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About kurthartmann

Air conditioner service, repair, maintenance, and installation contractor in Fort Myers, Florida.

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AC Service Ft Myers

By on 02/22/2017 in Air Conditioner Maintenance

AC Service Ft Myers

Community Cooling and Heating Inc.
Air Conditioner Repair, Service
239-267-2117
Fort Myers, Florida
Serving Ft Myers and all of SW Florida since 1970

 

Community Cooling’s new flagship service truck

 

Regular AC service is by far the best way to keep your air conditioner running properly, and to head off minor problems before they have a chance to become big ones.  Over the years there have been countless times when a home owner called us for a routine maintenance call, while the air conditioning equipment seemed to be running just fine, and we discovered a serious problem hidden in the dark recesses of the air conditioning equipment ..

“… that’s the problem with air conditioners … for safety reasons the electric and moving parts are encased in metal. And the coils are tucked away for their own protection as well!”

When little problems start to develop they are practically invisible until they become a big problem, and that can get expensive. The best way to prevent these small problems from growing is to have your air conditioner inspection and servicing scheduled at regular intervals.  As your equipment gets older the  chances of it requiring service or repair are going to go on the upswing anyway.  By being proactive, and taking proper care of your equipment, the cost to run the air conditioner, and the level of comfort it provides, will be optimal.

 

Air conditioner maintenance and servicing keeps little problems from becoming big ones!

Community Cooling Is Here To Help! Call Today!

Our well stocked trucks, and well trained air conditioning technicians are always on call when you need air conditioner serve, repairs, or maintenance.

Our well stocked trucks, and well trained air conditioning technicians are always on call when you need air conditioner serve, repairs, or maintenance.

Community Cooling takes great pride in showing up on time, accurately assessing your air conditioning problem, and providing the consumer with the full range of options available to him … and then letting the customer decide which option makes the most sense to him personally, and fits his family’s budget as well!

AC Service Ft Myers by Community Cooling and Heating

Our Motto is…“We won’t send you a wolf in sheep’s clothing …

just an honest professional”

We guarantee all our repairs and offer a Free Second Opinion

Kurt Hartmann, Owner of Community Cooling and Heating

Call Today For Air Conditioner Service, Repair, Maintenance, and Installation

239-267-2117

Community Cooling Super Bowl 51 Party

By on 02/06/2017 in Air Conditioning Information

Community Cooling Super Bowl 51 Party!

Great game, great food, great people!

Air conditioning contractor Kurt Hartmann, of Community Cooling, hosted a Super Bowl cookout for freinds, family and staff to enjoy not only the game, the half time show, and the advertisements, but also, to sample and share a few of our favorite dishes with some of our favorite people.

Kurt (the owner of Community Cooling) is the resident grill master and once again served up a big pot of his reknowned chicken wings. Kurt monitors the time, heat, spices, and duration to ensure his wings come out both tender (meat falls right of the bone) and crisp (golden brown skin) all at the same time.

 

Chicken wings on the grill

 

Chicken wings hot off the grill

 

Every year Linda Thomas (wife of SEO/Social Media Marketing Strategist Rick Thomas) sends a bowl of albacore tuna/macaroni salad that is so wonderful it is beyond description!  You never know about the game … but … you can count on Linda to send a “super bowl” of macaroni salad!

Thanks Linda!

 

Community Cooling Super Bowl Party.Macaroni salad.

Rick contributed a tray of chicken salad stuffed tomatoes topped with Baco’s, green pepper and onion slices, black olive, and celery salt.

Chicken salad stuffed tomatoes

We were also quite surprised to see a nice shrimp cocktail show up made with collossal shrimp, and with home cocktail sauce that was quite spicy indeed!

Community Cooling Super Bowl Party.Shrimp cocktail

Additionally we enjoyed chips, dips, nuts, beers, and soda.  Thanks to all and from all for an evening well spent.

Even on a great night like this …

we always know …

in the back of our minds …

if a customer calls …

and needs our services …

… We will be there to help!

 

Air Conditioner Repairs 24/7/365

Call Any Time
239-267-2117

Our well stocked trucks, and well trained air conditioning technicians are always on call when you need air conditioner serve, repairs, or maintenance.

