will do its job.

Insulation, weather-stripping, window coverings and shade trees are a few things that can be used to help your home beat the heat.

PROGRAM

A programmable thermostat can save energy and money. Programmable thermostats automatically change the thermostat's set temperature between comfort levels and energy-saving levels at specified times, according to the programs you set up. Generally, to save energy, you would set up four program periods for each day -two comfort (cooling) programs and two energy saving (idle or higher temperature) programs.

And you thought the Chinese had it made

China Sharply Raises Energy Prices

HONG KONG — Faced with increasingly severe fuel shortages and the prospect of power failures during the summer air-conditioning season, the Chinese government unexpectedly announced sharp increases late Thursday night in regulated prices for gasoline, diesel and electricity.

The increases are the latest sign of how China’s integration into the global marketplace has limited the flexibility of the country’s leaders in responding to economic crises.

The government has come under intense pressure recently from both environmentalists and other governments to ease up on its fuel subsidies, which are blamed for distorting global markets, encouraging greater consumption and pushing oil prices higher for other nations.

The government, like many around the world, has struggled to keep up those subsidies as oil prices have spiked in recent months. Finally, despite fears that it will spur inflation, the government raised the retail price of diesel by 18 percent, to the equivalent of $3.58 a gallon, and the price of gasoline by 16 percent, to $3.83 a gallon. Electricity tariffs and the price of jet fuel were also raised.

The higher prices could prompt businesses and people across China to use less fuel and electricity, potentially slowing China’s voracious oil consumption as well as its steep rise in emissions of global warming gases. Following the news, world oil prices immediately dropped more than $4 per barrel.

But some experts said the Chinese market was so heavily distorted by state subsidies for fuel that the higher prices might encourage refiners to produce more gasoline and diesel for Chinese consumers, possibly stoking new demand.

Either way, higher energy costs threaten not only to push up prices here, but also the prices of many of the goods China ships to the United States. Inflation in China was 7.7 percent last month and over 8 percent in February, March and April. While top Chinese officials are worried about inflation, they have faced another problem in recent weeks: the Shanghai stock market has slid steeply, leaving large numbers of angry shareholders.

Hours before the government raised energy prices, the Shanghai market had plunged 6.5 percent in Thursday trading, falling partly on worries of heavy losses among Chinese energy-related companies, which have been selling fuel and energy for less than it costs to produce them.

Until now, the government’s preoccupation with consumer price inflation had many economists wondering when fuel prices would be allowed to rise at all, despite problems in the stock market.

China is the world’s second largest oil consumer, after the United States. With the announcement Thursday, China became the eighth Asian country to raise fuel prices in the past month after concluding that low retail prices could not be sustained indefinitely through government subsidies.

American concerns about China’s price controls on fuel were raised as recently as this week in high-level economic talks between China and the United States in Annapolis, Md. Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. raised the subject during the talks, which took place Tuesday and Wednesday.

Mr. Paulson, in a speech the previous week, called on China to lift controls and cut subsidies in the energy sector, arguing that they were harmful to the dynamics of supply and demand. Fuel price controls, he said, were producing “persistent gasoline and diesel shortages” in China, and also contributing to “power outages during snowstorms this past January and February.”

Price controls, he added, also “often lead to smuggling and corruption” as well as shortages that contribute to global price spikes in the energy sector.

Treasury officials did not say Thursday that American pressure had led to the change in China’s policies, but they welcomed the move as a possible sign that China was listening to analysts from other countries.

Chinese officials have spoken for several years of their desire to move toward a more energy-efficient economy. They have periodically mentioned an intention to impose taxes on energy once world oil prices begin to fall, so as to keep the pressure on Chinese businesses and consumers to improve efficiency.

Prices for gasoline and diesel had been fixed since Nov. 1, even as world oil prices rose 45 percent in that period. If the Chinese retail price increase on Thursday has a lasting downward effect on world oil prices, it could strengthen the position of economists who have argued that the United States should raise gasoline taxes to limit demand and drive down global oil prices.

Until now, the government’s subsidies have forced the state-controlled refiners to lose money by selling gasoline and diesel for less than the cost of the crude oil needed to make them. Power companies, too, have become reluctant to operate oil-fired power stations when they cannot sell the electricity for enough money to cover the cost of oil.

As refineries cut back their output this spring, the result has been crippling fuel shortages, particularly for diesel. Those shortages have already produced long lines of trucks at service stations, and might threaten the gathering of the summer harvest.

