Annual Service for your Air Conditioning System, 2016

The units at 900 Marshy Cove and 700 Cattail Cove should to be serviced every year.

• In June, you should pour a cup of bleach down the condensate drain.
• Spring and Autumn are good times to change your air filter.

During the season, condensation from the coiling coils can support the growth of "biological crud" in the drain. The bleach should clear any developing blockage. Failure to clear a blockage will result in an overflow and potential water damage to your unit and units below.

How it works: (This description varies with your condo floor plan.)

• Your air conditioning system has three primary components:
• The  Compressor which is in the garage or outside
• The Coiling Coil also called the Evaporator Coil in your duct work located in your laundry room or utility closet.
• The tubing that connects the two units

Primary drain is on the right. note trap at  bottom that where crud builds up. The left pipe is the overflow.

Remove cap. Slowly pour the bleach in here. 

• The condensate drain pipes are located in your unit in your laundry room or utility closet
• There are two white PVC pipes coming out of the duct work. (see photos)
• One is the primary condensate drain. Its purpose is to drain the condensed humidity away and out of your unit and out of the building. It has several bends and an access cap.
• The second pipe is a back-up or overflow drain which directs excess water to an overflow pan at the bottom of the duct assembly. If you see water in this visible pan, you have a problem with your primary drain. 
• The back-up pan has a float switch which should shut down your system if it is full. 
• The copper tubes that connect both units run through the building, Under normal operation, one is hot and one is cold. A pin-hole leak may mean full replacement.  Usually these lines are durable enough to last for years. Most leaks occur at the connections. 

Simple checks: Do this on a warm day

• Turn your conditioner on. Set the thermostat a few degrees lower. Are you getting cool air blowing out of your registers? Check your room temperature, It it going down? How long does it take to get to the cooler setting. use a good thermometer to check.

Ceiling register

• Find your compressor in garage or outside. They are labeled. The fan should be blowing warm to hot air. That's the heat the AC is removing from your unit. Compare with other operating compressors. If the air is cool, you may have a problem.

Solutions:

• The unit owner is responsible for the maintenance and repair of all air conditioning equipment.
• You may select any HVAC service company.
• We have experience with Black Water Heating and Air Conditioning, 
• 4364 Egypt Rd., Cambridge, MD 21613, (410) 221-0180
• Standard service should be less than $100.  Full recharge of gas up to $300.
• Contact Sentry Management if you need more assistance. (410)221-0398
• Get a good thermostat. The Trane thermostats that Beazer installed are mediocre (cheap). Honeywell makes the best on the market. Use time schedules to save money. 

Electronic Thermostat. 

• When you leave the unit do for an extended period in the summer, set the AC to 78-80. It will minimize humidity. 
• Subscribe to the power companies "peak savings program". Have them put the "peaking switch" on the AC unit. Using their thermostat can affect heating. One winter, they shut off our heating units of course by accident. That was fun.
• For the handy man: The best check is to check the coil box temperature. Open it up, insert a thermometer, then close it. Let the unit run for 10 minutes, then remove the thermometer. 55 degrees or less is good. I use a radio remote thermometer which you can buy at Radio Shack or most hardware stores.

The inner workings. This is the cooling coil. This chamber should be 55 degrees or less.

Stay Cool, Uncle George

mc900@comcast.net