Our well stocked trucks, and well trained air conditioning technicians are always on call when you need air conditioner serve, repairs, or maintenance.

Community Cooling takes great pride in showing up on time, accurately assessing your air conditioning problem, and providing the consumer with the full range of options available to him … and then letting the customer decide which option makes the most sense to him personally, and fits his family’s budget as well!

Our Motto is…“We won’t send you a wolf in sheep’s clothing …

just an honest professional”

We guarantee all our repairs and offer a Free Second Opinion

Kurt Hartmann, Owner of Community Cooling and Heating

Call Today For Air Conditioner Service, Repair, Maintenance, and Installation

239-267-2117

Air Conditioning And Psychometric Charts

By on 01/30/2017 in Air Conditioning Information

Psychometric Charts are a valuable tool in selecting an air conditioning system “just right” for you.

 

When an air conditioning contractor wants specific, scientific data on the amount of latent heat a new air conditioner will be removing on a regular basis.  This information is a big piece of the puzzle in deciding not only the size of the air conditioner to be installed, but also, the number, layout, and sizes of the ducts and vents throughout the building.

 

Dry-bulb temperature is the temperature of the air as measured by a thermometer suspended in the air and not exposed to radiation and/or moisture.  Wet bulb temperature factors in the moisture in the air and correlates it with measureable levels of comfort.

 

The psychrometric chart is a handy tool that enables the reader to determine and calculate dry bulb, wet bulb, relative humidity, dew point temperature as well as other gas-vapor relationships with only limited information. This chart helps people, especially involved in heating, ventilating and air-conditioning systems, to determine human comfort levels in relationship to changes in temperature and humidity

DBT is the temperature that is usually thought of as air temperature, and it is the true thermodynamic temperature. It indicates the amount of heat in the air and is directly proportional to the mean kinetic energy of the air molecules.

 

Example of a psychometric chart

source: www.coolbreeze.co.za

Unlike wet bulb temperature, dry bulb temperature does not indicate the amount of moisture in the air. In construction, it is an important consideration when designing a building for a certain climate. It is generally considered one of “the most critical climate variables pertaining to human comfort as relates to energy efficiency in both residential and commercial properties. The psychometric chart is one of the tools contractors rely heavily upon to determine the amount of latent heat, and moisture, a system will need to keep up with to ensure an acceptable level of comfort once the air conditioner is installed.

 

Our well stocked trucks, and well trained air conditioning technicians are always on call when you need air conditioner serve, repairs, or maintenance.

Our well stocked trucks, and well trained air conditioning technicians are always on call when you need air conditioner serve, repairs, or maintenance.

Our Motto is…“We won’t send you a wolf in sheep’s clothing …

just an honest professional”

We guarantee all our repairs and offer a Free Second Opinion

a/c repairs ft myers

Community Cooling and Heating President/CEO
Air conditioning service and repair Ft Myers

Kurt Hartmann, Owner of Community Cooling and Heating
Call Today For Air Conditioner Service, Repair, Maintenance, and Installation

239-267-2117

 

 

New Air Conditioning Service Truck

By on 01/18/2017 in Air Conditioning Information

New Air Conditioning Service Truck

Air Conditioning Repairs
SW Florida
239-267-2117

Community Cooling rung in the New Year by adding a brand new,  air conditioning  service truck.  Serving Fort Myers for over 40 years this family owned and operated business prides itself on it’s knowledge, reliability, and commitment to customer service! Custom designed, and ergonomically correct to give our techs every advantage in keeping our clients ac equipment running properly, and cost effectively.

 

A brand new air conditioning service truck

Starting 2017 with a new AC service truck

The extra shelving and tool storage area allow us to have a wide variety of parts, refrigerant, and materials available and on hand in order to get ac equipment up and running asap!  We also ordered a “greener” more fuel efficient engine which will hopefully, over time, pay for itself in fuel savings.

New a/c repair truck

All the “bells & whistles”, and ergonomically designed for efficiency. Air conditioning service truck 2017

 

Community Cooling invests whatever it takes to be certain our techs have everything they need to handle our clients needs both quickly and cost effectively.  Our service technicians are all experienced and field tested. Their training goes beyond simply knowing how to do the work in an expert fashion. We fully train our staff to respect our clients and their homes. We believe our technicians should be personable, clean, neat and leave behind only a pleasant memory of efficiency and of course a comfortable environment.