President Hu Jintao and Prime Minister Wen Jiabao took the highly unusual step on June 5 of ordering that tractors and other farm vehicles be given top priority for all supplies of diesel — usually the kind of measure that would be handled by far more junior officials.

Farmers were exempted on Thursday night from the latest increase in fuel prices, as were three provinces damaged in earthquakes last month: Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu Provinces.

Power plants that rely on oil have also been shutting down because of high prices. While China relies mainly on coal and hydroelectric power for electricity generation, oil-fired plants are important in southeastern China.

Severe snowstorms in January and February, followed by earthquake damage and disruption for the national rail network last month, have interfered with coal shipments to some power plants and made electricity generation from oil-fired plants even more important.

China struggles each summer to generate enough electricity, although there have been a few signs that electricity generation capacity is beginning to catch up with demand. The government also announced on Thursday night that it was limiting increases in coal prices, which would help power companies afford their fuel — although at the risk of introducing the same kind of price control distortions to the coal market that have already caused problems for diesel users.

What Happened to my AC [and why is my repairman so cranky]

Summer hasn't even officially started, and half the days this month have already hit or topped 90-degrees.

So, how's your air-conditioner holding up?

Based on the heating and cooling unit companies we spoke with Monday, lots of you have had some problems.

They're saying humidity is the main culprit, and that the work load has been grueling.

Fourteen and 15-hour work days, back logs, and they're just now starting to get caught up -- with the sun beating down.

Bruce Randall with the John H. Coleman Company says, "I know our service department has had a stack of service calls this thick trying to fit them all in. They've been backed up.”

And temps on the rise, rising to way above average, now is not the time for your air-conditioner to go on the fritz.

Homeowner John Shearer says, "And it seems to be running all the time the last couple of weeks, but so far, it's been hanging in there. I don't know how many more weeks or years it will last. But so far it's doing OK."

Busy doesn't begin to describe the month local air-conditioner repairmen have had so far. And many are letting whatever can wait... wait. So they can get to those down units.

Randall says, "Call after call, just been swamped. Late evenings, Saturdays."

Last year, the really hot days didn't kick-in until later in the summer.

Randall says, "Had that first heat-snap and it hit hard. Usually, I think we ease into it. And this year, it was full-blast. Came out of nowhere and hit us"

Randall says when a unit goes down in this day and time, most customers are thinking a little more energy efficiently and are taking a chance now to upgrade their unit.

But whatever the case, having a working air-conditioner these days is a priority number one.

Randall says, "Yeah. There's a saying that goes around that people are without heat, they can live for the night. But if their air-conditioning's down, then it's got to be changed out ASAP."

Some said the service phone calls have eased up this week compared to last week.

However, they say all it takes is another spike in temps to get the phones ringing again.

Air Conditioning Repair that saves you money

Tips To Help Keep Your House Comfortably Cool In Summer


As the temperature outdoors goes up, so does the cost of cooling the home.

A range of smart energy practices can help keep utility bills in check during the summer. The following suggestions, put together by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Alliance to Save Energy, can both help residents stay cool when the heat is on and save on electric and gas bills.

tClean or replace air-conditioning filters monthly, or as needed. A well-maintained cooling system will run more efficiently, use less energy and lower energy bills. Also, keep outdoor and indoor air-conditioner coils clean. Dirt build-up on the indoor coil can have a costly, negative effect on operating efficiency.

tUse shades on east and west windows to reduce the cooling load. Close curtains during the day, and install awnings on south-facing windows. Plant shade trees or vines outside windows to help block or disperse the sun's energy.

tKeep your house closed tight in the daytime to keep unwanted heat and humidity out. If possible, ventilate at night either naturally or with fans.

tAvoid running a dehumidifier at the same time as the AC. The dehumidifier will increase the cooling load and force the air conditioner to work harder.

tPerform energy-demanding tasks, such as laundry and dish washing, during off-peak energy demand hours. Do full loads when running washers, dryers and dishwashers.

tMove lamps or television away from the air conditioner thermostat. The heat they generate will cause an air conditioner to run longer than necessary.

Air Conditioning Repair Scams increase as Temperature Rises

Air Conditioning Scammers on the Prowl


With temperatures getting ready to skyrocket, now is a good time to make sure your cooling system is working properly. But the hot weather, brings out scammers, preying on homeowners trying to keep cool.

Air conditioning systems take a lot of abuse and there are some disreputable contractors that know that. Never let anyone who comes up to your house wanting to make repairs or service work on your equipment.

