[lyra33]

Originally Posted by Spraynard Kruger

Unless there is a measurable temperature gradient between the area where your fan is located and the thermostat, I'm afraid your theory regarding the delayed thermostat is nothing but hot air.

Fans circulate the air, they do not cool it. This has been discussed already. Fans cool people, not thermostats.

LOL!

[Trash Can]

Originally Posted by tiger08

1. These pleated filters that everyone is buying now are restrictive right out of the package! They also say on some of them, good for 90 days. This is wrong! I guarantee you, any pleated filter after 90 days, even a month, is chocking your unit to death.
I use the cheap fiberglass filters in my unit, they are very free flowing and I change them every three weeks.

My AC tech said the same thing. The more expensive ones make your unit work much harder right out of the box. He said buy the cheap ones and change them often. My reminder to change filters is when my electric bill arrives.

[Buzz123]

Originally Posted by Trash Can

My AC tech said the same thing. The more expensive ones make your unit work much harder right out of the box. He said buy the cheap ones and change them often. My reminder to change filters is when my electric bill arrives.

Originally Posted by tiger08

Everything said above is correct.
I want to add my own two cents that may help some of you with unusually high bills coming in.

1. These pleated filters that everyone is buying now are restrictive right out of the package! They also say on some of them, good for 90 days. This is wrong! I guarantee you, any pleated filter after 90 days, even a month, is chocking your unit to death.
I use the cheap fiberglass filters in my unit, they are very free flowing and I change them every three weeks.

I was told the same thing by the A/C tech. I'm glad it is confirmed here. I was beginning to wonder.

[gvc8]

Originally Posted by tiger08

Everything said above is correct.
I want to add my own two cents that may help some of you with unusually high bills coming in.

1. These pleated filters that everyone is buying now are restrictive right out of the package! They also say on some of them, good for 90 days. This is wrong! I guarantee you, any pleated filter after 90 days, even a month, is chocking your unit to death.
I use the cheap fiberglass filters in my unit, they are very free flowing and I change them every three weeks.

2. Your coils must be kept clean. If you havent had someone reputable out to check your unit in the last few years, or ever, it's time.
I take the top off of my rooftop unit every spring and wash both coils down.
A split system (ground mounted unit) is more apt to get dirty quicker, because it sits on the ground.

3. Your refrigerant level also should be checked, a unit low on refrigerant not only cools less but is more apt to freeze up, also causing low airflow.

#1 says to use cheap filters. cheap filters allow more dirt/dust to get through the system and to the coils...but #2 says keep coils clean.
dont these two statements contradict each other?

[SportyandMisty]

Regarding Smart meters:

http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_15683106?

Fairfax enacts ban on SmartMeter installation

By Rob Rogers
Marin Independent Journal

FAIRFAX -- The Fairfax Town Council unanimously approved the first reading of an ordinance banning the installation of remote-controlled utility meters within the town's borders Wednesday, despite a last-minute promise by PG&E that it would stop installing its trademarked SmartMeters in Fairfax.

"As a company, we plan to hold off on any further deployment in the Town of Fairfax until we are able to help educate your public," PG&E spokesman Josh Townsend said at Wednesday's meeting of the Fairfax Town Council. "We know we've had problems in communicating what SmartMeters are and how they work, and we're looking forward to taking the opportunity to really do that."

The utility's announcement at Wednesday's council meeting was welcomed by Fairfax leaders, who had expressed concerns about the safety, accuracy and data collection abilities of the wireless devices. The council previously had asked the state Public Utilities Commission to place a moratorium on SmartMeter installation and had invoked the town's cell tower ordinance to block PG&E from installing antennae that transmit SmartMeter data within the town's borders.

"This is a welcome and significant shift in how this debate has been going," said Fairfax Mayor Lew Tremaine, who met privately with PG&E officials Wednesday afternoon. "I appreciate the fact that PG&E has agreed to stop deployment in town until we have these conversations. We'll listen to what (they) have to say -- we won't swallow it whole cloth -- but we'll listen, if (they'll) listen to us."

PG&E spokesmen refused to say how long the company would wait before continuing the installation process. Townsend acknowledged that the company already had installed 200 of the 8,000 wireless meters intended for Fairfax.

