All Forum Posts by: Chuck E.

 Hey I'm glad to see I'm not the only "weird" one! I'm perfectly fine with my thermostat set to 81 degrees.

I also concur with your frustrations over the latest EPA-mandated phaseout of refrigerant. It's absolutely ridiculous how the phaseout of R22 and R454B causes the cost of repairs to skyrocket. 

Of course the cost of new units has also gone up, while these newer systems are being designed more for efficiency rather than reliability and longevity. My primary home has a Trane package unit heat pump that was manufactured in 2002, yet it has been more reliable than the much newer units in my rentals. 

Back in the pre-COVID days (2019) I could get a new 3.5 ton package unit for under 3.5k including installation! These days I'm seeing prices literally double that or higher. Needless to say I'm really trying to make some friends in the HVAC industry.

Well, I have an update on the recent "AC not cooling enough" complaint. I didn't mention that there was a new AC installed recently and that the tenants are new. (How convenient for an AC to break between tenants huh? It needed a new compressor which would've cost me $4800 vs $6600 for new AC, obtained multiple bids for both).

So I had the AC installer come take a look. Come to find out one of the ducts became disconnected during install. Ughhhh. It's weird cuz temp splits were within range when I checked. Granted, I didn't check every single vent. Well, they did fix it free of charge and I appreciate them owning up to their own error. 

Lesson of the day: after getting a new AC tell your installer my story and tell them to double check the ductwork connections. If possible I'd even request it be documented on the invoice. I'm just glad all is well now and pray for no more AC complaints the rest of the summer 🙂

 I'm honestly not sure. Couldn't find any relevant HVAC guidelines to confirm the cooling capacity. I checked the manufacturer's specifications and they don't have any sort of table or calculation to utilize.

 Good question! It's a heat pump.

 Thank you for that link! VERY valuable info to have on hand!

 This is a single family house, wood frame construction with faux stucco veneer (the thin stuff they've used since the 80s). There is not a programmable thermostat thankfully. However, I am strongly considering the type of thermostat that has password protected set points (ex. prohibits the user from going lower than 70 degrees). Even though I don't pay utilities the wear and tear on an AC is a huge expense. 

Anyone who has had to pay for a new central AC/heat pump in recent years compared to the pre-COVID years can attest that AC prices have SKYROCKETED!!

 I concur with you! Anytime I go to a restaurant or a store I feel like they're attempting to freeze customers out of the premises in order to prevent squatters from staying too long. 

Excellent solutions! Thankfully my tenants are all responsible for their own utilities.

I should add: with the relative humidity about 20%, 68 degrees feels MUCH cooler than it does in other parts of the country. 

This issue has occurred several times at different properties: tenants complaining that the AC isn't cooling to a ridiculously low temperature when the ambient temp is about 40 degrees warmer. My response has been that a professional does preventative maintenance annually and confirms working order of the AC. Upon receipt of these complaints I'll personally check the temp splits ("delta T") in several rooms to confirm they are still within the acceptable range. If the tenant is still not happy I let them know they're welcome to purchase a window air conditioner so they can attain their desired living conditions. 

The AZ Landlord Tenant Act doesn't specify a mandatory minimum temp that must be attainable. It only states that "reasonable amounts" of "air-conditioning or cooling, where such units are installed and offered" must be provided (ARS 33-163). Well, I'm sure you can agree that 68 degrees is very unreasonable with an ambient temp of 114. I've received another complaint that the temp won't reach 74, but this was on their move-in day when the thermostat was at 82 the previous day. Obviously it takes time to reach such a low set point on a very hot day.

Here's where I'm looking for advice: What is the lowest reasonable temperature to set the thermostat in the dead of the summer? (I keep my house at 81 degrees so I feel rather apathetic to these issues.) Any advice on how to cordially respond to these 'work orders'?

Just curious, how long are they giving you to get compliant? And what is the penalty for not getting compliant? 

It really is unfair that someone can buy a property and be held accountable for lack of permits on old work. I know there's the inspection period and buyer must perform due diligence BUT it never is normal to research permits for every single plumbing fixture, electrical box, all liveable areas, etc. Heck the Maricopa County assessor website has inaccurate building sketches for some of my properties so I can't even trust that!