Things in the usual state of disarray after the last minute details from the closing and the excitement of moving into a new house. In the final “walk through” before closing, the family carefully examined the kitchen appliances, the baths, the floors, ceilings, roof etc but no consideration was given to the HVAC system other than to turn it on and off, to see if it worked.

     The first really warm day (in the low 80’s outside) didn’t occur until early May, about 2 weeks before the Memorial Day weekend. The cooling system started up OK that afternoon when the thermostat called for cooling. The system worked, although to a trained ear, the air conditioning compressor outside seemed to be making an unusually loud noise. Nobody heard it, or at least didn’t pay any attention to it. Even though the day was relatively mild, the unit continued to run.

     With the outside temperature dropping after sundown, the house cooled down and the unit finally shut off. This pattern continued for a few weeks. Nobody paid attention to the air conditioning system because it was working …apparently.

     As the cooling season progressed, the system ran longer and seemed to get louder. Still no one paid too much attention to it, even though on some of the warmer days, it seemed like it took a long time to get the house cool. The electricity bills were getting quite high too, but this was a new house and the new owners chalked it up to the air conditioner running and a recent rate increase by the utility. “If this trend continues,” Dad thought to himself, “wonder what July and August will be like and if we can afford to keep the house cool even if the air conditioner can do the job”.

     The cooling season started in earnest in the last week of June, with some days in the low 90’s and a RH of 80%. One day the house did not reach the desired temperature all day and the day before the 4th of July, the unit failed completely.

     With the 4th of July week end approaching, a mild form of panic set in. Mom called several contractors. “Can you check this out immediately? We’ve got company coming and we’re planning a big cook-out for the 4th”. Finally she found one that agreed to come out on an emergency basis. “But it’s the 4th of July….a legal holiday and it probably is going to be expensive, even if we can get the parts to fix it,” he warned.

     Breakdowns are never convenient. Most mechanical failures can be traced to neglected maintenance and as far as anyone could tell, no record of system maintenance on this unit was ever performed because the HVAC contractor who did the original work in this development had recently gone out of business. But based on the appearance of the system, not much maintenance had ever been done.

     Air conditioning tune-ups save money. Any mechanical system requires maintenance to continue to operate efficiently. Tune-up your car and it will get slightly better gas mileage. Tune-up your air conditioner and you will save on utilities. Plus, many repairs are preventable with simple maintenance.

     Long before your cooling system actually breaks down, it silently and unavoidably loses efficiency requiring more energy and more money to keep you comfortable. Some studies indicate that with every year of use, a modern air conditioner loses 5% of its capacity due to air restriction across the coil, if not periodically cleaned.

     In addition to this, the electrical consumption is increased by a similar amount and for the same reason.  For this reason alone, regular service that includes coil cleaning is cost effective.

     Like the tires on your car, an air conditioner is filled with gas under pressure. Leakage is not normal but a leak causes significant damage, so checking pressure makes sense.

     All units have motors which last longer if lubricated.

     Safety controls need to be tested periodically to insure they work.

     A side benefit of annual maintenance is the reduction of "surprise breakdowns" when the equipment is needed most.

     So now let’s assume that you’ve decided to have your system tuned up for the summer. Well, you’re not home free yet. How can you distinguish between the legitimate contractor and the scammer BEFORE you spend your money. Well, here’s one way. Find out EXACTLY what they propose to do and get it in writing! Don’t be satisfied with someone telling you “Oh, we do that to”.

     Here’s proof positive, that we offer the area's most comprehensive preventative maintenance service available (40 points)! See for yourself, in writing, not only the name of each of the 40 points BUT the effect each point has on the performance of your system (and why you should not settle for less) by going to our website. Click here. We believe we are safe in saying, that no other local contractor can match this list!

     We also have an "early seasonal discount" (mid March – mid May) to perform this essential service for our customers, but the discount is for PURELY, SELFISH REASONS. In fact, we hate to give away so much money but to date, haven't been able to devise any other way to properly prepare all the cooling systems for our hundreds of customers before the summer sets in for earnest.

      This makes for both of us a "win-win" situation. We win by getting you to order early (and can do more jobs)...you win, if you order early by getting a $135 value for a lot less money (and you can save even more if you order on line) as you join hundreds of others who every summer, make Climatemakers their contractor of choice.

      If you read our last several newsletters, you know that our seasonal discounts are effective from 03/15/05 to 05/15/05 and strictly are limited. We again call your attention to the sliding scale of discounts for early registration. Unfortunately, the time period for the whopping 40% discount has expired but there are still 2 days remaining to get the 30% discount (which ain’t bad) and remember, there is still an extra discount when you make your reservations on line.

     On line reservations can be made by clicking here . The cost of the "check-up/tune-up" is a small price to pay for superior equipment performance that result in lower energy bills and extended life performance. Remember, THE MAJOR CAUSE OF EQUIPMENT FAILURE IS INADEQUATE MAINTENANCE.

     Only 2 days remaining to get the 30% discount. Do It Now! Click here.