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Cooling Systems Are Also Wilting: Faulty Units Keep Technicians Scrambling As Capital's High of 105 Ties 42-Year-Old Record.

Posted on: Sunday, 25 June 2006, 12:00 CDT

By Deb Kollars, The Sacramento Bee, Calif.

Jun. 24--Summer's first heat wave is pushing air conditioners to their limits, leaving technicians scrambling to handle a furnace blast of service calls.

"We're swamped," Chris Nygard, co-owner of Nordic Air Mechanical, said Friday as he left one job and headed to another. He was hours away from finishing a workday that would not end until 10 p.m. "Everyone calls when it's hot and it's broken."

Other companies have been experiencing the same. Some receptionists were so busy Friday they couldn't even take time out to talk about it.

The high at Sacramento Executive Airport was 105, tying a record set in 1964. According to the National Weather Service, highs are expected to remain in the 104 to 105 vicinity today and Sunday, with a possible cooling trend Tuesday or Wednesday.

In the world of air conditioners, it is always a watershed moment when annual temperatures spike into the upper 90s and beyond, said Hugh Fowler, SMUD's supervisor of residential services.

Some people may have just turned on their units for the first time in nine or 10 months and, bummer, there's a strange racket coming out. Or a warm stream of air instead of a cool one.

Others with a lower tolerance for heat may have been running their systems for several weeks without problems. But then, when the heat hits the triple-digit range, they find their air conditioner can't keep up.

According to Fowler, several days in a row over 100 degrees causes asphalt, rooftops, bare ground and the air to heat up and stay that way, creating what he calls an "urban heat island."

"Any air-conditioning system is going to have to work harder to overcome the ambient heat, the heat that has built up," he explained. The older the unit, the more stressed it can be under high heat conditions.

Units mounted on rooftops face an added burden: They must push cooled air through ducts in attics where temperatures can reach 140 degrees.

"By the time the air gets to the register in your living room, it's not 78 degrees any more," Fowler said.

Air-conditioning professionals recommend annual servicing to keep units in shape.

"If you take good care of it, it will take good care of you," said Linda McAlpine, corporate secretary of Park Mechanical, a heating and air conditioning firm near Power Inn Road. She said business has been brisk for months at Park Mechanical with people replacing their systems before high temperatures arrived.

She and others said it is critical that people with central systems replace filters monthly during cooling and heating months. Window units also must get regular filter changes. In some cases, McAlpine said, technicians have found filters so clogged that air couldn't pass through them.

Residents should not attempt other types of maintenance on central air units for safety reasons, Fowler said. Most air conditioners, he said, are designed for a life span of about 20 years, though some can run much longer.

People can take several steps to reduce their energy costs and keep their homes cooler. At the same time, they will be helping power companies keep up with energy demand, which spikes dramatically in summer, said David Eisenhauer, spokesman for PG&E.

One critical step is to have ducts inspected for leaks. Fowler estimated as many as 20 percent of duct work in Sacramento has leakage, which can cost consumers substantially.

Utilities are eager for people to have the inspections done; SMUD, for example, offers a $50 rebate on the $75 tests. Leaking ducts should be sealed. Consumers should check with their utility about rebate opportunities.

People also should consider adding insulation to attics, especially in older homes. In addition, whole-house fans can help relieve the heat that builds up in attics.

Utilities also offer rebates to consumers installing new systems that meet energy-efficiency criteria.

COOLING TIPS -- Set the thermostat at 78 degrees or higher in summer. For every two degrees of cooling you are willing to give up, you will save 5 percent to 10 percent in energy costs.

-- When away from home, set the thermostat at 85 degrees. Or turn the system off, and use a clock thermometer set to go on an hour or two before you are due home.

-- Pull drapes and shades during the day, especially those facing south and west. Open windows at night to take advantage of cooler temperatures and breezes.

-- Use fans instead of central air if you plan to stay in one room for an extended time. Individual fans cost about 90 percent less to run than central cooling systems.

-- Don't use appliances such as dishwashers, washers and dryers during hot afternoons and evenings.

-- Turn off unnecessary lights. Switch to compact fluorescent lights, which cost more initially but last longer, don't get as hot and save money and energy in the long run.

Source: SMUD and PG&E

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Sacramento Bee, Calif.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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Source: The Sacramento Bee

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