When the temperature is hot any contractor who is worth calling is so busy they do not have to go looking for work, but believe it or not there have been many reports in various areas of the country of scammers going up to homeowners and getting paid for shoddy and unnecessary work.

Don't let this happen to you.

Air Conditioning Repair/ Crooks take advantage of the Heat

Port St. Lucie building officials: Beware of AC repair scheme


PORT ST. LUCIE — Port St. Lucie building officials want the public to be on the watch for an air-conditioning repair scheme generally targeting the elderly.

The ploy starts with an unsolicited phone call where the caller pretends to be a homeowner's air-conditioner repair company calling for the annual maintenance or offering a deal on service, said Kevin Pierce, city of Port St. Lucie contractor licensing investigator.

Once the company gains access to the home and the air-conditioning unit, a technician inspects the unit. In one case, the technician told the homeowner the unit was leaking Freon and the homeowner could die from it or the federal government could arrest them, Pierce said.

None of that was true and in some cases there was nothing wrong with the units, Pierce said.

Since mid-2006 there have been four different contractors using the scheme, and Pierce said he has received about 10 complaints from people who were victims of the scheme, losing $2,000 to $3,700 on unneeded repairs.

"I want all people to be equipped with the information to help them avoid being scammed," Pierce said.

Anyone with knowledge of the scheme should call the Port St. Lucie Police Department at (772) 871-5000.

"You can't be embarrassed," Pierce said. "It's the same thing as any other crime against people."

•Beware of unsolicited phone calls. Ask callers to identify themselves and the name of the company they represent and their phone number.

•Get two or three written estimates.

•Don't allow anyone to start work without the necessary permit.

•Never pay all of the money at once but withhold final payment until the work can be inspected.

•Request to see the contractor's license.

This is what happens when you wait for the first heat wave

In yesterday's 90-degree heat, Joseph Ferguson, co-owner of Ferguson Heating and Air Conditioning in Allegheny Township, knelt beside the air conditioning system, recharging it with refrigerant and repairing a leak on the service valves.

It was just one of the calls flooding into air-conditioning contractors' offices throughout the Alle-Kiski Valley during the past few days of sweltering heat.

Luckily for those with faltering air conditioners or without air-conditioning systems, the heat is expected to subside for the next few days at least a little, dropping to the mid-80s, said Pat Herald, a National Weather Service meteorologist in the Pittsburgh office.

Herald said the temperature should be in the 80s today and Wednesday, but Thursday's temperature could reach the upper 80s.

"We're going to get a front (today) and cool things off," he said. "Temperatures are still going to be above normal."

When temperatures get this high, Ferguson said, everything changes.

On Saturday, his business had 50 service calls. On Sunday, it received 30. Normally, those numbers are about 10 or 12 each day.

"The phone starts at 6 o'clock in the morning, and it just keeps on going," he said.

Over the weekend, Ferguson's business had four servicemen making house calls. Normally, Ferguson said, customers wait until Monday to have the systems fixed, but this weekend's heat was too much to bear.

"The temperature was too excessive for people to recover, to wait until Monday," he said.

Even after 6 p.m. Sunday, there were at least a dozen calls, he said, and those calls continued until 10 p.m.

Despite all the calls, Ferguson said, customers aren'tt waiting long. All regular customers have service done on the day they call, and servicemen are trying to reach new customers on the same day they call or the following day.

Some of his staff have worked more than 16 hours a day to handle the calls, he said.

The high temperatures put a lot of strain on air conditioners, he said. Compressors and fan motors start to fail, and there's routine breakdowns to take care of.

With beads of sweat on his brow after working on Scanga's air conditioner, Ferguson said about the work: "You try to do your best."

Randy Roth, owner of George Roth Heating and Plumbing in Indiana Township, said the business has five servicemen and they've been swamped.

Still, the business is trying to make repairs the same day people call, making sure to get everybody with no air conditioning on the same day.

From Friday through Monday, 260 people called. Most needed their air conditioning units serviced, Roth said.

"We wish this much work would have spread over a few weeks," he said.

Michelle Brown, office manager at John's Heating and Air Conditioning in Freeport, said the number of calls coming in is crazy.

"We just have a ton of people who have no cooling or they need new units put in," she said, adding that workers are trying to get to callers as quickly as possible.

Air Conditioning Repair (Ductwork to replace or not to replace that is the question)

Q Is it time to replace my 40-year-old ductwork? Can reduced heating and cooling costs justify the high cost of replacing the ducts, or will sealing and insulating the existing ducts be just as effective?


