Looky, looky who had a birthday this month - Good OLD Matthew.  A mysterious chicken showed up and would have been turned away if not for the Yuengling beer which he clutched in both wings.  It doesn’t take much to make Matthew happy.  Just a visit from a chicken and a few beers.   And maybe an air conditioner or two…  Happy Birthday Old Man

Gwinnett County is abuzz with graduations, last days of school, recitals, and ball games.  Here in Buford, that means party season.   (That reminds me; our mailbox has made it through so far, intact.  Whoops.  I just may have jinxed it.)  Have you called us for your cooling maintenance visit?  Or are you a new customer who needs a “charge” of freon to get you through the season? 

Basics first.  Your cooling system is self-contained.  After being installed, it was charged with the proper amount and pressure of freon and then closed and sealed.  If your system is freezing up and requiring additional freon to properly cool, that means you have a leak.  Adding freon is a temporary and sometimes, irresponsible fix.  The freon will eventually leak out; it’s just a matter of time.  It may last 2 hours or 2 months.  Consider financial and environmental factors as well.  Adding freon can be costly, especially with no guarantee of how long it will last.  Adding freon to a leaky system also poses environmental quandries.  Knowingly releasing freon into the atmosphere is against EPA regulations. 

We can locate the freon leak and properly repair it.  Once done, we recharge the unit and warranty the repair for the life of the system (ComfortCare Plan Members).  We help customers make the most of their resources, by considering the system’s age, the coil’s age and the anticipated expense of the repair.  Continuing to recharge and operate a leaky, inefficient system may be more costly than replacing it .  These are all factors to consider before deciding to spend any money at all.  And all options we can help you put down in real dollars and cents.

So if you’ve got 129 of your closest relatives coming over to celebrate Susie’s graduation and your unit is freezing up, give us a call as soon as possible.  We don’t want you stressed out about your AC.  We can handle that.  You have more important things to do, like decide which flavor ice cream matches Susie’s graduation outfit.

A Neighbor's Gorgeous Yuletide Camelia

We all seem to get the itch to plant in spring. It’s the way God designed us.  Sun shines, soil warms, man wants to grow huge plants all around side of house to make pretty.  Sound familiar?  Consider these simple points before loading up the kids and dog for the local nursery.

Remember that we live in a pretty warm zone (Zone 7 for you gardener types).  But we also have a decent drop in temperatures over the winter.  That means you want to take advantage of passive solar heating in the winter and natural cooling in the summer.  Translation?  Where you plant the trees and shrubs is just as important as the kind of plants/trees you choose.

Remember from your elementary school science class that the winter sun is lower in the horizon than the summer sun.  This means you will receive more sun on the front, southern side of your house in winter and more overhead sun in the summer.  (Our last house baked on the west side during late summer afternoons.)

Which way does your house face?

·         Plant deciduous trees (ones that lose their leaves) on the southwest corner and west sides.  This gives you protection from the scorching sun in summer and allows the heat to warm the house in winter.   Even better?  Plant a fruit tree.  You’ll be cool in the shade and have a snack!

·         I‘ve seen reports about planting deciduous trees to shade your outdoor AC unit.  Okay, fine, but don’t plant it so close that falling leaves choke it or prevent good air circulation.  24 inches around the unit is sufficient.  No thorny bushes please!  (Our techs will thank you.)

·         Plant shade trees over patios and driveways.  How about Muscadine grapes over the hot deck?

·         Plant evergreen conifers (or evergreens) as a windbreak on the north and northwest sides of your home to block cold winter winds.

·         Avoid planting evergreens on the south side.  They will block the sun in the winter when you want the warmth the most.

And call 811 before you dig!

So go outside and do what comes naturally in spring.  Just remember to curb your enthusiasm with a little common sense and save money on your heating and cooling costs!