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. 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. I've heard that it costs $100 just to nail down the problem, and people have spent up to $1000 to get it working, only to find it konks out the next summer. To fix or not to fix?

A. With all of the laws that us technicians have to comply with, I'm surprised that any one can afford to have their A/C fixed. You never know where the leak might be or what component is the problem until you get started. I have had a leaking Schrader valve that costs less than $5.00 end up costing the customer over $100.00 for the repair. Reason being is we have to remove all of the freon to be able to open the system and change that little part. Then you have to evacuate the system to create a vacuum so you can recharge the system and charge for the freon that was used. What I have just said involved equipment that exceeds $5,000.00 in value and is required by the federal government to be able to work on A/C systems. Is it any wonder that these repairs are so expensive.

Q. We are trying to fix the air conditioning at work (the landlord won't do anything) and need to replace some parts. We have the ducts and I have found out that the ducts are connected to the collars (male/female). The collars are then attached to a big square piece which then has the grille attached where the air goes out. Does anyone know what the big metal square piece is called? I've been looking online but so far, no luck. And if you know of any good diagrams illustrating this, that'd be great as well. Thanks!

A. You are referring to a supply air plenum. And the grill piece is called a supply register.

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.