A There is not a simple yes-or-no answer to your question. Improving your ductwork will no doubt improve the efficiency of your heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system, although it might be difficult to justify the cost of a complete replacement. Depending on the specifics of your home, your future heating and cooling dollars might be stretched further by first addressing other components.

Consider the keystone of green building: the whole-systems approach to designing, constructing and operating a home. For example, ductwork is just one of many components of your home's heating and cooling system, which also includes:

• roofing

• shading

• insulation

• air infiltration sealing

• windows

• furnace

• air conditioner

A light-colored roof transfers less heat to the attic. Awnings and roof overhangs above south-facing windows can block direct heat gain from summer sun. Tight ductwork means that heated or cooled air isn't lost to the attic or crawl space. The list goes on, and all measures impact the amount of energy needed to heat or cool a home.

Most people have a limited budget for energy efficiency improvements. To determine the smartest way to spend your dollars, first evaluate the unique aspects of your home by having a professional energy audit performed. Professional raters called Home Energy Rating System providers offer this service and can be found on any of these Web sites: www.calcerts.com, www.cheers.org or www.cbpca.org.
If you don't have the budget for a professional audit (usually $300-$500), complete PG&E's free online energy audit at www.pge.com/myhome/saveenergymoney/analyzer.

Often, an audit will show it is most strategic to focus on efficiency improvements that do not require destruction - and expensive reinstallation - of finishes. For example, it might be more cost effective to install attic insulation and seal and insulate accessible ducts before tearing up finishes and replacing all of the ducts.

However, health and comfort concerns might override cost considerations. If the existing duct insulation is asbestos and is crumbly and potentially introducing dust into adjacent leaky ducts, there's strong reason to replace the insulation - if not all of the ductwork. If some rooms are overheated and others are under-heated, the system might have been poorly designed and would provide additional incentive to replace it.

If you opt to replace the HVAC system, ensure that your contractor performs calculations to optimally design the ductwork and size the furnace and air conditioner based on the size of your home, level of insulation, types and locations of windows and other relevant elements. Build It Green's Green Building Guidelines (www.builditgreen.org/guidelines) offer additional best practices, and the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (www.acca.org) provides a contractor locator and calculation manuals to ensure appropriate system design. Finally, PG&E offers home cooling and heating fact sheets at www.pge.com.

Air Conditioning Repair You Can do Yourself

1. HOW HEAT IS TRANSFERRED. (and why thats important to know)
When you know how heat is transferred suddenly you can figure out how to save hundreds of dollars on your utility bills on a continual basis. If you don’t know how heat is transferred you may never know why THE SHRUBS YOU PLANTED TOO CLOSE TO YOUR UNIT ARE TURNING BROWN.

2. WHAT THOSE COILS AND FINS DO (and just what are coils and fins?)
Knowing the importance of cleanliness and unobstructed airflow which always leads to improved performance. Not knowing can cause you to burn your house down, wreck your equipment or waist thousands of dollars every year on utility bills.

3. THE FUNCTION OF EACH COMPONENT IN YOUR SYSTEM
Understanding each component allows you to diagnose repair problems like a pro. Not understanding dooms you to the fate of most shoddy contractors, changing parts until you get the right one.

4. HOW A COMPRESSOR WORKS (and what is a compressor)
The compressor is the heart of the system and by knowing how it works you can make decisions that will ensure long life and dependability. Not knowing (just like many of the service tech's that come to your house) could cause you to make a bad decision that could cause your unit to blow up.

5. HOW TO INSTALL DUCTING (and not lose a limb)
You will learn how take what would have been a $1000 repair job and with one trip to the big box store make it a $75 job. You will learn why you can never get the temperature right in the back bedroom.

6. HOW THE HEAT AND COLD ARE GETTING INTO YOUR HOUSE (and out)
Save money on a continual basis by placing a few low cost accessories in key areas. Learn why that one room is always the wrong temperature and cure it forever.

7. HOW TO TROUBLESHOOT AN AIR CONDITIONER
Every time you use this product you will save at least $150 and likely much more guaranteed by knowing how to penetrate the seemingly overwhelming world of mechanical and electrical devices housed in your air conditioner or furnace. Just think suddenly with a simple description of a problem you will know just where to start looking and what path to take to find a solution, but don’t tell your friends you know this stuff or they will never leave you alone.

