Q. My Mom owns a Trane air conditioning unit and has had nothing but problems with it. She had the coil replaced on it a couple of years ago. Now a technician is telling her that the coils are bad again. They are telling her that there is something in the environment, her sprinkler system (sulfur), which is causing it to go bad. Does this explanation sound feasible? She uses well water for her sprinkler system but has had this sprinkler system for nearly 20 years. Before she had to get a new unit about 3 years ago she never had problems with the coil. Is it possible that the air conditioning unit itself could be causing the coils to go bad? i.e, a Freon leak or something.

A. Absolutely NO. I am sorry to say that many people like to lie about stuff that you dont know about and EXTORT money from you.The refrigerant contains oil which moves through the system with the refrigerant and a leak in the coil is very rare unless hit with a lawnmower or such. Also a leak can be repaired but ther is no profit in it and it takes time.I am an HVACRR Tech, 15 years and have heqard it all. You are welcome to contact me and I would love to have the Tech. (supposed) explain it to me!!! I will give you my phone number to have him call.

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Q. We are trying to fix the air conditioning at work (the landlord won't do anything) and need to replace some parts. We have the ducts and I have found out that the ducts are connected to the collars (male/female). The collars are then attached to a big square piece which then has the grille attached where the air goes out. Does anyone know what the big metal square piece is called? I've been looking online but so far, no luck. And if you know of any good diagrams illustrating this, that'd be great as well. Thanks!

A. You are referring to a supply air plenum. And the grill piece is called a supply register.

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Q. Air conditioning costs more but what exactly is the difference between the two systems? Is air recirculation effective at cooling or heating the vehicle interior on hot or cold days?

A. Air Recirculation and/or the Max A/C button do the same thing. They close off the vents that let fresh air into the car from the base of the windshield. Air Recirculation should be combined with A/C usage, which is why on some cars (older domestic US cars in particular) it's labled Max A/C. Air Recirc setting helps the air conditioner system by recirculating already cooler air through the system, rather then trying to take warmer outside air and cool it down. You can use it with heat, but on some cars (older Japanese and German cars in the US) they aren't set-up to run the A/C compressor in defrost mode. Any moisture at all will cause your windows to fog, ALL OF THEM, unless you also turn on the A/C button too. A/C doesn't really cost much more then 1 mpg on most cars. For me personally, I'll use A/C whenever I can. My comfort is worth more then 1 mpg.

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Q. I think my AC unit is shot. I suspect the repair to be major, so cost is pretty important to me. Can anyone recommend a dependable repairman or repair service that won't gouge me? Thanks!!

A. Independent HVAC steve baser 214-724-1862

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Q.

A. American Home Shield They have an excellent plan for under $500/yr. Service calls are $55 each to repair or replace. Some items have a 30 day waiting period for new customers. They cover not only appliances, but electrical, and plumbing as well. I have used them for years. In one year they replaced my 38 year old (orig. to the house) hot water heater, 38 year old (orig. to the house) dishwasher, and 38 year old (org. to the house) paper duct work. Each time it only cost me the service call. All work is guaranteed by the contractor for 90 days. We recently moved, and they warranty my new house as well.

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Q. I had a Heating and Air company come out last December to check on my furnance. They said I needed a new one and we agreed to purchase one. They butchered the install badly and have now installed it three more times and it still has too high of a temp rise and it's noisy. We had another company in to look at it and they said that our duct work is too small for the furnance they installed. Now they want to put holes in our floor hoping that will fix it. We have regsiters in the walls now. I'm tired of dealing with them. The other companies said they would have told me I had to replace my ducting before they would have sold me a new furnace. If I had been told that initially, I would have chosen to repair my old furnace. It's been almost 90 days. I just don't know what type of attorney to contact. Thanks,

A. You were defrauded by a company and you should have by now all the information as well as documentation to prove it. Call the city inspector in your community and find out what recourse you have toward a lawsuit also if you live in a city most cities have a department for this problem in the case of contractors doing this. Also contact the attorney general of your state, the reason is you want all these entities on your side when and if you need to contact a attorney because they can inspect and help present your claim as well as maybe you can find out the name of the contractor owner have have a "lien" against his home until he pays damages to your home caused by his companies bad workmanship. You have your work cutout but you sound tough so get going, and good luck to you.

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Q. Looking for a reputable HVAC company to service on central A/C in a 15,000 square foot home. (Hopefully, someone who does not see dollar signs when they see the home...)

A. Listen Michelle you need to specify more, ok. Are you looking for a reputable company to do work on your home system. Or are you talking about HVAC as in for a company, hospital, school, commercial bldg, manufacturing bldg etc. Another tip; all industrial companies should and will be SMACNA professionals ( Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors National Association Inc. The reason I'm asking for more info is this is my field, and I can best advise when I know what type of client we are talking about. My credentials are as a degreed engineer who has twelve years in contruction and more as an engineer. I build hospitals, schools, and universities. I would suggest the name brand companys you airhandler is; such as York or Carrier because they have the most outlets regionally. A call to one of their company offices and they will give you the name of a repair / installer in your area. I am assuming you want the system checked out, serviced and a initial start-up running. So that during the season there are no problems. Here are a few other companies, cannot honetly tell you their cost; IMI (IndependentMechanical Industries,Inc- 773-282-2046 they are in Chicago on Montrose Ave. C&W Sheetmetal Inc. -773-622-8757 on North ave. Even if you don't use these people, try and get three estimates to choose from. ask them if the estimate is free. Also remember you can and should ask neighbors who they use too. You want an overall cost not time and materials because thats the most expensive. There will be a lobor charge but should your system need parts it should be standard with parts and assemblies right off the shelf. Good luck

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Q. I went to school for hvac got out and started at a company but they started me out as an installer and im not sure if thats the start i wanted to this career i mean if i need it ill do it but what else can i do apartment maintanence or look for a helper position or should i just stay and try to become a lead install and how long would it take to become a service tech from an install?

A. School can teach you the fundamentals, but you NEED hands on experience to learn the things they don't teach you, the tricks of the trade if you will. Besides, isn't installing an AC part of being a tech? There are very few occupations where you can just take what you learned in school and jump into the real world. Most occupations have some form of apprenticeship. Did they teach you how to deal with customers that overlook your shoulder? Code violations you find? Dealing with building inspectors? Getting paid? Dealing with suppliers? Writing up estimates? Did they teach you EVERY cause of every problem in an AC? Have you been taught on every make and model there is, old and new? (I had to read and interpret the wiring diagram on my air handler to the ac tech working on my system that couldn't figure it out). If you're as independent as you think you are, the company will soon recognize your talents, and let you go on to other responsibilities. And just remember, with the economy the way it is, there are plenty of unemployed craftsmen that would be willing to start at the bottom again. Be humbled.

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