Job completed for Carissa P.

Completion date: July 17, 2019

Location: Charlottesville, VA

Why did the customer contact us?

Carissa and her family needed service on their air conditioning during the July heat wave. The unit was running but would cut out at random and would not keep the house at a comfortable temperature.

Solutions provided:

Bottom line: After our repairs and adjustments, and in the midst of the heat wave, Carissa and her family reported that the system caught up and maintained a comfortable - lower than ever - temperature.

On our first visit we discovered a failing high pressure safety switch that would trip, even when pressures were not at or above the safety cut-out level. We also found a dirty system in need of maintenance. Importantly, we also noted an apparent airflow problem that could contribute to these issues. We took care of the maintenance and scheduled a return visit to examine the airflow concerns and replace the high pressure switch.

On the day of our second visit, the system had another cutout but returned itself to service after pressures equalized. We replaced the switch and began to look at airflow.

We found that the ducts are severely undersized for the equipment in place. We also found a very restrictive filter. And most importantly we found a "fresh air" duct had been added that was pulling in hot, humid air directly from outside. So on the 100 degree days, this duct was adding more heat to the house than the system could remove.

Based on a quick calculation, we decided to remove the "fresh air" duct and have it pull return air from the basement. We replaced the restrictive filter with a standard filter. And we recommended leaving the ducts unchanged and matching future new equipment to the ducts as we believe the equipment is oversized for the home.

Team members on this project:

Man Gamble