 

Community Cooling new flagship service truck

Community Cooling new flagship service truck

Air conditioner service, repair, and maintenance

in Fort Myers, Florida

 

Protect yourself with our Free 2nd Opinion

Other companies may indicate that they will provide aservice call at some discounted rate or even just’gas money, but any company willing to do that are ‘sales oriented’ and almost always find
ways to make up for any free-be’s they may offer. Cheap work is not good and good work is not cheap. Our company motto is …

“We won’t send a wolf in sheep’s clothing, just an honest professional”.

We are proud to offer anyone a long list of satisfied clients, many of whom we have been servicing for decades. Community Cooling takes great pride in showing up on time, accurately assessing your air conditioning problem, and providing the consumer with the full range of options available to him … and then letting the customer decide which option makes the most sense to him personally, and fits his family’s budget as well!

We guarantee all our repairs and offer a Free Second Opinion

Kurt Hartmann, Owner of Community Cooling and Heating

Call Today For Air Conditioner Service, Repair, Maintenance, and Installation

239-267-2117

Community Cooling 2016 Yearly Review

By on 01/08/2017 in Air Conditioning Information

Community Cooling
Air Conditioner Repair, Service, and Maintenance

Fort Myers, Florida

239-267-2117

 

A look back at some of the air conditioner repair challenges

we encountered in 2016

 

Another year of air conditioning repairs, in SW Florida, is in the books.  Time for a final look back at 2016 before we bring our full attention to bear on the year ahead.  2016 was a year where we saw many customers that have been with us for years, as well as the many new clients we took on over the 12 months too.

 

2016 was a particularly good year with regard to expanding our “commercial client” as we began doing maintenance, inspection, repairs, and replacement for businesses in several different industries in the Fort Myers/Estero/Naples/Cape Coral areas.

 

a/c replacement in sw florida

Switching out commercial air conditioner for a local SW Florida business.

 

Right at the end of the year we decided we needed another truck and upgraded to a 2017 work truck.  We feel the layout and set up for the truck make it the best air conditioning work vehicle in town!  Everything is laid out to the best specifications we could come up with after 47 years in business!

 

We REALLY like it!

New a/c repair truck

Air conditioning service truck 2017

Our service technicians are all experienced and field tested. Their training goes beyond simply knowing how to do the work in an expert fashion. We fully train our staff to respect our clients and their homes. We believe our technicians should be personable, clean, neat and leave behind only a pleasant memory of efficiency, professionalism …  and of course a comfortable environment.

 

Community Cooling takes great pride in showing up on time, accurately assessing your air conditioning problem, and providing the consumer with the full range of options available to him … and then letting the customer make an informed decision as to which option makes the most sense to him personally, and fits his family’s budget as well!  Community Cooling and Heating has been serving Lee County Florida since 1970, and our long standing reputation for honesty and integrity is important to us!

 

We are here to help!
Call Anytime!
Community Cooling and Heating Inc.

For More Information Call
(239) 267-2117

Honest AC Service

By on 10/24/2016 in Air Conditioning Information

Community Cooling
Air Conditioner Repair, Service, Maintenance
239-267-2117

Honest AC Service

Fort Myers, Florida

 

Honest air conditioner repair means putting your clients needs first!

We take great pride in the QUALITY of our work! Too many contractors are in the trade just to make a quick buck, Community Cooling has always been about using knowledge and experience to provide service to our clients at a fair price. That business model has served us and our customers quite well for over 40 years! A substantial portion of our new clients come from previous clients who recommended us. That’s the best kind of marketing there is … word of mouth … friend to friend.

 

Our well stocked trucks, and well trained air conditioning technicians are always on call when you need air conditioner serve, repairs, or maintenance.

Our well stocked trucks, and well trained air conditioning technicians are always on call when you need air conditioner service, repairs, or maintenance.

 

Honest ac service … at a fair price!

