DIYbanter - View Single Post - A/C working properly? Cost

Jeff Wisnia

wrote:

On Jul 7, 1:41 pm, Jeff Wisnia wrote:

wrote:

On Jul 7, 12:41 pm, BobK207 wrote:

On Jul 7, 9:27 am, wrote:

On Jul 6, 7:24 pm, wrote:

It's 90 deg. outside, humidity is 37%. The A/C is set to 80 deg. The
temp in the apartment is at 83 deg, and hasn't gone below that. The A/
C has been running non-stop for hours. The temp out of the vents is
colder than the air in the apartment, but not a lot colder. (I don't
have a thermometer.)

Maintenance fixed the A/C only a month ago when it completely quit
working. Our electric bill that month was $320 for a 800 sq ft
apartment.

Maintenance is coming tomorrow. How do I make sure they fix the unit
right, or make the landlord replace it if it won't work properly? The
electric bill is outragous.

Maintenance came today. He hooked an electric probe in two places, and
in two minutes he said "it's fine." He hadn't checked the output
temperature. I asked him to do that. (The A/C was off before he came,
as it wasn't working right, so it's only been running for a couple
minutes.) He went back to his van and got a thermometer (laser,
interesting). The output temperature was 70 deg, and the house was 82
deg. I said it should be 20 deg. "Why do you think it should be 20 deg
different?" he says. I told him that's what I found on the internet.
He checked more wires with his probe for another 5 minutes, then
checked the temperature again. It now said 64 deg (18 deg different).
He said it had to run for a while to get to that temp. (Recall, he
just asked why I thought is should be 20 deg.) I explained the
problem of it not cooling down below 83 deg in 7 hours, and never
having an electric bill like we just had in the year and a half we'd
already been here. He didn't have anything to say, and didn't check
anything else. He never looked at the outside part of the unit. I
asked if he had a contractor HVAC license as he was leaving. He said
yes. I said I'd come down with him and write the number down. When I
got to his van he said I'm not giving you my contractors number, the
landlord has it. I said I need to keep proper records because the
cooling bill is outragous, and the A/C is not cooling the apartment.
He wouldn't give it to me. I said well then I'll write down your plate
number and write the state about it.

(Also, he said the previous problem las month was a broken relay.)

Unfortunately, the law doesn't require him to have a license. I just
found the following on the net:
G.S. 87-21 (c) To Whom Article Applies. - The provisions of this
Article shall apply to all persons, firms, or corporations who engage
in, or attempt to engage in, the business of plumbing, heating, or
fire sprinkler contracting, or any combination thereof as defined in
this Article. The provisions of this Article shall not apply to those
who make minor repairs or minor replacements to an already installed
system of plumbing or heating, but shall apply to those who make
repairs, replacements, or modifications to an already installed fire
sprinkler system.

I can see your attitude & problem solving skills are really moving
that ball forward.

quoting law / code ain't going to get your apt cooled off

must really suck to be you.........hope it's not too hot today for
you

I asked if he had a license as he was leaving. Can you read?

The guy was obviously pretty clueless about A/C.

I'll be writing a detailed letter to the landlord, and the state
licensing board (they may have some input even though he apparently
doesn' have to know what he's doing).

Y'know Carie, you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.

My curious mind wants to know....Are you married or single?

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.98*10^14 fathoms per fortnight.

Never married. Only do long-term-relationships with one person. Single
for 3 months, after the last relationship of 2 years. Dating casually.
I don't have to approach, but I do because I know what I want. I
typically only date people with IQs above 135 (thats about a 1340 on
the old SAT) - otherwise we wouldn't relate.

Ever considered joining Mensa?

I was invited to join about 45 years ago, but in the words of Groucho
Marx, "I would never want to belong to any club that would have someone
like me for a member." G

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.98*10^14 fathoms per fortnight.