And the company's olive branch did little to convince many Fairfax residents, who urged the council to impose its moratorium. Many expressed anger at the utility for the SmartMeter installation and the company's earlier ballot campaign to defeat Marin Clean Energy, a plan to create an alternate, county-owned utility that has found particular support in Fairfax.

"In pushing Proposition 16, PG&E showed its real face," resident David Glick said. "The company doesn't really give a damn about promoting green energy or reducing our carbon footprint. And their insistence on deploying wireless SmartMeters shows how little concern they have for the health and safety of the public."

PG&E has argued that its SmartMeters will help reduce overall energy consumption by providing the utility with detailed information about the ways its customers use electricity and gas.

But the company has been plagued with reports that the wireless devices inaccurately report gas and electricity usage since the company began installing its SmartMeters in 2009. In addition, critics have argued that the electromagnetic radiation produced by the devices could be dangerous -- an assertion the company has vigorously disputed.

"My general impression thus far is that the emission levels are not much stronger than your average cell phone site a block or two away," said Stephen Scott, a remediation specialist at EMF Services, a Florida-based electromagnetic field measurement consulting firm. "But it's one more part of a growing wireless environment people are concerned about."

The Town Council approved its moratorium on SmartMeter installation by a vote of 4-0, with Councilman John Reed absent from the meeting. A second reading of the ordinance, required before the measure becomes law, is scheduled for the council's September meeting.

Fairfax is hardly alone in its opposition to SmartMeters. Marin supervisors asked the California Public Utilities Commission on July 20 to suspend PG&E's $2.2 billion installation program until the commission completes an ongoing review of the device's accuracy. The Marin Association of Realtors also has called for a moratorium on SmartMeter installation, as have the cities and towns of Cotati and Santa Cruz.

[tiger08]

Originally Posted by gvc8

#1 says to use cheap filters. cheap filters allow more dirt/dust to get through the system and to the coils...but #2 says keep coils clean.
dont these two statements contradict each other?

Let me rephrase the coil issue. I am mostly talking about the outdoor coil, although the indoor coil should be washed occasionally also. Outdoor coil should be washed every year.

Cheap filters dont let enough dirt through to plug up a coil. I have replaced units that were 20 years old that still had fairly clean coils, using only fiberglass over its lifetime.

It's better to let a little dust get through a cheap filter, most of it will suck through the coil and back into the house.
A pleated filter may catch a little more heavy dirt but your airflow will be reduced.

[bmac88]

Originally Posted by AA702

Everyone with a pool should really consider investing in a Variable speed pool (pump/motor). It will really save you money in the long run. You can look up Pentair Intelliflo pump on youtube and they have a great video on how much power you can save.

So Saturday morning I found my pump motor had failed,tripped the breaker and failed to start.After switching on the breaker and listerning to the motor just hum for 5 min,I checked the capacitor and verified the motor internal failure.I went to the pool store and asked about replacing my single speed motor with a variable one to save electric.Well the replacement motor for the one I had was $275 (me doing the labor),but the variable speed motor must be replaced with a new housing/basket ,basicly the entire pump set-up...it comes in 2 ways: manual (where you set the speed manually,or change it manually at the pump) or fully automatic (when it senses the water flow and automatically adjusts the pump speed to maintain),the prices were $950 and $1450.Doing the math the break even point is about 3 years on the manual unit or 4 years on the auto unit(it is slightly more efficient then the manual one).I choose to go with the regular replacement motor
as the new assmy would have also required new PCV pumping for the hook up,besides the extra $675 or $1175, and this is with me doing all the labor.So just a heads up for those considering the switch,its a great idea but it doesn't come cheap !

[unf0rgiven6262]

My central AC compressor completely died two days ago with no warning at all. Has to be ordered directly for Trane. Living in a motel is much more expensive than servicing your AC so don't be cheap!

[jpk]

Holy cow, it must have been a hot month. I was away for the entire billing period and my A/C was set to hold at 92deg. Got an electric bill for $175! Other months I have been away the electric bill was only $30! Looks like July really was a scorcher of a month.

[Trash Can]

Originally Posted by jpk

Looks like July really was a scorcher of a month.

Yes, it was.

HEATRASH: July was Las Vegas' HOTTEST month EVER - News - ReviewJournal.com