Community Cooling is offering a 16 point cooling system check which includes:

  • Clean your condenser coils.
  • Check operating pressures
  • Check electrical connections
  • Check sub-cooling
  • Check fan blade
  • Lubricate moving parts
  • Clean air filters
  • check thermostat
  • Check blower operation
  • Check controls
  • Check super heat
  • Check temperature drop across evaporator
  • Clean indoor coil if visible
  • Check complete unit operation
  • Treat condensate line and pan
  • Make necessary recommendations

 

 

Community Cooling and Heating has been serving Lee County Florida since 1970, and our long standing reputation for honest ac service, fairness, and putting the clients needs first  is important to us!

We believe in putting our clients needs first, earning your trust, and making sure we provide a level of service that ensures you will call us again the next time!

 

Our Motto is…“We won’t send you a wolf in sheep’s clothing …

just an honest professional”

We guarantee all our repairs and offer a Free Second Opinion

Kurt Hartmann, Owner of Community Cooling and Heating

Call Today For Air Conditioner Service, Repair, Maintenance, and Installation

239-267-2117

Why Do Air Conditioners Ice Up?

By on 10/12/2016 in Air Conditioning Information

Community Cooling
Air Conditioner Repair, Service, Maintenance
239-267-2117

Fort Myers, Florida

Why do air conditioners ice up?

Our well stocked trucks, and well trained air conditioning technicians are always on call when you need air conditioner serve, repairs, or maintenance.

Our well stocked trucks, and well trained air conditioning technicians are always on call when you need air conditioner service, repairs, or maintenance.

 

The two main causes of an air conditioner icing up are low levels of coolant, or insufficient air flow.  There are several reasons why these causes can occur, but, basically it usually boils down to the Joule Thomson Effect …

 

The Joule-Thomson Effect is a principle in thermodynamics wherein if all else is kept at a constant, that a gas, as it expands, will have lower pressure, and resultant from that drop in pressure the temperature of that gas will also decrease. Conversely, as a gas is compressed, its temperature will rise.

Simply put, if air molecules are bouncing around rapidly, then you would feel this air as warm. If the air molecules are moving around slower or at a slower speed, then you would feel this air as colder. The heat generated by any gas is in direct coorellation to the energy of the molecules it is made up of.

This is the most basic concept to understanding how your air conditioner works. Your system works by allowing your evaporator coil to expand refrigerant inside of it, causing the coil to cool rapidly. As this rapidly cooled coil comes into contact with the air being circulated through your home, the refrigerant absorbs the heat from that air at the same time the air is being cooled by the air conditioner coils.

iced up coils due to insufficient air flow

Insufficient air flow caused these air conditioner coils to ice up

 

Frozen pipes inside the air handler.

So iced up even the pipes inside the air handler were frozen!

 

Typically air conditioners will “ice up” when there is a significant drop in pressure within the system, or when the air blowing across the coils is insufficient to exchange warmer air with the cool coils.

An air conditioner running this iced up has the potential to do serious harm to itself!

In this case the cause of the trouble was not low pressure, but rather, insufficient air flow due to an ac filter clogged with animal (cat)hair.  Everyone should change their ac filter once a month … your air conditioner will cool more efficiently and cost less to maintain the level of comfort you prefer.  Those who have multiple pets in their home should be doubly  devoted to keeping their ac filter clean, as animal hair and fur have the potential to block off air flow completely … causing serious damage to their air conditioning equipment.

cat hair caused this ac to ice up

A/C filter clogged with dust and cat hair was the cause of this air conditioner “ice up”!

Whether an iced up air conditioner, or any other problem with your cooling and heating Community Cooling is here to help!  We are available 24/7 to handle all your air conditioning concerns.

Our Motto is…“We won’t send you a wolf in sheep’s clothing …

Community Cooling takes great pride in showing up on time, accurately assessing your air conditioning problem, and providing the consumer with the full range of options available to him … and then letting the customer decide which option makes the most sense to him personally, and fits his family’s budget as well!

Our Motto is…“We won’t send you a wolf in sheep’s clothing …

just an honest professional”

We guarantee all our repairs and offer a Free Second Opinion

a/c repairs ft myers

Community Cooling and Heating President/CEO
Air conditioning service and repair Ft Myers

Kurt Hartmann, Owner of Community Cooling and Heating
Call Today For Air Conditioner Service, Repair, Maintenance, and Installation

239-267-2117

How Find/Fix An Air Conditioner Refrigerant Leak

By on 10/05/2016 in Air Conditioner Repairs Ft Myers

Air Conditioners with refrigerant leaks struggle to cool homes, and grind themselves into disrepair trying!

