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Here s another great tip from BobVila.com. Get a jump on the hot weather by making sure your room air conditioner s up to the challenge. Before you pull it out of storage, consider the age of your air conditioner. Efficiencies have improved so much that replacing an old clunker from the 70s with a new 10-seer unit could cut your cooling costs in half. Regardless of age, all units need maintenance every season and about once a month during the season. First, unplug the unit and see your manual for instructions on discharging the capacitors to avoid a shock. Dirt is your air conditioner s worst enemy. Clean out the drain ports with a length of wire. Vacuum the evaporator and condenser coils and gently straighten any bent fins with a fin comb, which you can get at most hardware or plumbing supply stores. Remove the filter and wash and dry it thoroughly or replace it with a new one if it s the disposable kind. Run the unit for a few minutes to see how it performs. If the fan s making noise, try tightening the blade s set screw as well as the bolts that hold the fan unit to its housing. If the power cord, switch or thermostat is worn or faulty, you can replace it without having to buy a new unit. The coils, compressor and motor are all sealed and should be repaired by a professional. On the bright side, if you do this check early, you won t be put on someone s waiting list in 90-degree heat! Find out more at BobVila.com: the ultimate home improvement web site! 2008 BobVila.com

Bob catches up with Mike Donaghey from American Standard behind the barn to learn more about the compressors. The units are part of the barn's air-conditioning system. They dissipate the heat from inside. The units have a powder paint finish and ceramic-coated screws to prevent rusting for safety as well as aesthetic reasons. Inside the lid is a little motor and a fan and on the interior walls is spined fin - a patented heat transfer agent that's essentially the copper pipe through which the refrigerant flows. Mike takes the sound jacket off to show Bob the scroll compressor which is nestled deep inside the unit. Scroll compressors have now replaced reciprocating compressors because they are more efficient. This a a 12-SEER unit (SEER in an acronym for Seasonal Energy Efficient Rating). The government has mandated that in five years this will be the minimum rating allowed. The compressor and coil both have 10-year warranties but can last much longer depending on the part of country. Rusting out of the casing -- especially with exposure to salt air -- is one big issue with life expectancy but aluminum to aluminum helps as does the powder coating.