AC or heat on the fritz? Maybe you can fix it yourself!

Before You Call

Check that the thermostat switch is set to the proper mode setting ("cool" or "heat"). If your unit does not operate, check the circuit breakers or fuses.

If you have a gas furnace, make sure that the blower door is properly secured, as the safety door switch will shut down the entire unit when the door is removed.

If the unit runs but no air blows out, check the filter. If it is dirty and clogged, shut the unit off for an hour or two, change or clean the filter and retry it. It may have been iced up.

Helpful Hints

• Clean or change your filter frequently. We recommend checking it at least every four weeks in our dusty desert climate.
• Do not set your thermostat lower in the cooling mode than is comfortable. The average resident is comfortable at a setting of 78 to 80 degrees. For every degree that you lower your thermostat below 78 degrees, you increase your electric consumption by 2% to 5%.
• In the summer, setting the fan to the "on" position will allow the indoor fan to run continuously, thus providing continuous circulation of air between cycles. This continuous circulation can allow many users to set their thermostat 1 or 2 degrees higher, while still remaining comfortable.
• Use fans to circulate air and make you feel cooler at a higher temperature setting. Be sure to turn the fan off when the room will be unoccupied.
• If you have a routine schedule each day, consider a programmable thermostat. It can save you money by offsetting the temperature in the house when no one is home.
• Do not turn off your air conditioner during the day when you are away. It is much more cost effective to raise the temperature to 82 or 83 degrees. This will use less energy and still allow for the air conditioner to recover when you lower the thermostat to your desired comfort level when you return home in the evening.
• Keep all windows and doors closed.
• Close draperies on the sunny side of the house to block the sun’s summer rays.
• Verify that your attic space is well ventilated to decrease the heat build up.
• Wash the outside coil of your air conditioner with a garden hose once a year in order to keep it at top performance. Clean away debris, leaves and shrubbery for free flow of air through the coil fins.
• Do not close off more than 20% of the registers in the home. This can cause high resistance in the ductwork system. The result may be unnecessary heat build-up in the furnace in the winter. In the summer the reduction in air-flow can cause icing up on the cooling coil, higher humidity levels, and can lead to possible compressor damage.
• In the cooling season, don’t run kitchen and bath exhaust fans longer than necessary.
• Do not place lamps, TV sets or other heat-producing devices beneath a wall-mounted thermostat. Rising heat from the equipment may cause the air conditioning system to over-cool your house, thinking that it is warmer than it actually is.
• Never store anything combustible near your gas furnace.
• If you have a gas furnace, make sure that flue connections and venting are always unobstructed.
• If you smell natural gas, call the local gas company at once.
• If you have a power outage or brown out, turn off your air conditioner immediately. This may save the components from damage.
• If your system is 10 years or older, consider the benefits of replacing it with a more efficient system that consumes less electricity.
• Have your heating and cooling system serviced each season to keep it in tip-top shape. You can avoid costly repairs and unnecessary down time when you need your system the most.

Still need a technician? Your service call is worth the money!

Some Facts About Service Costs

When our professional service technician knocks on your door, many costs have been incurred just to get him there, ready and able to complete the job. Don't judge service charges solely by the time the technician spends in your home or business.

For example, without years of training, it would not be possible for a doctor to make a diagnosis and prescribe a remedy. Consider for a moment that it isn't just her initial training, but an ongoing variety of continuing study, and the expense of maintaining an adequately equipped office and staff. As a patient, you pay for her knowledge and skill plus a share of her business costs (overhead). Even if she spends only a few minutes, her fee could range from $50 to $200, depending upon her degree of expertise.

This analogy holds true in any service business. The charge for providing service in your home cannot be determined solely by the time it takes the technician to make the repairs. A qualified service organization's costs begin with the salary of the professional technician. This amount is the same whether the technician is actually making repairs on customer premises, traveling to keep service appointments or participating in training programs to sharpen his skills.

Next, overhead costs must be added in. These include office rental, staff, equipment and supplies; truck maintenance and operation; taxes on income, property, business and social security; insurance for liability, fire, theft and worker's compensation; periodic literature courses and refreshers; utilities; employee benefits; service management and administration; and stock of replacement parts. These overhead costs can amount to substantially more than the technician's salary.

Finally comes profit. A 10% net profit on the selling price, although seldom realized, would be ideal. Accordingly, if our service company charges $200 for a repair and we are efficient enough to earn 10% of the $200, we earn 20 taxable dollars. This is not excessive for providing top quality services on your premises.

Operating a dependable service business requires organization competent management and a substantial capital investment. When your service charge is more than you expected, remember...You see only the service technician who comes to your home or business. The quality of their service depends on four things:

1. His/her knowledge and skill
2. Quality control
3. Sizable investment in state-of-the-art computerized shop and warehouse facilities, truck, equipment, tools and replacement parts
4. The necessary people who train, schedule, route and supply him/her: telephone operators, dispatchers, training specialist, warehousemen, parts personnel, clerks, administrators.

All things considered, the cost of a service organization for its service technician's time on the job is the same whether he works with tools or not. Even a service call that results only in a diagnosis for resolving the problem warrants a service charge. Good service doesn't just happen, it takes people, time and effort, and those costs money.