 

 

Whether freon, or any other type of coolant, refrigerant leaks can be a frustrating problem.  Not the kind of refrigerant leak where a big whole is torn in your coils or your copper tubing … but that slow leak that seems to make you want to believe that  you will get an extra month or two out of this charging, or the blind hope that somehow the leak will get clogged up and no longer be a problem.  Unfortunately that is rarely the case. Small holes always become bigger holes and will eventually need repairs, recharging your coolant over and over is much like throwing your money out the window.

 

Freon or R-22 air conditioner refrigerant. R-22 spec sheet here https://www.honeywell-refrigerants.com/americas/product/genetron-22/

R-22 air conditioning refrigerant. Refrigerant leaks not only cause inefficient cooling, but, can also damage your equipment.

R-22 refrigerant is being phased out, and being replaced with with R-410A.  Check out the differences between R-22 and R-410A here.

The quickest, easiest, and least expensive way to try to find a refrigerant leak is to do a soap test, wherein we apply watered down liquid soap to the visible, refrigerant conducting surfaces.  If we see a bubble start to form we know we have found a leak.  If we can’t find the leak this way we move on to the second method.  We inject dye into the system to color the refrigerant.  We give the system a day or two ( or overnight if the weather is unbearable) to hope fully reveal the location of the refrigerant leak (although slow bleeding pinhole leaks can take even longer in some cases.)  If this doesn’t reveal the location of the refrigerant leak we tend to assume that the leak is either somewhere under the foundation of the home, or hidden behind the drywall.  In these cases it is more practical to run a new line than to wast time and money stubbornly chasing down the leak.

 

finding an air conditioning coolant leak

injecting dye into an air conditioner to find a leak

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Even more dye …

??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

… and more dye still … the more dye there is the easier it is to spot.

Community Cooling and Heating has always been an advocate of addressing minor air conditioner issues before they can evolve into major problems.  Monitoring refrigerant leaks and levels are a big part of this!   There is nothing that a home owner, or a property manager, can do to get the most life, and the highest level of performance from their air conditioning equipment than to have it serviced regularly by a licensed air conditioning contractor.

 

Our well stocked trucks, and well trained air conditioning technicians are always on call when you need air conditioner serve, repairs, or maintenance.

Our well stocked trucks, and well trained air conditioning technicians are always on call when you need air conditioner serve, repairs, or maintenance.

Our Motto is…“We won’t send you a wolf in sheep’s clothing …

just an honest professional”

We guarantee all our repairs and offer a Free Second Opinion

a/c repairs ft myers

Community Cooling and Heating President/CEO
Air conditioning service and repair Ft Myers

Kurt Hartmann, Owner of Community Cooling and Heating
Call Today For Air Conditioner Service, Repair, Maintenance, and Installation

239-267-2117

A/C Air Filter Change Leads to Huge Difference In Comfort

By on 07/13/2016 in Air Conditioner Maintenance

A/C Air Filter Change Leads to Huge Difference In Comfort

Community Cooling
Air Conditioner Repair, Service, Maintenance
239-267-2117

Fort Myers, Florida

A/C Filters can be a game changer!

A/C air filters are often the most misunderstood and neglected parts of an a/c system, and if they were truly understood, they would never be neglected again! Your air conditioner basically does it’s job by breathing in hot, moist air and breathing out cooler, dryer air. The return air (where the filter is) is where the a/c breathes in, and the individual vents in each room is where the air conditioner breathes out.

Not long ago we received a call from a long time customer asking us to come take a look at her air conditioner. As the heat of the summer came to bear her air conditioner just wasn’t keeping up. She set her thermostat at 76 most days, and typically her a/c would keep up except for the few hottest hours of the afternoon (3 pm to 6 pm). Today  the air conditioner had been running non-stop all day, and the temperature in the house was 82 degrees.  As we were talking and getting such information as necessary to troubleshoot the issue we noticed the return air appeared to “overflowing” with dust and other particulate matter. When we asked her when the last time she had changed the air filter was, she said she had never changed it. That was something her husband had always taken care of, and since he had passed, it had never occurred to her that that was an important thing she should be doing.

