| 1. Pick a Coil, Any Coil
This is a real moneymaker for unscrupulous
repairmen! A routine maintenance call can turn into a costly repair by
puncturing a pinhole in the coil during the inspection. He'll tell you
that he has found a refrigerant leak and that there are three options. If
his kids don't need braces he will do you the favor of repairing the coil on
site with a torch and some solder or he will sell you a new coil probably for up
to $1000.00. Now if you fall for the old "I'll patch this up for you
this time but the copper is old and brittle so you'll probably be calling me
next month to fix another leak," you may be tempted to spring for the new
$4000.00 system. |
| 2. Absolute Power
Corrupts Absolutely
A spike in the power grid or a power surge can shut down
your unit temporarily; lightning is a frequent cause of this. The compressor can
overheat and take as long as 24 hours to cool down before the unit will operate
again. You heard us right; you can wait 24 hours and have the unit in essence
repair itself! This is not always the case but if the temperature is bearable
why not adopt a 'wait and see' attitude, it could save you some green! |
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| 3. It Happened One
Night
 You wake
up in the morning and your system is blowing warm air and not much of that.
What's going on? Well, your unit could be frozen up…ice on the coil. But
what could have caused it to happen? Some repairmen will tell you not to
worry it was just a little low on refrigerant; they'll charge it up for you and
ask you to call them if it happens again. While this may be the actual cause
another possibility is that the temperature could have dipped during the night,
causing the condensation to freeze and especially so if coupled with a
semi-clogged filter, limiting the flow of air. A perfectly good
air-conditioning unit can freeze up. The fix: simply turn the thermostat
from cool to fan and allow the warm air to melt the ice from the coil.
When the airflow through the vents returns to it's normal volume, turn it back
to cool and enjoy the savings! Not only have we heard of some repairmen
selling expensive repairs and new units on events such as these but we have also
had customers demand to be sold a new system to keep it from freezing up again
and getting angry when the service tech refused to sell it to them! Guess
what… there are no shortages of second opinions out there to tell them that
they did in fact need that new system.
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| 4. 3… 2… 1…
Contact!
Electrical contact cleaner spray can work wonders on the
switches and modules in your system. But a simple spray of this cleaner on your
fan motor will wipe out the bearing lubrication and you'll be calling them back
within 30 days to replace the fan or the system depending on the salesman. |
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| 5. Water in
the Refrigerant
The serviceman draws a vacuum on an empty refrigerant tank
then he places some water in the bottom of the container and fills the remainder
of the tank with refrigerant. This is the equivalent of a computer virus for an
AC unit! The water reacts with the refrigerant and turns it to acid, which
immediately kills your compressor and your wallet. |
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6. Check the Breaker
Sounds simple doesn't it? You would be surprised how many people forget to
check the circuit breaker before calling a repairman. If you're lucky, the
tech will call it to your attention and charge you a minimum fee for coming
out. However, there are people out there who have been sold a new system
when the flip of a switch could have fixed the problem. One elderly woman
was grateful that the company would 'allow' her to pay for the new system by
signing over her social security checks for six months in a row! Good
thing she called a different company to get another price quote. The
second service man discovered a freshly clipped wire inside the unit. He
fixed the wire, turned on the breaker and Mrs. "B" got to keep her
checks. |
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7. You and Your
Thermostat
Mechanical thermostats have several degrees built in the adjustment range.
So to properly adjust the temperature you should move the lever past the desired
temperature and then back to the specific setting. |
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8. Maintenance
Contracts
 (Preventative maintenance
contracts Service Contracts Extended warranties)
Maintenance contracts are great if you are dealing with a reputable firm.
However, there is a flipside to the coin. Any of the above tricks can be
brought into play during a routine maintenance call. Since you are locked
into a contract with one company, it is unlikely that you will call for a second
opinion and remember maintenance is different from repairs! |
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9. Freeze, Dirt Bag!
