OT: AC Service and Repair

[Boodawg]

Guys, I just wanted some good advice on who to use for AC service and repair. Anyone have some good recommendations? In this heat, my AC will run all day and keep it at about 78 degrees then cool back down after sunset. The AC guy at work said that it should keep up better than that. He said it may need more R22, etc.

[Bullsy]

AC units in most houses combined with the minimal amount of insulation that "most" houses have will really struggle this time if year. AC units are only designed to cool a home up to a 20-25 degree spread. So, when its 100 degrees outside, its a struggle to cool past the 78 degrees you are currently getting.

Having said that:
1) have a service man check and make sure you have enough R22
2) go to the outside unit and physically rinse all 4 sides with a water hose. If there is a lot of dirt or junk built up, this could help.
3) MOST IMPORTANTLY consider adding some blown-in insulation in the attic, especially if it has not been done in over 5 years. That will help you more than anything.

My house maintains 69 degrees 24 hours a day no problem

[Interpolation_Dawg_EX]

Good advice Bullsy...I'd add to check your inside filter often and keep them changed out. My buddy who does some AC on the side recommends the cheap filters and just replace them more often. It's made a difference for me.

[Dawgface]

I had this problem. Got a guy out and he simply washed off dirt on the coils in the outside unit. Solved the problem. Paid $90 for something I could have done, but I'm dumb and assumed it needed freon.

[Jack Lambert]

When I built my home I wish I had put two units in. Not that my house is super big it's just the way it is set up.

I am still tempted to add a second hot water heater. My bathrooms are on one side of the house and the wash room and kitchen is on the other. We use a lot of water trying to get the hot water to the bathrooms.

[drunkernhelldawg]

Guys, I just wanted some good advice on who to use for AC service and repair. Anyone have some good recommendations? In this heat, my AC will run all day and keep it at about 78 degrees then cool back down after sunset. The AC guy at work said that it should keep up better than that. He said it may need more R22, etc.

Probably just the heat. Just put the thremostat on 80 or 81 in the heat of the day so it won't work too hard. Cut it back to 73 around 7 p.m.

[Barkman Turner Overdrive]

Guys, I just wanted some good advice on who to use for AC service and repair. Anyone have some good recommendations? In this heat, my AC will run all day and keep it at about 78 degrees then cool back down after sunset. The AC guy at work said that it should keep up better than that. He said it may need more R22, etc.

What kind of unit do you have?

[Just This Once]

Having said that:
1) have a service man check and make sure you have enough R22
2) go to the outside unit and physically rinse all 4 sides with a water hose. If there is a lot of dirt or junk built up, this could help.
3) MOST IMPORTANTLY consider adding some blown-in insulation in the attic, especially if it has not been done in over 5 years. That will help you more than anything.

Do 2 and 3 first, but with 3, don't pay to have someone do blown-in. I see an average cost of about $1.75/sqft for blown-in fiberglass and $2 for blown-in cellulose fiber. However, if you do it yourself buying the fiberglass rolls, it's only around $0.50/sqft, and you can knock it out in about an hour on a Saturday. Plus, the fiberglass batting has a higher R-value than blow-in fiberglass, so you don't need as much of it. Recommended R-value is 38, which for the fiberglass batting means about 12 inches thick, compared to 15 inches of the blown-in.

Also, check for air leaks around your doors and windows. It's as simple as running your hand along the seam to try to feel any drafts. A small crack won't amount to much, but it's also cheap to take care of.

Better yet, if you're an Atmos Energy customer (in Mississippi), they are currently offering free in-home assessments to test your energy efficiency. AC doesn't really fall into it (since they're natural gas), but if you have a gas furnace, they'll check all of the little things that would affect the AC as well. www.AtmosEnergy.com/SmartChoiceMS is the website.

If you are a MSPower or Entergy customer, they are offering similar assessments (geared toward the electric side), but they aren't free.

[Just This Once]

When I built my home I wish I had put two units in. Not that my house is super big it's just the way it is set up.

I am still tempted to add a second hot water heater. My bathrooms are on one side of the house and the wash room and kitchen is on the other. We use a lot of water trying to get the hot water to the bathrooms.

Is your water heater a tank?

[Dallas_Dawg]

Well, what town do you live in? I'm sure somebody on here knows somebody

[starkvegasdawg]

When I built my home I wish I had put two units in. Not that my house is super big it's just the way it is set up.

I am still tempted to add a second hot water heater. My bathrooms are on one side of the house and the wash room and kitchen is on the other. We use a lot of water trying to get the hot water to the bathrooms.

Go tankless if you haven't already. I put one in when I built my current house 5 years ago and I would never think about going back to a tank water heater.

[Daddy Rabbit Dawg]

When I built my home I wish I had put two units in. Not that my house is super big it's just the way it is set up.

