26 replies to this topic

[SacDJ]

OK, who's available today for AC Service? We have a service contract with Bell Bros. but (No Surprise!), they can't come out for our check up until July 16. Fan is blowing but air is not cool. hmmmmmm

[danholein1]

We have used and recommended a Folsom resident and independent contractor,Tom Murray for years. Never one complaint. Great guy and fair. His number is 916-397-9900.

[SacDJ]

Cool, thanks. He's coming over now!  Notice what I did there? Cool????

[2 Aces]

Please report back !! Thx.

[Steve Heard]

I'm glad you found someone. I always recommend the AC Girl. I talked to her yesterday and she said that although it happened later in the year than usual, as soon as temperatures get close to 100, they get flooded with more calls than they can handle.

 

Happens every year.

 

My wife wants ours checked out, too.

[SacDJ]

I actually came here looking for "AC Girl" but didn't find anything obvious with her contact info. I'll let you know how "cool" Tom's service is after he arrives and finishes in less than 15 minutes. (Thinking positively.)

[SacDJ]

Nice fellow and he got us up and running....I think. We were out of coolant. 7 lbs. of coolant later, @25.00 per lb. and only 75.00 in labor, and 250.00, we're getting cool. I think......He did mention that it appears our coil (inside the house) appears to be the original which takes R-22 coolant, as opposed to the compressor (outside the house) that takes the NEW coolant. He refilled with the new stuff. The guy who did the replacement about 6 years ago talked to him on the phone and of course didn't recall the job so.....Time will tell if I need to now replace the coil, for 2,000.00. Yikes!

[2 Aces]

Steve is correct about AC Girl...she's been to my house before and does not rip people off, IMO. But it's always good to have back up people in case others are too busy. I will keep Tom's number.

[danholein1]

SacDJ,

 

I am glad Tom was able to assist you so quickly. From what I have read here it appears Tom Murray and A/C girl share similar professional traits. Much better than who we used before, Beutler.

[BuffaloRon]

AC Girl, she has always been quick with response and fair on her pricing.

[Sports Junkie]

I will be calling Tom tomorrow because I think my unit stopped working. Does anyone have the info for AC Girl if I cannot get him to come tomorrow?

Thanks.

[Steve Heard]

832 0010. Rachel takes the calls. Laura and AJ (a guy), provide the excellent service.

[Sports Junkie]

My AC is already FIXED! I recommend Tom Murray! He was here within an hour of my call. I had a bad dual capacitor. $175! Whew! I am also going to get a lift so the AC unit is higher off the ground so it has room to breathe/drain.

[caligirlz]

My a/c hasnt been serviced since I moved in 4 years ago, and it sounds like its struggling at times. I wanted service before the heat wave strikes tomorrow.

 

So, I called Tom Murry this morning. He was at my house within 20 minutes. He replaced a weak capacitator (showed a reading of 22, should've been 40) & added 2 lbs R-22 freon (outside) cuz it was low. My cost was $250 too. 

 

Interestingly, he said that my unit is too small for my house, should be a 3 ton, not a 2.5 ton. Thanks Elliott Homes! 

Oh, and thanks for the dogs of the previous owners/renters who pissed all over the unit shortening its life. 

 

Tom says the replacement cost for the unit would be approx $2500 OR $6000 for the whole HVAC if I wanted matching units. Why would I want/need matching units? 

 

Whats the difference between the inside coil vs the outside compressor? Since my unit was working, Tom didnt look at anything inside. I'm thinking the coil is part of the HVAC in the attic...? 

[mrdavex]

My a/c hasnt been serviced since I moved in 4 years ago, and it sounds like its struggling at times. I wanted service before the heat wave strikes tomorrow.

 

So, I called Tom Murry this morning. He was at my house within 20 minutes. He replaced a weak capacitator (showed a reading of 22, should've been 40) & added 2 lbs R-22 freon (outside) cuz it was low. My cost was $250 too. 

 

Interestingly, he said that my unit is too small for my house, should be a 3 ton, not a 2.5 ton. Thanks Elliott Homes! 

Oh, and thanks for the dogs of the previous owners/renters who pissed all over the unit shortening its life. 

 

Tom says the replacement cost for the unit would be approx $2500 OR $6000 for the whole HVAC if I wanted matching units. Why would I want/need matching units? 

 

Whats the difference between the inside coil vs the outside compressor? Since my unit was working, Tom didnt look at anything inside. I'm thinking the coil is part of the HVAC in the attic...? 

 

The inside coil, called the Evaporator, absorbs the heat from the air, transferring into the liquid refrigerant, causing it to become a hot gas.  The gas then flows through the outside coil (the condenser) which transfers the heat into the outside air, causing the refrigerant to liquefy again before being recirculated.  Your evaporator coil was specifically designed for a 2.5 ton system.  A 3 ton evaporator coil will be bigger; this means that there is more refrigerant in that coil to absorb the heat.  If your evaporator is too small, then the refrigerant cannot capture enough heat and has to circulate longer through the condenser to remove the desired amount of heat.  This means that your AC will need to run longer to get to your desired room temp.  The same is true if your condenser coil is smaller than your evaporator.  If he changes out both coils, he may need to run new refrigerant lines between them, and then also test the air ducts for leaks.

 

I'm not in the AC business, so I'm not going to provide a specific recommendation on what to do here.  You have mentioned before that we have the same model of house and I still have my original AC unit.  Because an AC replacement is a big investment, I would consider focusing on other cheaper upgrades that would keep heat out of the house, like solar screens, whole house fans, energy efficient lighting, etc.  I also don't run the laundry, dishes, stove/oven, or shower between 4 and 7 PM, because these dump a lot of heat and humidity into the house, and it's just too hot in those hours for the AC to keep up.