A clogged filter reduces the amount of airflow through the coil and causes the
coil to freeze up. Change those darn filters regularly and check them
before you assume the worst and call a service tech! |
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10. Clean up Your
own Backyard
 Grass and
debris around the outside condenser unit seriously reduces efficiency and can
cause increased wear and tear on your equipment. |
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11. Out of Sight out
of Money
Are you starving your system from airflow? Some folks insist on building
enclosures around the condenser unit, mostly for aesthetics and sometimes for
noise reduction. This creates a situation where the fan must work harder
to draw cool air across the heat exchanger, which will limit efficiency and
cause the unit to wear out much quicker. |
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12. Hose it Down
Your condenser unit can last longer and operate more efficiently if you
periodically rinse it off with a garden hose. Spraying water through the coils
will clean away dust and dirt that prevent optimum heat transfer. You
should give it a good spraying at least twice a year. If you live near the
beach, saltwater is particularly corrosive to the copper coils so spraying the
unit monthly will prolong the life of the unit sand save you big bucks on
replacement cost. (Please be sure to shut off the power supply before
using water around electrical equipment.) |
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13. Size Matters
Ok, you've played it safe and received three estimates for replacement of your
old system, good for you! But be sure to ask for a detailed list of
the materials and equipment they are providing. Often the lowest estimate can
end up costing the most in the long run if the contractor sizes the unit to just
barely meet your cooling requirements. He can usually bet on getting the
job because he has the most reasonable price. However, an undersized
system will have to operate for longer cooling cycles in order to maintain the
temperature you desire which means more wear and tear on the equipment.
This could cause you to need a new replacement system sooner than if you had
installed a unit with ample tonnage in the first place. The energy savings you
will realize by installing a properly sized system should offset the increased
cost and you'll still be further ahead because the system has a longer life
span. |
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14. What's My Line
Set?
One way a contractor can "cut corners" is by using undersized line
sets. These are the copper tubes that carry the refrigerant from the air
handler, which is usually located inside the home or attic, to the condenser,
which is the exterior unit. If the contractor opts for the smaller
diameter lines to save a few bucks in material cost, the cost to you can
be great in the long run. You'll burn more electricity and your unit is
going to wear out a little sooner than it should. |
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15. Don't Self
Diagnose Out Loud
 This tactic can save you
money in many repair situations. Sometimes we get a little carried away
and try to impress the repairman with our knowledge of the trade, we just want
him to know that he not dealing with some know nothing, wet behind the ears
greenhorn who doesn't know his A/C from a hole in the ground. So, we
causally tell the guy "it's probably the compressor." Do we know
this from our years of study in the field? No! We're probably basing
it upon the fact that Bob down the street just has his compressor replaced and
our brother-in-law, Jack, needed a compressor just last Spring and in some sort
of weird Pavlovian moment, the word 'compressor' just flashed before our eyes
like the subliminal messages on the dancing hot dog during the drive-in movie
intermission. Before we defer to expertise of Bob, Jack and the dancing
hot dog, why not play it cool and wait for the nice man with his name on his
shirt to give us his interpretation of the problem. The fact that you've
kept your poker face up might just make him cautious enough to fix the real
problem and save the new compressor for Bob or Jack's next maintenance check.
PS. Why not try this the next time you're at the auto mechanic's, appliance
repair shop or even the doctor's office. You'll be surprised how many extra
tune-ups components or tests you won't have to pay for. |
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16. It's Electric
Boogie Oogie Woogie
The fact is that almost 90% of all air-conditioning problems are
electrical. That can include a litany of condenser capacitors and switches
(all relatively inexpensive), which is why some repairman will try to steer the
repair toward the more profitable components. Sometimes they'll even throw
the new switch in for free after repairing the more expensive part that was fine
to begin with. |
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17. What Have
You Fixed For Me Lately?
