The slabs and driveway are poured on our garage and patio cover project. It’s tricky pouring concrete when the temperatures are as warm as they are this time of year. Once the concrete is mixed in the truck at the plant, it will be completely hard in about five hours. For this project, it took three trucks of concrete, a concrete pump truck, and eight highly skilled concrete finishers to get the concrete placed and finished in this short amount of time. Louis Flores and his team have been doing our concrete work for several years. This is actually a small job for them, and they got it finished nicely with apparent ease. Professionals always make it look easy. Framing is next!
Some Information and Money Saving Tips about Your Air Conditioner
This time of year we get a lot of calls to repair damage from water that has leaked from the air conditioning system. As the air is pulled from your home over the cooling coils in the air conditioner, a whole lot of condensation is created and is drained away from the system through a series of pipes. In warm conditions, mold can grow in these pipes and clog them up, causing the water to back up and often creating a great deal of damage. Pouring diluted bleach down the pipes as a routine maintenance task can insure you won’t have this happen to you. Here is a great article on how use diluted bleach to keep mold from growing in your air conditioner drain pipes:
http://www.ehow.com/info_8772715_should-down-drain-central-air.html
Here are some tips that will save you money with your air conditioner:
- During the hottest months, change your filters twice as often as the other months. The unit is running more so the filters tend to get dirty sooner. Dirty filters drag the air flow and cause more energy to be used which can shorten the life of the unit. Dirty filters also cause more condensation to form, increasing the risk of mold growth and water back-up.
- If you don’t understand the drainage system on your air conditioner, the next time you have your unit checked by a professional, have him make sure it is set up to drain properly and that the unit has a place where you can pour the diluted bleach down it easily.
- *Make sure the drain lines are straight and level. Dips can hold water, which facilitates mold growth.
- Make pouring the diluted bleach down the drain lines part of your filter changing routine. It should be less than a five-minute task.
- Set a reminder on your email calendar to change the filter on a regular basis, to help you remember when you get busy.
Stay cool!
Mike
