AC Service Checklist

Air Conditioning Service Checklist

 

Regular air conditioning service keeps a central air conditioning unit performing at maximum efficiency. An air conditioner losesapproximately 5 percent of its efficiency after every year of use, but regular maintenance helps curtail this loss and keeps air conditioning functioning at 95 percent of its original efficiency.

Keeping up with air conditioning service helps homeowners quickly recoup air conditioner tune-up costs in the form of

· Lower electric bills

· Reduced ac repair costs

· Enhanced living comfort with an AC unit that dehumidifies and cools more efficiently

Look into an annual air conditioning service contract when you purchase your unit to ensure that you’ll schedule that service visit before you turn on the unit for the hot summer months.

Already have a central AC?

Look for special sales on service at the start of every summer to save even more money.

Air Conditioning Service should include the following steps:

 

· Clean the condensing unit coils

· Check the amp draw of the compressor to ensure that it’s running within specifications

· Oil the fan motors

· Check belts for adjustment and wear-and-tear

· Check system operating pressures and temperatures to ensure that they are performing within the manufacturer’s specifications

· Check the air conditioner’s coolant level

At the start of every summer, as well as every three months during the operating season, the homeowner should check and clean or replace the air filters. The air conditioning service person can show you how.

Since 30 percent of an air conditioner’s cooling capacity can escape from leaky or poorly-insulated ducts, also hire a professional to check for and repair duct leaks if you detect a reduction in the cooling capabilities of your system.

Prepping for an Air Conditioning Service Visit

Before your service professional arrives, take a few minutes to get ready for his visit.

· Confirm the time of appointment and make sure an adult is home to let the professional in the house

· Know where all the components to your unit are located

· Make sure that nothing, including dirt, shrubbery, leaves, children’s toys, or yard appliances blocks access to the unit

· If the system has frozen, unplug it and permit it to defrost in time for service

· Have a record of past maintenance and any warranties or service contracts handy

· Write down a list of any questions you may have.

The Potato Chronicles II

April 25, 2012

It's been exactly two weeks since we debuted our 2012 American Classic Potato Project!

It’s time for an update, don’t you agree?

As you know, we have two trash cans of potatoes started, and you can see that the potato vines have breeched the surface!  The vines are approximately two inches out of the ground as of this morning.  As soon as they hit the 4-6 inch mark, we’ll add 2-4 inches of soil to the surface, and continue the process.

I’m pleased to see our progress considering we’ve had temperatures in the low 40’s overnight since the cold front moved in last weekend.  We are back in a warm-up cycle now, so we should see some faster results moving forward!

National Severe Weather Preparedness Week

It's National Severe Weather Preparedness Week

April 22 – 28

Know your risk, take action, and be a force of nature,

by taking proactive preparedness measures and

inspiring others to do the same.
 Print out this free Ready American worksheet

so you and your family

can be prepared when severe weather hits.

Preparing Makes Sense. Get Ready Now.



1. Get a Kit of emergency supplies.

Be prepared to improvise and use what you have on hand to make it on your own for at least three days, maybe longer. While there are many things that might make you more comfortable, think first about fresh water, food and clean air.


Recommended Supplies to Include in a Basic Kit:


ü Water one gallon per person per day, for drinking and sanitation

ü Non-perishable Food at least a three-day supply

ü Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert

       and extra batteries for both

ü Flashlight and extra batteries

ü First Aid kit

ü Whistle to signal for help

ü Filter mask or cotton t-shirt, to help filter the air

ü Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation

ü Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities

ü Manual can opener if kit contains canned food

ü Plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place

ü Important Family Documents

ü Items for unique family needs, such as daily prescription medications, infant formula or diapers


Consider two kits

In one, put everything you will need to stay where you are and make it on your own. The other should be a lightweight, smaller version you can take with you if you have to get away.



2. Make a Plan for what you will do in an emergency.

Plan in advance what you will do in an emergency. Be prepared to assess the situation. Use common sense and whatever you have on hand to take care of yourself and your loved ones.


Develop a Family Emergency Plan

Your family may not be together when disaster strikes, so plan how you will contact one another and review what you will do in different situations. Consider a plan where each family member calls, or e-mails, the same friend or relative in the event of an emergency. It may be easier to make a long-distance phone call than to call across town, so an out-of-town contact may be in a better position to communicate among separated family members. Be sure each person knows the phone number and has coins or a prepaid phone card to call the emergency contact. You may have trouble getting through, or the phone system may be down altogether, but be patient. Depending on your circumstances and the nature of the attack, the first important decision is whether you stay put or get away. You should understand and plan for both possibilities. Use common sense and the information you are learning here to determine if there is immediate danger.

Watch television and listen to the radio for official instructions as they become available.