You've called the service man to look at your system. When he gets to your place
he looks it over and tells you that the problem was just a switch. For a
couple of bucks plus the service call he'll have you up and running in no
time. How cool is that? Well, pretty darn nifty as long as something
doesn't happen to break in the next few weeks or months. Why? Because the
next time something breaks you tend not to remember how happy you were with the
guy who fixed what was wrong and no more or no less. Now you're thinking
about the fact that you just had it fixed and that guy probably didn't fix it
right. Of course you knew all along it was something more in depth than a
twelve-dollar switch! He better stand behind his work and fix it right
this time! Well, this is precisely the reason why the perfectly honest
repairman is likely to replace several electrical components on any given
service call. It's their insurance policy against an irate customer
demanding a free repair. |
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18. Place Your Bets
 Keeping in mind the
scenario in the previous paragraph, realize that the older your unit is the more
likely the tech will be to sell you as many replacement parts as he can. He
wants to ensure he doesn't find himself in a situation where he has to come back
and fix something a week later or deal with the bad press he'll receive from you
telling your friends how he didn't fix it properly. |
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19. There's a New
Kid in Town
It's not a bad idea to casually ask how long your contractor has been in the
air-conditioning business. Especially when watching the fresh faced young
man with the pristine work shirt, shoes and jeans prepare to dig in to your
system. Now remember, some of these fresh faced kids are second and third
generation mechanics in family owned firms and probably know more about the
trade than the saltiest of service men. If the answer to you get is,
"just a few months but I'm learning a lot," you may want to get
another opinion before signing on the dotted line for whatever repair is
proposed. Remember, 'see one, do one, teach one' doesn't always work as
flawlessly in real life as it does for George Clooney and the gang. |
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20. Salesman or
Serviceman?
The closers are out there and they're after your wallet! They are the guys
who pull up in the brand new shiny trucks, smooth talking their way into a sales
contract. If you detect a callused handshake it's probably due to the
quest for the perfect golf swing rather than from turning an actual wrench. Make
no mistake; it's big business for these guys! They travel in groups from
company to company teaching the tactics we outline in this report. They'll
guarantee a company a certain amount of sales per month in return for a nice
check and a percentage. Ask just about any hard working honest contractor
and he'll tell you he's been approached by a closer with promises of sales
galore and fleets of trucks with their name on the side. What do they need
with some small time contractor? Well, it's simple… a clean license and
a new name. Their last protégé has either progressed to the level where their
services were no longer required or has been buried in a stack of court case
liens from suppliers and license suspensions. These guys know the value of
a nice, reputable small business. Perhaps we should recognize that same
value when dealing with the small company, which has served us well in the past. |
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21. Boiler Rooms
 Out of the clear blue sky you
get a call telling you about a special they're running on clean and maintenance
checks blah, blah, blah. Welcome to the boiler room! Telemarketers
try to sell us everything from magazine subscriptions to vacation packages and
also air conditioning repairs. Whether it is an in-house phone bank or a
subcontracted telemarketing firm you can be sure that there is considerable
overhead involved in running an operation of this scope and you can't even begin
to pay for the manpower, trucks and equipment necessary by performing clean and
checks at $19.95. Our suggestion is to steer clear of the gimmicks and
take note of the name of the companies offering them. |
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22. They Don't Make 'Em Like They Used
To
This is actually true, in the "good old days" a system could last 20
years or so yet today's systems are pressing the envelope after 5 years.
It has nothing to do with the quality of American workmanship, imported parts or
any of the usual scapegoats. This happens at the upper-most levels of the
corporate hierarchy; it involves pie charts, demographics and so called
'brilliant' proposals with fancy titles and spreadsheets. In the past, the
average family would purchase a starter home then increase square footage to
raise a family and then move again to a smaller home for retirement.
Today, we tend to move more often which is why the systems are designed to last
only as long as we are expected to live in that particular dwelling. |
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23. Pay For the Call Separately
Most companies will tell you what the fee is for a service call. Some
companies even give free estimates. One way to let them know that you are
on your toes is to resist the temptation to sign on the first date. Just
pay the service fee for the visit and wait until you get the other estimates
before making your decision. A few companies will even apply your service
fee toward the final price of the repairs or replacement. |
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24. How Cool Can You Be
 Some people are casual
coolers; using the system occasionally to fend off extreme temperatures.
Then there are the hard-core coolers who aren't happy unless the windows are
frosty enough for a good game of tic tac toe. If you fall into the second
category then be sure to let the contractor know your preferences! It will
help them size your system correctly and keep you from having to shell out more
cash on future repairs and replacements. |
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25. What About the Ozone
I still have it on a shelf in the garage. It's an old betamax
videocassette recorder. I paid close to three thousand dollars for it
because I had to have it as soon as it was available. This, in my opinion,
is equivalent to the buzz about the new breed of systems with environmentally
friendly coolant. While there will be newer and better technologies developed in
the future I think it's too soon to jump on the beta bandwagon when VHS may be
just around the corner. The cost of the new systems will only get more
reasonable as they begin to replace the existing technology. |
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