Q. Does anyone know what the cost of installation of air conditioning in 3 bedrooms is likely to be ? No 'clever 'answers please to obtain points. Don't bother to say..free...open the windows...I live on a busy trunk road and that is not possible.

A. I bought a stand alone A/C unit this summer - was only £200 and that cools a large bedroom - in fact because it's portable we even carried it downstairs & used it on a few days in the sitting room. Also, they do not require any professional installation. Delivery was next day & hubby was so impressed he bought a couple for the offices at work. Web site is listed below - there is even a calculator to work out what BTU you need & which units are best suited to your application - I highly recommend these people. www.dry-it-out.com

Q. My Mom owns a Trane air conditioning unit and has had nothing but problems with it. She had the coil replaced on it a couple of years ago. Now a technician is telling her that the coils are bad again. They are telling her that there is something in the environment, her sprinkler system (sulfur), which is causing it to go bad. Does this explanation sound feasible? She uses well water for her sprinkler system but has had this sprinkler system for nearly 20 years. Before she had to get a new unit about 3 years ago she never had problems with the coil. Is it possible that the air conditioning unit itself could be causing the coils to go bad? i.e, a Freon leak or something.

A. Absolutely NO. I am sorry to say that many people like to lie about stuff that you dont know about and EXTORT money from you.The refrigerant contains oil which moves through the system with the refrigerant and a leak in the coil is very rare unless hit with a lawnmower or such. Also a leak can be repaired but ther is no profit in it and it takes time.I am an HVACRR Tech, 15 years and have heqard it all. You are welcome to contact me and I would love to have the Tech. (supposed) explain it to me!!! I will give you my phone number to have him call.

Q. Our airconditioner has been leaking and leaving huge puddles of water on the floor from a hose attached to the back of it. The hose leads to a plastic drain pipe in the wall but its too high up and i THINK the water that is collected in this hose backs up and spills al over the floor. We just bought a BRAND NEW water heater and i dont want it rusting out but it will if i dont fix the air conditioner or set the water heater on bricks. Anyone know why its leaking and a inexpensive way to fix this? The hose is not clogged up either. I was wondering if a replacement air conditioning/heater (its combined) will cost us around 6,000 or more? Or will it be easier to fix whatevers wrong? ANY suggestions on what to look for in the back of of it or inside of it that can possibly be the cause to the air conditioning leaking and flooding the little room out. The heater works great. The air works too it just leaks when we run it.

A. The water from the air conditioner is condensation. It is normal for the water to be produced. It comes from the moisture in the air. The hose is for it to drain away. It is gravity fed, so you need to run the hose downward to a drain. It will not run upward. Find a way to drain it downward, and your water leak is solved.

Q. Air conditioning costs more but what exactly is the difference between the two systems? Is air recirculation effective at cooling or heating the vehicle interior on hot or cold days?

A. Air Recirculation and/or the Max A/C button do the same thing. They close off the vents that let fresh air into the car from the base of the windshield. Air Recirculation should be combined with A/C usage, which is why on some cars (older domestic US cars in particular) it's labled Max A/C. Air Recirc setting helps the air conditioner system by recirculating already cooler air through the system, rather then trying to take warmer outside air and cool it down. You can use it with heat, but on some cars (older Japanese and German cars in the US) they aren't set-up to run the A/C compressor in defrost mode. Any moisture at all will cause your windows to fog, ALL OF THEM, unless you also turn on the A/C button too. A/C doesn't really cost much more then 1 mpg on most cars. For me personally, I'll use A/C whenever I can. My comfort is worth more then 1 mpg.

Q. I think my AC unit is shot. I suspect the repair to be major, so cost is pretty important to me. Can anyone recommend a dependable repairman or repair service that won't gouge me? Thanks!!

A. Independent HVAC steve baser 214-724-1862

Q. Does anyone know a good website that teach me step by step how to service ( and do commonly needed replacement) my single room (Window /wall mounted) Air Conditioner. Googled website almost all only show companys that do air cond repair. I want this as new hobby ! T H A N K S !!

A. Try starting here: http://www.hometips.com/cs-protected/guides/centairfix.html Google diy air conditioner repair. gl

Q. I just moved into a new home that had never had the ducts cleaned. The house is a ranch with gas forced air heat on one zone with about 9 vents. I found this company on a coupon for $45 which included unlimited vents and a couple access holes. When the company began their work they found mold and the price skyrocketed from $45 to $1400. Does this sound like a screw job or is that price accurate for mold removal and duct cleaning?

A. Mold removal/remediation is entirely different from air duct cleaning. However, it is not uncommon to find mold in your air ducts. That is why we recommend the Electro Breeze Duct Mount UV kit at http://www.allergy-relief-air-purifier.com/air-conditioning-filters.html. This unit will eliminate mold and bacteria from your indoor air and keep your air conditioning coils clean from mold. You must consider that to remove the mold from your air ducts, the air duct cleaning company is entering into a potentially dangerous situation for their employees. This requires expensive equipment and a person with the skills to do the remediation properly. Now that they have knocked the mold loose, you will need the high efficiency filtration and ultra-violet light of the Electro Breeze DMUV kit to kill and capture the mold spores in your indoor air. I hope this helps.

Q. My car is getting older and I've noticed the air coming from the air conditioning ducts and air vents smells musty, dusty, and dirty. Is there a way I can clean the ducts and vents? Also, is this something I can get done at an auto detailer?

A. The answer to your 2nd question first. Maybe?! Some detailers will only clean/restore what they can reach, although there are some who might go the extra mile. The problem is, they don't want to be responsible for destroying your dash vents to get at the ducts. When I worked in a body shop, we simply used compressed air through the vents to blow out the dust and dirt accumulated while the car sat inside being worked on.......some people even put pieces of air freshner directly in the vents to sweeten the smell afterwards.