8. HOW TO SIZE AN AIR CONDITIONER (important for home builders)
This is something many in the industry do not know how to do and those who do never practice. Never again put your self at the mercy of a contractor who tells you what size you need only to find out that you have a humidity problem or can’t keep cool on a 90 degree day. If you were building a house you could likely save many times the cost of this product the first time you use it.

9. HOW TO INSTALL A SPLIT AIR CONDITIONER
There are websites that will sell you equipment drop shipped to your door but what are you going to do with it when you get it. We will take you step by step through the installation process helping you with code requirements and manufacturers recommendations to turn that nightmare into a dream.

10. WHERE TO BUY PARTS AND ACCESSORIES (and how much to pay)
So now you know what the problem is where you are going to find the parts, not Home Depot. We have links to online and local resources where you can buy parts at less than half the price of what you would pay to a service company, again saving you many times the cost of this product every time you use it.

Money saving tips from Walletpop

Hot tips on how to save on your air-conditioning bill

The U.S. Department of Energy says that the cost of heating and cooling a house typically amounts to 56 percent of the utility bill. Given that, I'm lucky that the air-conditioning in my house has been broken the last couple days. Unfortunately, according to a repairman we called in, it'll be fixed sometime today. But on the bright side, my back soon won't stick to my chair any more.

Anyway, for those of you who aren't lucky enough to shell out $450 to get your air-conditioning fixed, I've culled the Internet to bring you the following tips for saving money on your home energy costs.

Change your air filters. It's probably obvious, but if your filter is clogged with dust and lint, your air-conditioner has to work even harder.Don't turn off the air-conditioning during the day. This surprised me, but as one guy who owns an air-conditioning and heating repair company told The Dothan Eagle, you're saving energy until you turn it back on--and then the air-conditioning has to work extra hard to get the air back to what your thermostat is. It's better to turn the air on a couple of degrees higher than your ideal temperature; then the air-conditioner will cycle on and off.

Considering getting your air-conditioning unit or system serviced once a year, or at least once every two years. Gee, shocking, but a lot of air-conditioning repairmen tend to suggest this. Still, it makes sense, and some utility companies will offer rebate coupons to encourage you to have your air-conditioned checked out. Southern California Edison is offering rebates from $50 to $150 right now, so if you're thinking that this makes sense, contact your local electric company first and see if they're doing anything like this.

Make sure your condenser coils on your air-conditioning are clean, and make sure your ducts are sealed. That's according, again, to California Edison. I'm going to do that later today, just as soon as I figure out what my condenser coils and ducts look like.

Plant trees. That's a fairly well known tip but worth mentioning. You can put a serious dent in your bill if much of your house is in shade, and your air-conditioning doesn't have to expend as much energy. Of course, you'll have to expend some of your own energy to plant those trees, which means you'll likely go back into your house and crank up the A/C. Life is a vicious circle.

Virtually free air conditioning

May 16, 2008
Sustainable Air Conditioning and Heating Debuts in California
May 16, 2008 - Redlands, CA

SolCool One, LLC and Senergy Cooling Systems will hold an open exhibit of the Millennia HVAC system to industry, government, and finance principles May 29 & 30, 2008 at its facility in Redlands, California.

"Backorders should be cleared out by mid-June as full production is ramped up so we'll use this time to establish additional wholesale distribution, discuss opportunities and educate", Mr. Walsh added.

The 1.5 ton, 18000 BTU Millennia cooling and heating systems will be on operational display in both split and package models. "We are demonstrating how much less energy the Millennia uses with its patent pending technology to produce the same cooling and heating in the 12,000 – 60,000 BTU range as conventional hardware", announced Cliff Sutton, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at SolCool.

The Millennia Systems use up to 75% less grid energy than conventional HVAC systems by utilizing all direct current (DC) components, automated energy management techniques, deep cell batteries and proprietary power technology. Energy use is further avoided or reduced by connecting any renewable into the direct current input to the DC plug and play port which is standard on all Millennia systems.

"We are receiving very positive feedback on a daily basis from the 40 plus LLC dealers world wide that have been demonstrating the Millennia this spring", commented Mark Walsh, LLC Manager. "Backorders should be cleared out by mid-June as full production is ramped up so we’ll use this time to establish additional wholesale distribution, discuss opportunities and educate", Mr. Walsh added.

SolCool One, LLC is currently delivering a new generation of renewable, DC HVAC with battery backup systems under the brand, "Millennia" in concert with its manufacturing partner Senergy Cooling Systems. The Millennia System line will expand to 1 to 5 ton split and package choices in 2008. Go to: www.solcool.net for more information on the Millennia and other energy consumption reduction products.