Create a Plan to Shelter-in-Place

There are circumstances when staying put and creating a barrier between yourself and potentially contaminated air outside, a process known as sheltering-in-place and sealing the room can be a matter of survival. If you see large amounts of debris in the air, or if local authorities say the air is badly contaminated, you may want to shelter-in-place and seal the room. Consider precutting plastic sheeting to seal windows, doors and air vents. Each piece should be several inches larger than the space you want to cover so that you can duct tape it flat against the wall. Label each piece with the location of where it fits. Use all available information to assess the situation. Quickly bring your family and pets inside, lock doors, and close windows, air vents and replace dampers. Immediately turn off air conditioning, forced air heating systems, exhaust fans and clothes dryers. Take your emergency supplies and go into the room you have designated. Seal all windows, doors and vents. Understand that sealing the room is a temporary measure to create a barrier between you and contaminated air. Watch TV, listen to the radio or check the Internet for instructions from local emergency management officials.


Create a Plan to Get Away

Plan in advance how you will assemble your family and anticipate where you will go. Choose several destinations in different directions so you have options in an emergency. If you have a car, keep at least a half tank of gas in it at all times. Become familiar with alternate routes as well as other means of transportation out of your area. If you do not have a car, plan how you will leave if you have to. Take your emergency supply kit, unless you have reason to believe it is contaminated and lock the door behind you. Take pets with you if you are told to evacuate, however, if you are going to a public shelter, keep in mind they may not be allowed inside. If you believe the air may be contaminated, drive with your windows and vents closed and keep the air conditioning and heater turned off. Listen to the radio for instructions. Know Emergency Plans at school and work. Talk to your children’s schools and your employer about emergency plans. Find out how they will communicate with families during an emergency. If you are an employer, be sure you have an emergency preparedness plan. Review and practice it with your employees. A community working together during an emergency also makes sense. Talk to your neighbors about how you can work together.


3. Be Informed about what might happen.

Some of the things you can do to prepare for the unexpected, such as assembling a supply kit and developing a family emergency plan, are the same for both a natural or manmade emergency. However there are significant differences among potential terrorist threats, such as biological, chemical, explosive, nuclear and radiological, which will impact the decisions you make and the actions you take. By beginning a process of learning about these specific threats, you are preparing yourself to react in an emergency. Go to ready.gov to learn more about potential terrorist threats and other emergencies or call 1-800-BE-READY (1-800-237-3239) for a free brochure. Be prepared to adapt this information to your personal circumstances and make every effort to follow instructions received from authorities on the scene. Also learn about your community’s local emergency plan. With these simple preparations, you can be ready for the unexpected.


4. Get Involved in preparing your community.

After preparing yourself and your family for possible emergencies, take the next step and get involved in preparing your community. Learn more about Citizen Corps, which actively involves citizens in making our communities and our nation safer, stronger and better prepared. We all have a role to play in keeping our hometowns secure from emergencies of all kinds. Citizen Corps works hard to help people prepare, train and volunteer in their communities. Go to www.citizencorps.gov for more information and to get involved.

Sizzlin' Summer Student Special

The Potato Chronicles

American Classic Potato Project 2012...

Living onsite as a Self Storage Manager has pros and cons.  One pro?  I have a ten-step commute to work in these days of $4 per gallon gasoline.  The cons?  I don’t have a yard to speak of.  Don’t get me wrong — I have a lovely raised deck, and maintenance-free rock area as well as a second-level sun deck that runs the entire length of my home.  I just don’t have a garden spot.  And, for a girl who likes to garden, we had to come up with some alternatives to enjoy this hobby.

Welcome to our world of container gardening!  Between 5 gallon pails, some raised beds, some rectangular flower boxes, and some garbage cans, we are finding a way to grow the vegetables we love!

Last year, we attempted our garbage can potatoes — with little success.  After realizing where our mistakes were made, we are ready for success this year!  For those who are interested in following along, we’ll be posting progress pictures and blogging our way to harvest.  And, for all our customers who are excited to join us on this journey, we’ll be inviting you to join us for our HOMEMADE POTATO SOUP as fall arrives!  Won’t you join us, too?

Our seed potatoes arrived on March 17th.  We planted them over the Easter weekend in the two plastic trash barrels you see in this picture.  They sit behind two raised bed gardens that hold our new tomato plants.

With drainage holes drilled in the bottom of the trash cans, we placed approximately 4 inches of soil in the bottom of the can.  The seed potatoes were planted with the ‘eyes’ facing up.

For every four to six inches of potato plant growth, we will add two to four inches of new soil.  Lather, rinse, repeat.  Once we reach the top of the trash cans, we’ll simply wait for the potato plants to dry up.  Once that occurs, it will be harvest time!

We’ll spread a tarp on the ground, tip the trash can over, and harvest our potatoes!

We’ll be updating this potato journey throughout the coming months, so watch for new pictures!