As the weather turns warmer and we prepare to use our air conditioners to keep cool, we will be changing the filters on all central air units, which we manage, during the month of May. Below are some facts and tips we hope you will find useful

OPERATION

1. Make sure that your thermostat is set on “Cool” and “Auto”.
2. Do not turn your air conditioning off all day. Think about it this way, No one would turn off their heat on a really cold day, so why would you turn off the air? While no one wants to waste money, turning the air off all day, especially on really hot and humid days, will require the unit to work harder, and take hours to cool your house or apartment. A reasonable alternative would be to adjust your thermostat when leaving in the morning. Turning the temperature up to 78 or 79 will keep the air circulating; the humidity down, and will still feel cool to you when walking in from the outside on a 90-degree day. Once you’re home, adjust to your needs.
3. Air conditioning does not provide “instant cooling”. Depending on the temperature, it could take several hours to cool.
4. Air conditioning units have their limits. If you live on the top floor of the building and the temperature outside is 90 degrees, the roof on top of you can be 130 degrees. When this occurs you may not be able to get the temperature down below 75- 77 degrees.
5. Use some common sense to keep the temperature down. During the day, block out as much of the sun as you can by closing shades and blinds. This alone could lower your temperature and electric bills. Make sure to turn all lights off when you leave since they produce heat.

MAINTENCE

All mechanical things require maintenance. We change the filters at the start of each heating and cooling season, but there are some basic things that all tenants should know.

1. Air conditioners remove moisture from the air, and pumps it down a drain. If you see wetness a around the bottom of your unit turn it off and call us. While fixing this problem is easy, repairing the water damage to the ceiling, walls and carpets or floors below you can be a large problem and expense. What has occurred is a clog in the drain of your unit. The most common cause of this is lint from dryers, which are frequently located in the same utility closet, if this is the case in your apartment, is essential that you keep the area clean.
2. If you believe that your air conditioner needs service, before calling:
a. Please review the operation section above.
b. Check your circuit breakers. If they are not marked, it should be the double pole breaker. Turn it all the way off, and then on again.
3. After hours emergencies. Air conditioning is not considered an emergency. It requires service by trained HVAC professionals, who are only available during standard business hours. The maintenance staff that answers emergency calls will only go over the operations above. Please call the standard maintenance line, or contact us via email though our web site. This will give the opportunity to respond quickly the next morning. If you wait until after 9:00AM you run the risk of additional delays in getting service completed.
4. Service Charges. If there is a problem with your unit, there is no repair charge. However, if you did not follow the directions above, were not operating the system properly, refused access to service personnel, or if we find nothing wrong, you will be charged for the service call. The minimum charge fore this is $65.00. Please follow the above directions to avoid this.