WTNH News Channel 8 / News / 1999

	Business booming for air conditioning repair workers (New Haven-WTNH) _ Thanks to our heatwave the air conditioner repair business is booming. Whether it's central air or window units, it seems people wait until the heat's unbearable to make that call. But when it comes to keeping cool, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. News Channel 8's Ned Berkowitz reports. The time to make sure your air conditioner works properly is April or May, because as many people are finding out by July it may already be too late. Even if you're system is working just fine right now don't take it for granted. There's a lot you can do to make sure it works just as well tomorrow. You think it's hot in your kitchen? Well, talk about out of the boiling pan and into the fire. The ovens at Towne Pizza in New Haven are 750 degrees, so when Nick Yorgakaros heard a heat wave was coming, he had his refrigerators and AC system checked before it was too late and too hot. Nick Yorgakaros, Towne Pizza: "You could have your freezer for example fall apart and in this heat, forget it, you'll lose everything. You could lose thousands of dollars overnight." Meet Steve Holland, the "Quincy" of home air conditioner systems. The patient is dead. His job is to figure out what killed it. But unlike the TV medical examiner, Steve has the power to bring his patients back to life. Steve Holland, Alpine Heating and Cooling: "We know the zones are calling. We know the air filter's clean for the most part. We know the system's operating right now, so we go outside and check pressures and refrigerant levels and go on from there." And lo and behold, a refrigerant leak is the main problem. Also, mice have been making this unit's electrical compartment their winter home and gnawing through some wires. A snip here, some juice there... Holland: "...turn it back on and these falling readings show this air conditioner has risen from the dead. "In most cases it's a low maintenance situation. People don't have it checked every year. Like anything else when something breaks that's when you want it fixed." It's the same story for window units. If you don't keep this filter clean, they can ice up, blocking airflow. And if that makes you a little hot under the collar, get this... Ned: "How how much does something like this cost?" John Martorella, General Appliance: "$1.49." Ned: "And how much does it cost once you're iced up?" Martorella: "If you bring it in the minimum charge is $35.00." You can still be cool even without air conditioning by putting your fans in the right places. Fans can be used to create cross ventilation. Place box fans outward in windows on the warmest side of the house to blow warm air out. Fans facing inward can bring cooler outside air in. Portable fans can push cool air into other rooms. At night they can be placed in bedroom windows to pull cool air in. Ventilating a home works best when all inside doors are left open. Today's News Page. WTNH Home Page. ©1999 WTNH/WTNH-DT A LIN station.

Business booming for air conditioning repair workers
(New Haven-WTNH) _ Thanks to our heatwave the air conditioner repair business is booming. Whether it's central air or window units, it seems people wait until the heat's unbearable to make that call. But when it comes to keeping cool, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
News Channel 8's Ned Berkowitz reports.

The time to make sure your air conditioner works properly is April or May, because as many people are finding out by July it may already be too late. Even if you're system is working just fine right now don't take it for granted. There's a lot you can do to make sure it works just as well tomorrow.

You think it's hot in your kitchen? Well, talk about out of the boiling pan and into the fire. The ovens at Towne Pizza in New Haven are 750 degrees, so when Nick Yorgakaros heard a heat wave was coming, he had his refrigerators and AC system checked before it was too late and too hot.

Nick Yorgakaros, Towne Pizza: "You could have your freezer for example fall apart and in this heat, forget it, you'll lose everything. You could lose thousands of dollars overnight."

Meet Steve Holland, the "Quincy" of home air conditioner systems. The patient is dead. His job is to figure out what killed it. But unlike the TV medical examiner, Steve has the power to bring his patients back to life.

Steve Holland, Alpine Heating and Cooling: "We know the zones are calling. We know the air filter's clean for the most part. We know the system's operating right now, so we go outside and check pressures and refrigerant levels and go on from there."

And lo and behold, a refrigerant leak is the main problem. Also, mice have been making this unit's electrical compartment their winter home and gnawing through some wires. A snip here, some juice there...

Holland: "...turn it back on and these falling readings show this air conditioner has risen from the dead.

"In most cases it's a low maintenance situation. People don't have it checked every year. Like anything else when something breaks that's when you want it fixed."

It's the same story for window units. If you don't keep this filter clean, they can ice up, blocking airflow. And if that makes you a little hot under the collar, get this...

Ned: "How how much does something like this cost?"
John Martorella, General Appliance: "$1.49."
Ned: "And how much does it cost once you're iced up?"
Martorella: "If you bring it in the minimum charge is $35.00."

You can still be cool even without air conditioning by putting your fans in the right places. Fans can be used to create cross ventilation. Place box fans outward in windows on the warmest side of the house to blow warm air out. Fans facing inward can bring cooler outside air in. Portable fans can push cool air into other rooms. At night they can be placed in bedroom windows to pull cool air in.

Ventilating a home works best when all inside doors are left open.

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