A Public Service Announcement from Air Cond. Contractor....

[Red State Rebel]

It's that time of year!!! If at all possible, call your local contractor to have your Air Conditioning equipment cleaned and checked.

For efficient operation and to save major problems down the road, make sure the A-Coil is clean. Everything from dust and dirt to pet hair can clog the coils causing the unit to work harder and cool less.

Beneath the A-Coil is a condensate collection tray with a hose attached that drains this liquid to a drain or outside. These hoses have a tendency to clog, causing the tray to overflow and run down into the furnace - not a good thing. Check to see that the condensate is flowing freely and if it's not, and you can access where the hose is attached, pull the hose off and clean out any blockages. I have also seen a tablet at Walmart that you can put into the tray to keep mold and mildew from forming in the tray and the tube also.

Make sure the condensing unit outside is clean and free of debris also. Again, pet hair, cottonwood fluff, etc. can clog the condensor coils causing the unit to overheat - this is a major expense to replace. Also make sure if you have dogs that they are not peeing on the unit as it will rust out the coils and ruin the unit.

Be careful as you weed whack near the condensing unit - particularly around the lines that go between the unit and the house.

If you turn on the unit, everything is running but the air doesn't feel cool, first check all of the above. If everything is clean and running fine, you probably just need some freon. This is usually a charge for time and materials. It shouldn't take long for a technician to put some gauges on and check for this then add the freon. Freon is charged for by the pound - this year, we are charging $16.00/lb. some people charge a lot more, but you can use this as a guideline. The unit holds only 5 or 6 pounds total so you should never need to put in more than a couple pounds. If you find this problem re-occuring, you have a serious enough leak to try to hunt it down. I'll warn you, it isn't always easy to find the leaks and if they have to spend a lot of time looking for it, it can cost you.

Low freon is one of the most common problems when people first start up their equipment.

If the blower in the furnace isn't blowing, the first thing you should do is check to make sure the door is closed completely. A lot of the furnaces have a safety switch that keeps the unit shut off unless the door is completely closed. Nothing like paying thru the nose for a service call to have the guy walk in and close your furnace door. :)

I hope this is helpful - if you have any questions or problems, let me know and if I can't answer them, my hubby can.

Stay cool!!!

[Wickerman]

1. Wow

I have been here long enough now to recall this from last year! Its a good service you do, SaidFred! appreciated.

:thumbsup:

[Mr.Green93]

2. Do you use the superheat method

to check refrigerant levels?

[Red State Rebel]

5. I'll have to ask Greg when he gets in town on Sat....not sure!

[Red State Rebel]

8. I just checked with my son...

He said that is the preferred method, and we do use it some of the time but the more experienced techs are able to do it without superheating.

[Mr.Green93]

11. Thank you.

[ikojo]

3. What about window units? nt

[Red State Rebel]

6. A lot of this does apply to window units....

Keep the filters and coils clean and they will do fine. They can also run low on freon causing them to shut down and freeze up. The advantage is you can drop them off at the shop and probably get a much cheaper price to charge them up.

[dweller]

4. Freon question.....Pounds?

or PSI (pounds pressure per square inch)?

dp

[Red State Rebel]

7. The freon is under pressure, but it is measured by weight for selling.

[dweller]

9. thanks

the cans (automotive are the only ones i've checked) seem very light weight. I realize most techs would have larger tanks, thus my question.

dp

[Kadie]

10. Thanks for the reminder.

My a/c company called a couple of weeks ago and I have yet to return the call to make the appt.