I am still tempted to add a second hot water heater. My bathrooms are on one side of the house and the wash room and kitchen is on the other. We use a lot of water trying to get the hot water to the bathrooms.

Buy a tankless water heater...problem solved.

[Johnson85]

Guys, I just wanted some good advice on who to use for AC service and repair. Anyone have some good recommendations? In this heat, my AC will run all day and keep it at about 78 degrees then cool back down after sunset. The AC guy at work said that it should keep up better than that. He said it may need more R22, etc.

What kind of house do you have? If you have a ton of windows (especially southern exposure) and no shade, are in a particularly old house, are in a cheaper spec built house whose builder might have skimped on the wall insulation, or just have a unit sized on the smaller size for the sq footage (or really cubic footage) getting it below 78 might be asking too much of your unit. But I would disagree with the thought that it should be a struggle to get past 78 degrees for most houses. Except for the oldest or worst built, a house with good insulation and shades on the southern facing windows and a properly sized unit should be able to keep it below 75 even during the hottest part of the day.

[sleepy dawg]

I had a similar problem... Turned out I had a freon leak. Found the leak, fixed it, filled it back with freon, and now my house can cool in the summer day again.

My best advice is to find someone who does it on the side first because my experiences in dealing with the company guys directly is they want to rip you off, and do.
I even had an A\C guy tell me straight up that they have lots of room to move the price around, and do based on things like how the customer treats them, or how easy it is, or if they have pets, or even if they're just pissed off.

[Bullsy]

[QUOTE=Just This Once;387130]Do 2 and 3 first, but with 3, don't pay to have someone do blown-in. I see an average cost of about $1.75/sqft for blown-in fiberglass and $2 for blown-in cellulose fiber. However, if you do it yourself buying the fiberglass rolls, it's only around $0.50/sqft, and you can knock it out in about an hour on a Saturday. Plus, the fiberglass batting has a higher R-value than blow-in fiberglass, so you don't need as much of it. Recommended R-value is 38, which for the fiberglass batting means about 12 inches thick, compared to 15 inches of the blown-in.

As a contractor, I pay $0.60 per ft for blown-in. Not sure who was sticking it up your ass, for $1.75 for the same thing.

My personal house has open cell foam spray (best product on the market not even close) and even that is not $1.75 per ft.

[Bullsy]

.

[Just This Once]

As a contractor, I pay $0.60 per ft for blown-in. Not sure who was sticking it up your ass, for $1.75 for the same thing.

My personal house has open cell foam spray (best product on the market not even close) and even that is not $1.75 per ft.

I'm talking total cost, after fees and taxes. It's a little lower from the contractors in our network in the Jackson area due to increased competition, but once you get outside of the immediate metro, it gets up there.

[Bullsy]

I'm talking total cost, after fees and taxes. It's a little lower from the contractors in our network in the Jackson area due to increased competition, but once you get outside of the immediate metro, it gets up there.

i know we are taking this thread way off course but so was i. Blown in insulation is $0.60 per ft including labor.

Walls are $0.42 per sq ft including labor

You can insulate an entire new house for approximately $1 per sq ft--labor and materials included

So you could let someone else do it next time for almost the same $'s and not have to mess with that stuff

[Bullsy]

Or you could have foam spray installed which would cut your electric bills in half and keep your house as cool as a Yeti Cooler

[Dawgtini]

Or you could have foam spray installed which would cut your electric bills in half and keep your house as cool as a Yeti Cooler
Does it come with a sticker for my truck??**

[Dawgcentral]

I agree with Bullsy, but I must add that I've been told the batt, or blown in insulation will have to be removed from between the joists if you choose the foam between rafters.

[Bullsy]

That is correct. It has to be removed.

We install foam spray on mostly large custom houses. Eg, 6000 sq ft houses will have electric bills less than $200 in july and august

[sleepy dawg]

Does it come with a sticker for my truck??**

nice.

[Boodawg]

Thanks to everyone for all their replies. I live in Madison. I ended up using a company that my work uses. Warrington out of Kosciusko. First thing he did was clean the coils, which as another poster said, I could've done myself, and will from now on. He also added about 2.5lb of R22. All said and done, I got screwed. $120 to clean the coils (took all of about 5 minutes) $285 to add freon. I questioned him hard about the freon and why the heck it was so much. He said it cost them about $35 per lb, or something like that, and I said well that's around $100, so your profit on that is $185, wow. Then he said he was supposed to charge me $120 for something else but they waved that, and then gave me a 20% discount because of where I work. Ended up charging me $385. Anyway, hindsight is 20/20. I will never use them again, and I will always clean my unit 1-2 times a year.
Also, thanks for all the insulation information. However, I think it would take a lot longer than an hour for me to do it.
Also someone asked what kind of unit I have. I have no idea. It's a no name brand stuck on all the houses in my neighborhood between 1600-2200sqft.