When we opened the grill and removed the air filter it was completely caked with dust and dirt! The accumulation was about a half inch thick … the amount of air that the air conditioner was able to pull into the system was GREATLY diminished!

Thid dirty air filter was the reason the a/c ran all day, and never acheiieved the desired level of comfort

Completely clogged air filter

“… it was the mechanical equivalent of having a pillow pushed over it’s face … the A/C just couldn’t breathe!”

We decided to change the filter, and come back the next day to see if that made a difference. The next day we went about our scheduled calls just waiting for customer from the previous day to call, but, the call never came.  Apparently changing the filter had resolved some or all of her issue.  When we went by later in the afternoon to see how she was making out she was delighted …

The temperature in her house was 76 degrees and the moisture in the air was at a comfortable level!

That’s a difference of 6 degrees, plus the extra comfort of reduced humidity, just from changing the A/C filter!

 

There are a lot of  a/c companies out there that might have taken advantage of the situation, perhaps tried to charge her for a repair, or sold her an unneeded replacement part.  She was a loyal customer for years, not only were we happy to help, but, we showed her how to change the filters herself, left her with a 6 month supply of a/c filters, and didn’t charge her a cent!  Just as she appreciated our reputation for honesty and integrity, we, in turn, appreciated her trust and loyalty.  We were simply happy to help make her home comfortable again.

 

Our Motto is…“We won’t send you a wolf in sheep’s clothing …

just an honest professional”

We guarantee all our repairs and offer a Free Second Opinion

Kurt Hartmann, Owner of Community Cooling and Heating

Call Today For Air Conditioner Service, Repair, Maintenance, and Installation

239-267-2117

Our well stocked trucks, and well trained air conditioning technicians are always on call when you need air conditioner serve, repairs, or maintenance.

Our well stocked trucks, and well trained air conditioning technicians are always on call when you need air conditioner serve, repairs, or maintenance.

Clean AC Coils For Comfort

By on 07/06/2016 in Air Conditioner Maintenance

Clean AC Coils For Comfort

Community Cooling
Air Conditioner Repair, Service, Maintenance
239-267-2117

Fort Myers, Florida

 

After your air conditioner has been thoroughly cleaned by a licensed air conditioning contractor it will cool your home more effectively, filter your air more efficiently, while costing you less money. Your a/c unit won’t have to work so hard to push the air through it.  The end result is a healthier, more comfortable living environment for you and your family without your air conditioner having to work so long, and so hard to maintain it.

Clean ac coils allow your air conditioner to cool your home

optimally and cost effectively!

 

Dirty air conditioner coil 2015

dirty air conditioner coils

Cleaned air conditioner coil 2015

Same air conditioner coils after cleaning

 

We recommend servicing your air conditioner twice a year, however, once a year is usually sufficient to keep your coils clean.  That said, it is important to remember that even a small amount of blockage of airflow can have a significant affect on your equipment’s efficiency.

Community Cooling is offering a 16 point cooling system check which includes:

  • Clean your condenser coils.
  • Check operating pressures
  • Check electrical connections
  • Check sub-cooling
  • Check fan blade
  • Lubricate moving parts
  • Clean air filters
  • check thermostat
  • Check blower operation
  • Check controls
  • Check superheat
  • Check temperature drop across evaporator
  • Clean indoor coil if visible
  • Check complete unit operation
  • Treat condesate line and pan
  • Make necessary recommendations
Our well stocked trucks, and well trained air conditioning technicians are always on call when you need air conditioner serve, repairs, or maintenance.

Our well stocked trucks, and well trained air conditioning technicians are always on call when you need air conditioner serve, repairs, or maintenance.

We are here to help!
Call Anytime!
Community Cooling and Heating Inc.

For More Information Call
(239) 267-2117

 

 

 

 

Our service technicians are all experienced and field tested. Their training goes beyond simply knowing how to do the work in an expert fashion. We fully train our staff to respect our clients and their homes. We believe our technicians shouldbe personable, clean, neat and leave behind only a pleasant memory ofefficiency and of course a comfortable environment.

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